Jonathan Kendall, President of International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research (IIDGR), announced sightholders of the De Beers Group of Companies will soon receive the Automated Melee Screening (AMS) instrument, a device which screens near-colourless and colourless round brilliant diamonds.

The instrument was initially installed and training sessions were conducted at the end of June with Tasaki and Rosy Blue in Japan, which were successful initiatives. Now the AMS will be installed in Sightholder facilities across key diamond trading hubs such as Antwerp, Mumbai, Hong Kong and Tel Aviv. This is a phased roll out with IIDGR technicians working in parallel in different locations to ensure timely yet comprehensive installation and training.

The AMS is the result of several years of development, testing and production. It screens the said diamonds from 0.20cts to 0.01ct (roughly 1.4mm diameter) to determine whether they are natural or not and does not screen for treated natural diamonds. This fully automated device has a capacity of up to 500 cts at any one time. Larger parcels may be split across multiple machines.

The International Institute of Diamond Grading & Research has been established by the De Beers Group of Companies to provide a premium service and proprietary equipment to the diamond industry. De Beers is committed to sustaining trust in diamonds, supporting Sightholders and the wider diamond industry which employs more than 1 million people globally.