The Gemlab Research Newsletter dated March 23 reports that more fake diamond crystals, “ingeniously designed rough diamond imitations,” have appeared in the trade.

Noting the beautiful craftsmanship of the crystals to appear like diamond, Thomas Hainschwang of GEMLAB, Laboratory for Gemstone Analysis and Reports in Balzers, Liechtenstein, who sent the report, observed that the crystals were noticeably void of trigons, the triangular etch marks commonly found on octahedral diamond crystals.

That led to some basic testing with Polaroid plates which determined that the crystals could not be diamond. Hainschwang says that phenakite as the likely substitute.

JCK reported on such imitation diamond rough in March of 2007. 

For more information and images on this latest report, visit the Gemlab Web site.

JCK