b'THE STATE OF RETAIL DIAMONDSJEWELRYCOLORED DESIGN STONES2 An Emerald Paternity Test and Blockchain Increase Traceability G belins Provenance Proof initiative, launched in 2017,Gbelin also introduced a blockchain for colored gemstones with has moved the colored gemstone industry forward whenthe aim of following them through the supply chain from mine to it comes to improving traceability and transparency.market.One of the labs key advancements was the EmeraldThe Swiss gem lab first announced this development in 2018, part-Paternity Test, which involves applying DNA-basednering with mining company Fura Gems for the pilot program; the nanoparticles directly onto rough emerald crystals at mining sites.latter offered stones at its Coscuez Colombian emerald mine as test The nanoparticles arent visible to the naked eye and can with- subjects for the blockchain. stand all steps in the stones journeycutting, cleaning, polishing,The lab then opened the blockchain to the trade the following transporting, and settingto act as a permanent tag supplyingyear, spinning it off from Gbelin Gem Lab by establishing it as an information on when, where, and by which company an emeraldindependent subsidiary under the House of Gbelin. was mined.SSEF performed radiocarbon age-dating on historical pearls found in the Cirebon Shipwreck in Indonesia.Age-Dating of Gems Comes of AgeSSEF researched the radiocarbon dating of biogenic gems like pearls,The main aim was to supply the trade with scientific information regard-coral, and ivory in collaboration with the Laboratory of Ion Beam Physicsing the historical provenance of a jewel, SSEF said. of the ETH Zurich, and started offering age-dating services to the wholeThe lab can also age-date some colored gemstones when there is a industry beginning with pearls in early 2017.suitable inclusion present near the surface, which it believes could support To perform the radiocarbon analysis, the lab developed a quasi-non-de- origin determination since gems from different sources formed during structive method of extracting a minute amount (approximately 0.02 carats)different geological periods. from a submitted pearl, coral, or ivory.Continued on page 6866 STATE OF THE MAJORS 2022'