Alrosa, Russian miner and the world’s largest producer of rough diamonds by carats, has introduced a ground-breaking diamond-tracing technology using non-invasive laser marking. Unlike traditional laser engraving, this laser marking cannot be destroyed or polished off. It distinguishes Alrosa’s diamonds from others, including lab-grown, and allows them to be uniquely identified, providing detailed information about the diamonds’ origins.
Consumer surveys in the key diamond markets of the United States and China indicate that diamond tracing is an important factor when making purchases. Tracing involves registering all stages of a diamond’s life from the mine to the jewellery store to guarantee its origin.
Unlike other tracing methods which are based on keeping a digital copy of the diamond, Alrosa’s physical nanomarking allows the stone to be identified with 100 percent accuracy. It also differs from other engraving technologies which mark closer to the surface of the diamond. The laser nanomark is imprinted inside the crystal lattice, across the atomic structure of the entire diamond, making it invisible without a scanner. Diamonds with such nanomarkings have been successfully certified by the GIA, the industry’s biggest certification centre.
The mark is a three-dimensional code linked to the Alrosa Provenance platform. It offers in-depth information about the diamond’s origin and characteristics, as well as a unique identification number, photo, video and details about how it has been cut. Scientists believe that, as the technology evolves, it is likely to become an important way of embedding large amounts of data within the diamond, including media files, images and music.