Separation of Natural Laboratory-Grown Diamond Using Time-Gated Luminescence Imaging

In Brief• Correctly identifying natural versus laboratory-grown dia mond is important for its market value and maintaining consumer confidence.• A time-gated imaging technique has been developed at De Beers Group Technology to allow easy separation of colorless/near-colorless natural and synthetic diamond.• A blue delayed luminescence can be used as a specific marker for identification of >99% of natural type IIa and type Ia diamond.