Gems and GemologyGems and Gemology
Home
Monday, January 5, 2009Printer-Friendly Page
Service Center
Search
My GIA
Current Issue

Fall 2008, Volume 44, Issue 3


Click to Print

Identification of Melee-Size Synthetic Yellow Diamonds in Jewelry
Hiroshi Kitawaki, Ahmadjan Abduriyim, and Makoto Okano


Melee-size yellow synthetic diamonds have recently been seen in the gem market, mostly as loose stones but sometimes set in jewelry. The material identified to date is synthesized by the high-pressure, high-temperature (HPHT) process. Randomly occurring pinpoint or flux-metal inclusions are diagnostic identification clues. However, some synthetic diamonds require advanced laboratory methods. This report describes the effectiveness of a technique new to gemology, infrared microspectroscopy, in combination with cathodoluminescence imaging for the rapid and accurate separation of melee-size natural and synthetic diamonds based on their characteristic mid-infrared absorption spectra and growth structures, respectively. With these techniques, the GAAJ-Zenhokyo Laboratory in Tokyo determined that approximately 10% of loose—and dozens of mounted—yellow melee diamonds submitted over a four-month period were synthetic.

Back to Table of Contents

Click Here to Buy This Issue or to Subscribe to Gems & Gemology


Home | About GIA | Ethics Helpline | Education | Laboratory | GIA Reports | Research | Instruments & Books | Alumni Association
Gems & Gemology | Employment at GIA | Careers Available | Newsroom | Publications | Library | Events & Trade Shows | Support GIA | GIA History | How to Buy a Diamond
Contact | Search | Site Map | Help
This page was last updated 10/02/08 07:35 PM
Use of this site signifies your agreement to its terms of use.
©2002 - 2009 Gemological Institute of America Inc.
GIA is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization.
All rights reserved.
World Headquarters and Robert Mouawad Campus
5345 Armada Drive, Carlsbad, California 92008
Tel: 760-603-4000