Ethical Diamonds? It is possible thanks to nanotechnology

Could the diamond in your engagement ring come from a country in conflict, like Russia? Not legally, and there is now a technology developed by a European project in Poland that could prevent it from happening illegally in the future.

Barbara Dembowska runs her diamond sales business in the Polish city of Poznań. Its precious stones only come from trusted suppliers in Belgium, France or Italy, but in reality not even their certificates can guarantee the origin one hundred per cent. New technologies developed by Nanores, a laboratory in Wroclaw, are revolutionary in this respect.

Barbara explains that “If a brooch consisting of, say, 20, 30 or 50 stones from a known company contains information inside it about the company, for example Cartier or Harry Winston, such as initials saying that these stones belong to this company, in case of theft, this stone becomes unsellable.” 

The international fight against the trafficking of blood diamonds

Blood diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds or dirty diamonds, are stones mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflicts, human rights violations and illicit activities. 

To combat the trade in conflict diamonds, the so-called Kimberley Process, a certification system that imposes strict requirements on the traceability of diamonds, ensuring that those traded come from legal and sustainable sources, was launched internationally in 2000. Member countries notably ensure that imported diamonds do not originate from countries in conflict.

In recent years, the European Union has added Russia to the list of banned countries.

Despite progress, the system has weaknesses. There are still escape routes and lack of control in some areas, which allow blood diamonds to enter the market.

Nanotechnology in aid of the law

The diamond tracking technology developed by Nanores is called Diamond ID, and according to co-founder Paweł Modrzyński, it is “probably the only technology in the world that can guarantee diamond security at the microscopic level, with micro structures etched below the diamond surface.”

The project, which cost Nanores more than Euro 2.2 million, was financed to the tune of almost Euro 1.75 million by the European Cohesion Policy. It was tested on surfaces of 500×500 micrometres. A micrometre is a millionth of a meter.

But why is there a need for this technology? What is the current situation and what is innovative about this project?

From mine to consumer

“At present,” replies the project manager, Magdalena Kołda, “diamonds are only marked when they are polished. A mark is then placed on the stone’s surface. But no identifying mark is placed at the beginning of the cycle, and it is very important to be able to trace the diamond from the beginning.”

The goal is to be able to engrave the marking inside the diamond at the microscopic level from the moment of mining. This would prevent the marking from being removed, as it is not on the surface and not visible, and would guarantee the traceability of the stone from the origin to the end consumer.

Diamond ID is combined with another technology, a “digital twin.” It means that a digital copy of the diamond marking will be stored in a database. And that is what you will find on your diamond in a couple of years, once the technology is patented and put on the market. A guaranteed absolutely ethical diamond.