London: A training course for synthetic-diamond detection will launch this spring in the US and India, courtesy of De Beers’ International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR).

The two-day course — which aims to show participants how to distinguish lab-grown diamonds from natural ones, rough or polished — will debut in the US during the JCK Las Vegas show on June 8 and 9, and in India from May 15 to 16 at the IIDGR’s Surat facility, the institute said Thursday. IIDGR education director Jodine Perrin will run those initial courses, alongside experts from the De Beers Technologies UK team.

The initiative is the first in a series of educational ventures the IIDGR is deploying this year, which will also include a polished-diamond grading course and a diamond foundation course, the institute explained.

“The ability to detect undisclosed synthetic stones is becoming increasingly important for diamond traders and retailers,” said IIDGR president Jonathan Kendall. “The introduction of the course represents another key step towards the IIDGR’s mission to ensure industry and consumer confidence in the integrity and quality of diamond purchases.”

Participation in the course will cost $2,999, according to the institute, and it will ultimately be available globally through a mobile lab. For the US edition, the IIDGR has teamed up with the American Gem Society (AGS) to distribute the course throughout the country.