The Subtle Master Plan Behind De Beers New DiamondProof In-Store Verification Device

A little over six months ago, De Beers Group announced the DiamondProof “diamond verification instrument” at a jewelry trade show in Las Vegas. The idea was that this device could sit inside a retail jewelry location and immediately distinguish between a natural diamond versus a lab-grown diamond. The official announcement for the device included this telling line: “with research showing that almost half of consumers are unaware that every LGD can be readily detected, the device … help[s] underpin the integrity of natural diamonds.”

In a world where the difference between natural and lab-grown diamonds cannot be seen with the naked eye, this device will offer visual evidence immediately to a consumer of the differences … presumably to help the jeweler make the case for selling a natural diamond instead of the significantly lower priced and visually identical lab-grown alternative. On one hand, this is a masterful upselling tool that likely will work to help jewelers close the deal with customers for the more expensive piece made with natural diamonds.

On the other hand, it could provide a valuable service to improve consumer trust and prevent fraud by showing that what you’re buying is actually what you get. What do you think—is DiamondProof an enviably clever upselling tool or a valuable real-time device to prevent fraud?