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First-of-its-kind device offers rapid, automated screening of large volumes of the smallest melee diamonds; KGK Suisse to take delivery of first instrument

De Beers Group Ignite has officially launched its latest diamond verification instrument, AMS Micro, one of the first devices to offer rapid, automated and autonomous screening of high volumes of the smallest melee diamonds. The first AMS Micro instrument will be delivered to the Swiss office of leading diamond manufacturer and De Beers Group Sightholder, KGK, at the end of February.

AMS Micro complements De Beers Group Ignite’s comprehensive suite of diamond verification instruments, which provide solutions for screening diamonds of all sizes to underpin confidence in diamond companies’ product integrity.

Following more than two years of development and rigorous testing, AMS Micro can screen up to 2,500 diamonds per hour in the 0.6mm to 0.9mm size range, automatically separating natural diamonds from lab-grown diamonds and other materials with a zero per cent false positive rate and a referral rate of less than three per cent. These high accuracy rates have the potential to deliver savings of up to 50 per cent on laboratory costs, depending on screening volumes.

The speeds and accuracy achieved by AMS Micro are made possible by a first-of-its-kind ‘robotic arm’ automated feed and dispense function, which requires no specialist expertise or outside supervision to operate and can save users on average five days for every 100 carats screened.

Sarandos Gouvelis, Head of De Beers Group Ignite, said: “De Beers Group Ignite is committed to protecting the integrity of natural diamonds and supporting our customers to have confidence throughout their supply chain. Every lab-grown diamond can be distinguished from natural diamonds due to their different growth structures. The innovative technology offered by our comprehensive suite of diamond verification instruments – which deliver results in mere moments – plays a critical role in underpinning trade confidence and in supporting the ongoing differentiation between natural and lab-grown diamonds.

“AMS Micro represents an important breakthrough for the industry, as it greatly improves screening of the smallest sizes of diamonds by automating this process with very high levels of speed, accuracy and reliability – saving users significant time and money compared with existing manual processes. It comes to market following years of dedicated research and development by our leading scientists, working in collaboration with industry participants, and will be a game-changer for diamond businesses that deal in large volumes of melee diamonds.”

Patrik Schäfer, CEO of KGK’s Swiss office, said: “As one of the world’s leading diamantaires, the integrity of the diamonds we sell is of utmost importance. The AMS Micro eliminates the human error element in testing diamonds below 0.9mm and offers automised reports which prove the results of the testing. In doing so, the AMS Micro provides a missing link in the chain of test traceability outside of the laboratories. AMS Micro will help us to increase our volumes and delivery turnaround times to our customers, which addresses a key pain point for us currently. The KGK Group has been impressed by the innovation and capabilities offered by AMS Micro, which revolutionises the approach for screening diamonds in this size range, and we are excited about the long term benefits it will deliver to our business by providing enhanced assurance to our customers.”

Throughout development of AMS Micro, De Beers Group Ignite collaborated with a number of potential customers to understand key priorities and ensure the instrument would best meet industry needs.

Sarandos said: “We’ve had a very positive response from all customers we’ve engaged with throughout the development of AMS Micro. We already have a steady pipeline of orders underway, reflecting the strong desire among diamond businesses for the benefits AMS Micro delivers.”

AMS Micro comes with a comprehensive warranty and support package from De Beers Group Ignite during its first year. Diamond businesses wanting more information about the instrument should contact [email protected].

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Notes to Editors

Images
A high-res image of the AMS Micro is available to download here.

How AMS Micro works

• The parcel of melee diamonds is loaded into the hopper of the intelligent feeder system, and then fed into the smart feeder tray.
• An overhead camera identifies whether all stones are correctly placed, with robotic technology and an advanced ‘pick and place’ system making any adjustments to ensure correct and precise placement of each stone onto the rotating measurement disc.
• The disc then moves each stone through two measurement cells, which measure and categorise each stone as either natural (pass), lab-grown, non-diamond or refer (for further lab-based testing).
• The automated dispense system then assigns each stone to the correct result container.
• Results are displayed on the touch screen interface in real time and an exportable report of each screen run is available immediately.
• The automated, autonomous screening and dispense system requires no expert operators and no after-hours or weekend supervision.

Contact

Press office
Tel +44 (0) 20 7430 3434
[email protected]

About De Beers Group

Established in 1888, De Beers Group is the world’s leading diamond company with expertise in the exploration, mining, marketing and retailing of diamonds. Together with its joint venture partners, De Beers Group employs more than 20,000 people across the diamond pipeline and is the world’s largest diamond producer by value, with diamond mining operations in Botswana, Canada, Namibia and South Africa. Innovation sits at the heart of De Beers Group’s strategy as it develops a portfolio of offers that span the diamond value chain, including its jewellery houses, De Beers Jewellers and De Beers Forevermark, and other pioneering solutions such as diamond sourcing and traceability initiatives Tracr and GemFair. De Beers Group also provides leading services and technology to the diamond industry in the form of education and laboratory services via De Beers Institute of Diamonds and a wide range of diamond sorting, detection and classification technology systems via De Beers Group Ignite. De Beers Group is committed to ‘Building Forever,’ a holistic and integrated approach for creating a better future – where safety, human rights and ethical integrity continue to be paramount; where communities thrive and the environment is protected; and where there are equal opportunities for all. De Beers Group is a member of the Anglo American plc group. For further information, visit www.debeersgroup.com.