Synthetic diamonds being sold as originals, customers encouraged to demand an invoice

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 17, 2018

Jewellers in India’s organised diamond trade are cautioning consumers to demand invoices when purchasing diamond jewellery due to the rise of synthetic diamonds being sold as genuine.

IST reported that diamond traders are concerned at the rise of the usage of synthetic diamonds masked as real ones in the Indian diamond jewellery trade. Some diamond jewellery boutiques sell synthetic diamonds as real ones, advertised as real, as they are around 25 to 30 percent cheaper.

One response to this issue is that, as consumers cannot tell the difference between a real and a synthetic diamond with the naked eye, some retailers have installed machines to identify the stones. Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers recently unveiled the “SYNTHsetect” screening device in-store which comes from the International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research, a subsidiary of De Beers Group, and customers will be encouraged to check their stones with the machine.

Asking for an invoice with purchase is another way that consumers can reduce their risk of being sold a synthetic diamond. Many choose not to make an invoice with purchase for tax reasons but neglecting to do so encourages the sale of synthetic diamonds, according to traders.