Buying and selling quality small diamonds has traditionally been a hassle. For manufacturers and retailers, grading large quantities of small stones is costly and inefficient, not to mention the absence of widely accepted grading standards. For buyers, the lack of quality assurance can also hinder consumption and hold back the value of small gems.

GRADIA, grantee of Cyberport Creative Micro Fund, has developed a multi-faceted solution to tackle these pain points. By combining industry expertise with technology, the start-up is also unlocking the value of small stones.

To facilitate grading, the company has set up a GRADIA Lab under the guidance of Sheryl Cashmore, Graduate Gemologist, and the former director of GIA HK, who has become GRADIA’s consultant and in-house diamond expert. The Lab can pre-grade and pre-sort the stones, shortening what would typically take 4-8 weeks to mere days. Consequently, manufacturers and retailers can buy and sell diamonds faster, safer, and cheaper. Indeed, GRADIA estimates that this alone could help the industry save more than US$5 billion a year in operational costs.

To instil confidence, every diamond that GRADIA grades is independently verified by the GIA and Goldway AI using both human and AI verifications.  A translucent ID number is then nano-etched (<0.0004mm) on the diamond, and the “Triple Verification Report” is stored on a blockchain.

With this, buyers can easily access and verify the details of the diamond online and even trace its ownership. This will allow retailers to engage their consumers better and to open up the small diamonds market, where quality, security, and transparency are guaranteed.

GRADIA is exploring partnerships with high-end retailers, and is now in conversation with watchmaker EONIQ through Cyberport’s connection.