Editor’s Note
As scrutiny over diamond sourcing intensifies, technology is offering new solutions for transparency. This article explores how innovations like nano-IDs aim to provide verifiable traceability from mine to market.
Diamond extraction, much like gold mining, sometimes comes under fire. The reasons: their origin from conflict zones and environmental impact. In response, some brands commit to offering ethical and eco-responsible jewelry.
To better address the question of traceability, Opsydia has developed a technology that allows submicron particles to be concealed inside diamonds. These nearly invisible laser inscriptions are called “nano-IDs” by the startup.
Each of these “nano-IDs” consists of a series of submicron-sized dots printed 1/5th of a millimeter beneath the surface of the gemstone. Together, they form a digital code that will be found on official certification documents and blockchain registries.
It’s worth noting that using lasers to inscribe logos or tiny codes on diamonds is not, in itself, a new practice, the magazine points out. Such markings are often found on the girdle of the stone: the thin perimeter of a diamond that separates the pavilion from the crown. Since the 1980s, gemology laboratories have offered them.
However, once set in jewelry, these codes can be polished and concealed. Furthermore, the democratization of laser technology implies that some malicious actors could inscribe fake codes (by assigning, for example, a falsified serial number) or offer counterfeit versions of official logos.
This is where the patented technology offered by Opsydia comes in. According to the American monthly magazine, it would be protected from counterfeiting due to its unique nature.
This uniqueness stems particularly from the extreme precision of the writing laser beam. Also, the company assures that no damage can be caused by heat. As for the near-invisibility of the code, it allows it to be inscribed in the center, under the stone. Therefore, there is no need to hide it in a more discreet part of the diamond.
explains Andrew Rimmer, CEO of Opsydia, to the media.
Furthermore, although the company trains its clients’ technicians in the use of its machines and code programming, only Opsydia is able to download the logos or IP addresses.
concludes Andrew Rimmer.
In recent years, traceability and transparency have become prominent themes in the luxury sector. And, more specifically, in the jewelry industry. This technology could therefore play an essential role in the making of tomorrow’s jewelry…