Antwerp: World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) President Ernie Blom has expressed his concern over a GIA statement that around 500 colorless to near-colorless diamonds were submitted, primarily to its grading laboratory in Ramat Gan, Israel, which were potentially subjected to an undisclosed temporary treatment.

“I am extremely concerned by this development,” Blom said in a statement. “This is clearly unlawful behavior. We will have no tolerance whatsoever for this type of alleged illegal activity.

“It is crucial that this kind of unlawful action is stamped out. We are pleased that the GIA publicized this development so that diamantaires can be on their guard, and that the IDE is moving firmly in order to deal with this issue with the utmost seriousness. Our industry must come together to counter such activity, both for the good of our members and for the end-consumer who is always uppermost in our minds,” Blom added.

The GIA believes that the treatment temporarily hides the color of the diamonds submitted, giving a color grade that can be up to three grades higher than its actual grade. The GIA said it ended client agreements with the companies that submitted the diamonds and notified the relevant trade bodies.

The report numbers of the potentially treated stones are posted on GIA’s website, and anyone who has purchased or has access to any of these stones is requested to submit them to any GIA lab for a no-cost, accelerated review.