In 2023 we introduced the Sarine AutoScan™ Plus, a cutting-edge system that revolutionises the rough diamond source registration process, scanning rough diamonds at exceptional speeds up to 1000 stones an hour. The rough stone's source registration, coupled with subsequent scans and documentation throughout the diamond's polishing process, establishes a robust, data-driven and scalable solution for diamond traceability. The demand for diamond traceability is growing, driven by both retail brands aiming to ensure and demonstrate the sustainability of their processes and the G7 group of nations (the U.S., Canada, the E. U. and Japan), which recently announced broader sanctions on Russian diamonds. Miners, tender houses, wholesale sorters and manufacturers may also implement the AutoScan™ Plus for internal inventory control purposes. Registering the rough diamonds at source, rather than at the producer's central sorting facility days later, following multiple handling and shipping stations, may significantly reduce inventory loss. The system's low cost, minimal footprint and high speed, enable its utilisation virtually anywhere, including customs gateways and government offices.

Our DiaExpert® and Galaxy® families of platforms and the Advisor® software are the de-facto worldwide standard for planning the optimal utilisation of rough diamonds, so as to realise the highest possible valued polished gems based on optimisation of the four Cs (Carat, Clarity, Color and Cut) and light performance parameters. Our justreleased (January 2024) Most Valuable Plan (MVP™) software takes the optimisation of small rough diamonds (currently under 40 points to be expanded later in 2024 to larger sizes) to a whole new level of sophistication and automation.

Our third-generation Quazer® 3 green-laser system, integrated with our planning systems by way of the Strategist® setup station, is a high-end solution for the laser cutting and shaping of rough stones, as well as for the dicing of CVD-type LGD. The Quazer® 3’s main advantage is its ability to execute multi-staged processing, like pie-cut sawing, with one setup, saving significant time.

The Instructor® software supports the inline quality control of the actual diamond faceting process. It can also provide remedial polishing steps, when deviations from the optimal polishing are discerned, including application of unique asymmetrical solutions.

The combination of these technologies has transformed the art of diamond polishing into a science. It has raised the optimally achievable yield of the polished stones' combined weights from historically around 37.5% of the rough stone’s weight to over 50%, a benefit nearing 33%. It also allows the manufacturer the flexibility of planning options which best suit actual demand in specific markets, e.g., trading off between Carat weight, key in US markets, and Clarity, more important in Asia Pacific (APAC) markets. It also facilitates prioritising orders for diamonds for specific lines of jewellery, so called "programmes".

We introduced the most accurate system for scientifically measuring a polished diamond's actual light dispersion ("light performance") in 2013 – the Sarine Light™. It has today become the most widely used system for light performance analysis and grading in the Asia Pacific (APAC) market – in Japan it has all but become the fifth “C”.

In 2017 we announced the world's yet-unmatched first automated method to derive a polished diamond's Clarity grade, as well as a system for automatically discerning its Color grade, based on two additional cutting-edge systems, the Sarine Clarity™ and the Sarine Color™, powered by artificial intelligence (“AI”) based algorithms. Clarity grading is a very complex multi-dimensional classification, dictated by the number of inclusions in the stone, their sizes, types and locations, along with other parameters. Color grading is also challenging to perform consistently, due to the subtle hue differences between the various grades. Both manual Clarity and Color grading entail subjective labour-intensive processes, with two, sometimes three, graders involved for each process. The utilisation of technology enables more objective and consistent grading, which, as the AIbased algorithms are self-learning, continuously improves over time.

In 2020 we announced the next revolution of polished diamond grading – e-Grading™. e-Grading™ allows for on-site grading, negating the need to send stones offsite to gemmological laboratories. This provides a midstream polisher a number of key benefits:

• Significantly less direct costs, as the grading is executed by less-skilled personnel operating equipment, rather than by highly-skilled gemmologists;
• Virtually no indirect costs – no shipping, insurance, etc.;
• A substantially shorter process – minutes to hours vs. days to weeks; and
• Operational flexibility – a manufacturer can independently prioritise his stones' grading sequence and schedule, as necessary to meet delivery deadlines, etc.

e-Grading™ will also facilitate in 2024 the significant expansion of GCAL, our New York based gemmological laboratory. By integrating Sarine's AI-based e-Grading™ with GCAL's standards we have already expanded into India and intend to further expand to manufacturers' sites later in the year. In the future, expansion to Botswana, Dubai and other key geographies is planned. e-Grading™ is especially suitable to LGD grading, as its lower cost structure allows the commercially viable grading of lower-valued LGD.

