Gemological Science International (GSI) has outlined how diamond screening challenges have evolved over the past decade, citing increased laboratory-grown diamond volumes, mounted jewellery verification requirements, and the need for consistent product integrity protocols. For overseas jewelry buyers, this signals that verification and screening are now permanent operational requirements across the diamond supply chain, affecting sourcing decisions and quality assurance programs.
Evolving Detection Landscape
GSI noted that ten years ago the primary concern centered on identifying laboratory-grown diamonds mixed into parcels of natural diamonds. Laboratories focused on building scientific capabilities, including acquiring specialized instruments, training gemologists, and establishing screening protocols. Today, the industry faces a more complex environment with undisclosed laboratory-grown diamonds in natural goods, natural diamonds appearing in laboratory-grown products, diamond simulants, treated stones, and inconsistencies in screening practices.
Technology and Scale Challenges
Advances in screening technologies—including fluorescence-based screening, FTIR spectroscopy, photoluminescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, deep-UV imaging, phosphorescence analysis, and low-temperature testing—have improved identification capabilities. However, GSI cautioned that laboratory-grown diamonds have also become more sophisticated, making separation from natural diamonds increasingly challenging. The scale of screening has shifted dramatically: major retailers and manufacturers now require verification programs covering thousands of jewellery items and potentially hundreds of thousands of diamonds.
Mounted Jewellery Complexities
“While a laboratory may be able to correctly identify an individual loose stone under ideal conditions, reliably screening thousands of mounted jewelry pieces under commercial production timelines is a far more complex and challenging process,” GSI stated. Mounted jewellery presents additional testing challenges because stones may be partially covered by metal, positioned at varying depths, grouped closely together, or be too small for some testing methods. Screening increasingly requires workflow management, quality-control systems, and escalation procedures alongside instrumentation.
Reverse Problem and Simulants
GSI pointed to a growing “reverse problem”: as laboratory-grown diamonds become a larger commercial category, retailers and manufacturers must verify that goods represented as laboratory-grown are genuinely laboratory-grown. Inventory errors, supplier mistakes, and product misrepresentation can all contribute to natural diamonds appearing in laboratory-grown diamond goods. The company also emphasized the continuing role of diamond simulants such as moissanite, cubic zirconia, and other synthetic stones in product verification programs, warning against overreliance on any single screening instrument.
What Buyers Should Watch
GSI stated that verification and screening are expected to remain a permanent requirement for natural diamond, laboratory-grown diamond, and mixed-category jewellery supply chains. Product integrity is becoming an increasingly important operational consideration for manufacturers, retailers, and laboratories. Buyers should ensure their suppliers have robust screening protocols, workflow management systems, and quality-control procedures in place, particularly for mounted jewellery and high-volume production environments. Artificial intelligence may support image recognition and pattern detection in screening operations, but will complement rather than replace gemological expertise and advanced analytical testing.
Source: Read the original report | Published: June 09, 2026