It was a remarkable occasion for the diamond, gemstone and jewellery industry and trade, as a galaxy of gemmologists and experts made interesting presentations of their studies on various subjects. Among those who made valuable presentations were : Roger Harding; M Sevdermish; Nirupa Bhatt; M Eickhorst; J Panjikar; E Gubelin; D Schwarz; I Sunagawa; P Neto; J Shigley; A Jobbins; and JB Nelson.

They discussed various scientific and other aspects pertaining to diamonds, as well as other gems and threw important light on subjects like identification of diamond; enhancement of colour in tanzanite; Argyle and the Indian diamond industry; illumination for diamond grading and sales promotion; identification of synthetic and treated emeralds; inclusions in gemstones; new ruby and sapphire deposits; identification oftreated and synthetic diamonds; diamond mining and trading in Angola, organic materials and gemstone finger printer.

The conference was organised by the Forum of Indian Gemmologists for Scientific Studies. Delegates from nearly 27 countries attended emphasising its importance. Throwing important light on the growth of gemmology in India, chairman of the Gemmological Institute of India as well as of the Shrenuj and Company, Kirtilal K Doshi observed that gemmology had its roots in India. Souindro Mohan Tagore, a connoisseur of gems wrote in 1879 the Manimala, a treatise on gems in four languages - Sanskrit, Bengali, Hindi and English giving practically every bit of information available since the Vedic period to the time when he prepared his classic. During the last three decades, the science of gemmology has grown in India by leaps and bounds.

More than 5000 gemmologists have been trained during the period. A number of training institutes have come up to prepare more such trained gemmologists.Explainingthe importance of gemmology and experts in this field, Doshi observed that diamonds and other gems were earlier available only as minerals and were processed by craftsmen and artisans having the necessary skill. However revolutionary scientific developments pose new challenges for the diamond and gemstone business. Production of synthetic gemstones has now become possible and they are available in plenty in the markets all over the world. It is nearly impossible for the dealer in gemstones as well as for the consumer to differentiate a natural piece from the synthetic one, since irradiation, heat-treatment, diffusion, oiling and other processes make this a very difficult task.

Apart from synthetics, there are plenty of stimulants. For instance, moissonite, one such stimulant, poses serious problems for the diamond industry. The moissonite which is cut in smaller sizes such as stars and melees might prove a nightmare for consumers . If the moissonite is set in jewellery along with diamonds it may bevirtually impossible to identify it.

Yet another threat to this sector comes from treatments. Various types of processes have been developed to improve the colour and clarity of gemstones, especially for the costlier ones like diamonds, emeralds, rubies and sapphires.

While gemmologists devise methods to identify some synthetics, constant scientific developments throw up newer synthetics and newer treatments. Gemmologists today therefore face the herculean task of developing newer methods to differentiate the natural products from the synthetic and treated ones, so as to protect consumer confidence in diamonds and various other types of gems.