Finding a way to tell where a diamond is from was the subject of a recent American Geophysical Union meeting in Washington, D.C.

Dr. James Shigley, director of research for the Gemological Institute of America, spoke at the forum, which was designed to find a solution to the conflict diamond issue. The presentations mostly concurred with a conference on the same subject last year, which concluded that there is no scientific way to pinpoint a diamond’s origin.

“There still is not a practical method of determining where diamonds come from,” Shigley said. “I think the industry’s efforts to develop tracking methods through the Kimberley Process is still the most practical solution.”

Abstracts from the session can be read at www.agu.org/meetings/waissm02.html (keyword “V31A”).