Beyond the 4Cs grading, we are also working to implement the automated on-site sorting of polished diamonds in accordance with industry-accepted commercial criteria e.g., “eye-clean”, “no black inclusions”, “no inclusions under the table”, "no milkiness", issues of tinge, etc. This will facilitate more accurate matching of the goods offered to the retail customer to their nuanced needs, reducing rejects and bolstering profitability.

Retail Trade

We provide technologically advanced solutions for key aspects of the polished diamond retail trade, whether natural stones or LGD. In today's evolving retail environment, channel and product branding and differentiation, as well as creating a captivating online digital experience, are key to a retailer's success.

Our pioneering Sarine Profile™ addresses the retailers' needs for a compelling digital presence, by providing a suite of tools for the presentation of engaging imagery and video information pertaining to the diamond's beauty and quality. The Sarine Profile™ is distinctive in that it caters to the new generation of buyers' engrossment with their mobile devices and their passion for social media. The Sarine Profile™ allows the retailer to display its inventory according to its specific branding goals, as best suited to the merchandise being sold and the market in which it is sold. Each retailer, online or brick and mortar by nature, can create its unique branding message and buying experience by utilising our various tools to provide:

• Imaging, video or still, as provided by the Sarine Loupe™;
• Light performance video analyses and grading, as provided by the Sarine Light™;
• Other graphic information such as Hearts and Arrows, Cut proportions in 2D or 3D, laser inscription viewing and more;
• The 4Cs, whether from our or third party grading;
• Retailer specific promotional material.

In today's world where ESG (environment, social and governance) concerns garnish ever-increasing attention, responsible and sustainable sourcing and manufacturing are also key to a brand's success. The Sarine Diamond Journey™ addresses this need by uniquely providing concrete verifiable documentation of the rough diamond's provenance and its audited journey from rough stone to polished jewel. Critically, it is the only traceability solution in the industry based on factual (and not declaratory) data, enabled by Sarine's uniquely extensive presence in the diamond industry's midstream. In 2023 over 35.5 million rough diamonds were scanned using our Galaxy® systems and over 70 million were planned using our online Advisor® cloud-based software (including our older nononline versions of the Advisor® software we estimate some 100 million stones in total were planned on our systems in 2023). The online software can record the stone's actual polishing phases for the Sarine Diamond Journey™, thus generating a comprehensive factual testimonial. Integrated with the AutoScan™ Plus source registration, this service provides a unique record of the stone from mine to retail, which serves as a tribute to the retailer's commitment to ESG principles, as well as being the most robust scalable solution to meeting new G7-mandated sanctions, should they stipulate verifiable technology-based sourcing documentation requirements. The Sarine Diamond Journey™ was adopted in 2022 by leading brands – the Maison Boucheron house and the Aura blockchain consortium, a notfor-profit organisation aimed at enhancing transparency and trust in the luxury industry, comprising of LVMH, Cartier, Prada and OTB.

Upon the polishing process's completion, proprietary technology for “fingerprinting” the polished stone, TruMatch™, can also be engraved on the stone without denigrating from its beauty or value. TruMatch™ can subsequently be used to singularly verify the identity of the polished stone in the retail outlet, whether loose or mounted in a setting, and link it to its Sarine Diamond Journey™ record. This so-called digital twin can be utilised by retailers offering extended warranties, providing cleaning and repair services or proposing "buyup" exchanges, as well as by financial institutions or insurers in need of reliable unequivocal identification of the item.

Finally, an additional technology we offer for the retail environment is the 3D-Origin™. It is a true-to-form 3D-printed model of the rough diamond, from which the specific polished diamond was fashioned. Typically, it is offered to the consumer boxed together with his/her polished gem, creating a unique fascinating conversation piece.