DiamondView
DiamondView
Deep-ultraviolet fluorescence imaging for diamond origin and growth-structure analysis
The DiamondView is a deep-ultraviolet (DUV) fluorescence imaging instrument developed by De Beers' International Institute of Diamond Grading and Research (IIDGR), formerly operating under the Diamond Trading Company (DTC). By illuminating a diamond with short-wave ultraviolet radiation below approximately 230 nm — well below the range of conventional UV lamps — the instrument excites characteristic fluorescence responses that reveal internal growth structures, sector boundaries, and defect distributions invisible under standard gemmological examination. It has become one of the definitive tools used by major grading laboratories worldwide for distinguishing natural diamonds from laboratory-grown diamonds and for detecting certain treatments.
Operating Principle
Conventional short-wave UV lamps operate at around 254 nm. The DiamondView uses a filtered light source producing radiation below 230 nm, a range sometimes described as deep-UV or DUV. At these wavelengths, diamonds fluoresce with an intensity and spatial resolution that maps growth zones with exceptional clarity. The instrument captures the resulting fluorescence image digitally, allowing the examiner to rotate the stone and document patterns from multiple orientations. Because diamond is transparent to DUV in ways that most other materials are not, the technique is highly specific to diamond and its structural variants.
Fluorescence Patterns by Diamond Type
The diagnostic value of the DiamondView lies in the fact that different growth environments produce fundamentally different internal architectures, each with a characteristic fluorescence signature:
- Natural diamonds typically display irregular, curved growth zones reflecting the complex geological history of crystallisation under varying pressure and temperature conditions over geological time. Colours are often blue, orange, or green, and the boundaries between zones are rarely geometric.
- HPHT-grown synthetic diamonds exhibit sharply defined cubic and octahedral growth sectors, producing a characteristic cross, hourglass, or pinwheel pattern when viewed along appropriate crystallographic directions. The sector boundaries are straight and geometrically precise, a direct consequence of the controlled, rapid growth environment of the high-pressure high-temperature press.
- CVD-grown synthetic diamonds (chemical vapour deposition) show a distinctly different signature: striated, columnar growth layers running parallel to the deposition direction. These strata often fluoresce in alternating bands and may include regions of non-diamond carbon that appear as dark lines or patches. Post-growth HPHT annealing of CVD diamonds can modify but rarely entirely eliminate these features.
Role in Laboratory-Grown Diamond Detection
The proliferation of gem-quality laboratory-grown diamonds — particularly CVD stones, which can be produced in near-colourless to colourless grades — has made instruments such as the DiamondView essential rather than merely useful. Screening devices such as De Beers' own Automated Melee Screening (AMS) instruments and the GIA's iD100 can flag stones that require further investigation, but the DiamondView provides the imaging evidence that allows a definitive determination. GIA, Gübelin Gem Lab, and the Swiss Gemmological Institute (SSEF) are among the prominent laboratories that employ DiamondView imaging as part of their standard protocol for diamond origin reports.
Treatment Detection
Beyond synthetic identification, the DiamondView can assist in detecting certain treatments. HPHT annealing applied to natural type IIa diamonds to improve colour can sometimes alter fluorescence zone patterns in ways that differ from untreated stones, providing supplementary evidence alongside infrared spectroscopy and other analytical methods. The instrument is not, however, a standalone treatment detector and is always used in conjunction with spectroscopic techniques such as FTIR and UV-Vis-NIR absorption spectroscopy.
Availability and Laboratory Use
The DiamondView is a proprietary instrument manufactured and supplied by De Beers IIDGR. It is not widely available as a retail or trade tool; its distribution is primarily to qualified grading laboratories and research institutions. This controlled availability is deliberate: the instrument's output requires trained interpretation, and misreading fluorescence patterns — particularly in treated or complex natural stones — can lead to erroneous conclusions. The DiamondView is accordingly positioned as a laboratory-grade analytical instrument rather than a point-of-sale screening device.