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Articles > New Diamond Cut Grading Systems: the Technology Provider's Challenge


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By Udi Lederer, Product Manager, Retail & Gem Lab Markets, Sarin Technologies
This article is based on a presentation given by Udi Lederer at the 1st International Diamond Cut Conference held in Moscow, April 2004

This article addresses the challenges facing technology providers as the gem labs roll out their new cut grading systems. I shall divide the article into 5 parts, as follows:

	Part 1: The role technology providers play in the diamond pipeline.
	Part 2: The effects of new diamond cut grading systems on technology for diamonds.
	Part 3: 2 alternative approaches to adapting existing technology to the new diamond cut grading systems.
	Part 4: Spotlight on the role of geometry measurements.
	Part 5: Summation and a few recommendations.

Part 1: The role technology providers play in the diamond pipeline
Technology and high-tech equipment are increasingly being used in almost every link of the diamond pipeline. Heavy machinery for mining and sorting is used for extracting diamonds from the earth, sea, and rivers. Expert and decision-supporting systems are used for planning rough diamonds, often marking them with a laser beam in preparation for manufacturing. The diamond manufacturing process utilizes different technological products for most phases of production, including: laser cutting, centering, blocking, bruting, polishing, and marking machines. The quality assurance phase at the end of production introduces accurate proportion measurement machines. Grading, that is typically performed at gemological labs, incorporates proportion and symmetry measurement machines, as well as diamond color grading machines, in some labs. Finally, retailers now use an array of different sales and promotion tools for demonstrating a diamond's proportions, color, hearts & arrows phenomena, light performance parameters, and even for inscribing a security or personalization message on the diamond.

Part 2: The effects new cut grading systems will have on technology for diamonds
Since technology use is so widespread across the diamond pipeline, it is bound to be significantly effected by the introduction of new diamond cut grading systems.
Three major effects we can expect are these:

1.	The rough planning process will need to change in a way that will take into account all the relevant light performance parameters, but still output proportions and angles that diamond manufacturers can use. This is how diamonds have been cut for years, and any change in the cut grading system needs to address the needs of the diamond manufacturers.
2.	The second effect to expect is on quality assurance and diamond grading products. These will have to be able to measure and grade light performance parameters that will become part of the new grading systems. This will definitely require a new generation of quality assurance and grading products. Two approaches to these changes are coming up later in this presentation.
3.	Sales promotion products will need to address the task of explaining and demonstrating the new grading system in a clear, simple, and straightforward way to diamond buyers. Anyone who has tried to explain the '4 Cs' to a diamond buyer knows just how difficult this can be, especially when you reach the 'C' standing for 'Cut'. Imagine how potentially complicated this might become when you try and explain brilliancy, fire, and scintillation to the client in the two-and-a-half minute typical attention span.

Part 3: 2 alternative approaches for new cut grading systems

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