Synthetic diamonds, a burning issue within the global diamond industry will be the topic of discussion at the Second Dubai Diamond Conference. The increase in lab-grown diamonds and their undisclosed mixing with natural diamonds over the past two years has raised much concern in the industry. The conference organisers believe an in-depth discussion by a panel of experts is critical in providing an analysis of the nature of the issue and how the diamond sector should respond to it.

The event is slated from April 21-22. Delegates and keynote speakers from Africa, the Middle East and Asia, including several Ministers of Mines and Mineral Resources from leading African producing countries, heads of leading global diamond industry and retail organizations, and members of civil society groups will be part of the event.

Within the scope of the subject, the conference will provide a comprehensive view of the state of global diamond and jewellery markets. The theme of the panel discussion is: Synthetic Diamonds: Problem or Not at All? Participants include Edward Asscher, WDC President; Ernest Blom, President of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses; Marc Brauner, Co-CEO of IGI Worldwide; Sabyasachi Ray, Executive Director of the GJEPC; and Audrey Tcherkoff, General Manager Middle East at Robert Wan. The panel will be moderated by Mr. Peter Meeus, Chairman of Dubai Diamond Exchange and Mr. Albert Robinson, Industry Journalist.

Mr Blom commented: "Synthetic diamonds are an important issue for the diamond industry. We really need to have a clear-headed debate about the size and nature of this issue. The synthetic diamonds sector has a niche within the overall market. I am not opposed to them as long as they are correctly disclosed. This panel, and the conference in general, will provide the opportunity for an exhaustive view of the current diamond trade."