Russian diamond producer Alrosa is developing faster and more efficient synthetic diamond detection devices, its president Andrey Zharkov said during an Oct. 13 speech at the World Diamond Council meeting in Moscow.
“Unfortunately, at present time there are growing occasions on the market when natural diamonds are mixed with synthetic diamonds or when the stones are worked on for the purpose of their improvement,” Zharkov said. “Alrosa is conducting research to create the most effective and fast detectors designed for diamond expertise.”
Under a new Russian law, “stones of synthetic origin, even having characteristics of natural stones, are not considered to be precious ones,” he said. “Therefore, the law determines that synthetic stones cannot be associated with precious stones.”
He also called on the World Diamond Council to play a more active role in defending the product’s image. He added that diamond buyers increasingly want to be assured of their diamond’s provenance.
“Investing big amounts of money into luxuries, we all want to be sure that no one’s life and well-being was damaged and our conscience is clear,” he said. “There is no other market in the world where moral, ethical, and reputational aspects would have such a decisive role in forming of demand.”
He said the newly formed Diamond Producers Association will develop marketing programs to promote diamonds.
“We have to be up-to-date, to take into account consumers’ demands and market trends, to be flexible, to be loyal to our values and principles, to form [an] image of [a] natural diamond as [the] eternal symbol of success and prosperity of its owner,” he said.
