Gemstone grading organization Gemological Science International (GSI) has identified synthetic white sapphire melee in pendants that were submitted as natural-diamond jewellery.

The near-colourless synthetic sapphires, which were set next to natural diamonds, were discovered by the group’s screening and testing department in New York.

“This finding is a great example of the extraordinary work the team at GSI is doing for the screening and detection of undisclosed lab-grown diamonds and simulants,” said Debbie Azar, GSI’s president and co-founder. “What makes this finding unusual and very atypical was the use of melee-sized synthetic white sapphires.”

“While the industry has taken considerable steps to address this issue, the problem still persists,” Azar added. “We continue to identify undisclosed lab-grown diamonds and simulants in jewellery on a daily basis in all our global facilities.”