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Colored Gemstone
Proof of Origin
Gübelin Gem Lab’s Emerald Paternity Test: Branding emeralds at the source.
By By Barbara Moss
 | | To identify gemstone origin, Gübelin Gem Lab’s new Emerald Paternity Test begins at the mine. |
As consumer preferences for ethically sourced jewelry grows, establishing a gemstone’s provenance has never been more important. To date, tracing the journey from mine to manufacture has at best been dependent on “self-declarations” from the mining companies themselves. But for one popular gemstone, a new science promises to first, mark and then, prove the stone’s lineage using nanotechnology. The Emerald Paternity Test, developed by Gübelin Gem Lab, based in Lucerne, Switzerland, and announced at this year’s Baselworld, uses DNA-based nanoparticles to identify the gemstone’s point of origin. According to Daniel Nyfeler, Gübelin Gem Lab managing director, the encrypted information stored within the particles can be retrieved at all levels of the supply chain, giving consumers the transparency they crave and miners and manufacturers a way to prove an emerald’s pedigree. It is the first time that this patented technology, currently used in the food, cosmetics and petroleum industries, will be used on gemstones.
The science of nanotechnology is not new, although the ability to synthesize molecular-level units with customized information has introduced many new applications quite recently. Nanoparticles are minute. Larger than molecules, they are a “bridge” between the emeralds and their deeper, molecular structure. To give some perspective, the average human hair is approximately 100,000 nanometers wide; the nanoparticles used by Gübelin are only 100 nanometers wide, making them invisible to both optical microscopes and the naked eye. They can only be visualized by specialized techniques or distinct methods, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Nyfeler began to investigate the use of nanotechnology for gemstone authentication in the fall of 2015, when he attended a work group led by the professor who identified the nanoparticles similar to the ones used by Gübelin. “I asked if we could give it a try on emeralds,” recalls Nyfeler. Gübelin now holds exclusive rights to use the technology in the gem industry and has filed its own patent on applying the nanoparticles on gemstones for the purposes of origin identification. When used to identify emeralds, the mine’s identification is encrypted into the DNA-based nanoparticles, which are encased in silica and suspended in an ethanol alcohol-based carrier liquid. Applied to rough emerald crystals in the field, they penetrate the fissures and adhere tightly to their walls. They are then able to withstand the treatments after the stone leaves the mine, including cleaning, cutting, polishing, transportation and setting. Even if emeralds are oiled after the application, enough particles can be found in the stone to facilitate identification.
| | Rough emeralds, like the Gemfields rough shown here, are perfect candidates for Gübelin’s Emerald Paternity Test. Photos courtesy Gübelin Gem Lab. |
Emerald was selected as the first gem to utilize this technology due to its fissured nature and because it does not need heat treatment. The nanoparticle application will not affect the appearance, quality and properties of the gem, says Nyfeler, who has chosen Gemfields as a test partner, a company with a strong commitment to chain-of-custody and transparency issues. Further down the supply chain, the emerald can be “read” by retrieving the nanoparticles, reading the DNA and decoding the information contained therein using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), a standard method used for this purpose. The cost to analyze the emerald is a few hundred dollars at the present time, largely because current testing is done in a research — not an industrial — laboratory. “We expect the cost to come down soon,” says Nyfeler, who will train and authorize other labs to verify the stones. “In the long run, there will be no need to send the emeralds to Switzerland.” In cooperation with auditors, Gübelin will establish a process to closely monitor the mining companies that will use the technology, Nyfeler reports. Subscribers are subject to a code of conduct and will be supervised to make sure they are applying the technology correctly. Upon compliance, they will be authorized to use Gübelin’s “Provenance Proof” label. In addition to established miners, Gübelin intends to target others, such as smaller cooperatives, governments and jewelry brands. For the time being, paternity testing is only available for emeralds. Nyfeler says Gübelin has kicked off more projects to expand its origin-tracing technologies and services over the next few years. Emerald paternity is the first in a series of technologies and services that the lab plans to test and offer under its “Provenance Proof” label. Origin testing for additional gemstones will take a different approach, says Nyfeler. This first scientifically proven method of identifying provenance does more than just add value for emeralds. It gives the jewelry industry a measurable transparency, and a new way to prove what had once seemed impossible. From jewelry brands to entire governments, just about everyone can benefit.Article from the Rapaport Magazine - May 2017. To subscribe click here.
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