The Undisclosed Synthetics Problem Is Worse Than You Think

Awareness is low, an expert says.

Undisclosed synthetic diamonds are an ever-present issue in the U.S. jewelry industry, but awareness of the problem is low, according to one expert.

Rapaport News recently interviewed Joseph Kuzi, director of Diamond Services, on the topic of synthetics and the impact they could have on the business.

He told Rapaport that the issue is “not as sexy as it was two or three years ago,” but that in fact the threat has only grown during that time.

Production of synthetics is growing, as is the sophisticaton of the technology used to create them. In China, for example, synthetics are made largely for industrial purposes, but the knowledge and sophistication needed to produce gem-quality diamonds is also increasing.

Kuzi said his company, which is a testing facility, sees undisclosed synthetics “every day,” though not necessarily in large numbers.

His advice: “Companies need to test all their stock. Doing random checks or sampling is not enough because it’s not a full-proof method.”

Read more at Rapaport

.