International Diamond Laboratories said Wednesday that it is becoming a global service provider for high quality diamond certificates. Headquartered in Dubai, it will have branches in Antwerp and Mumbai. The first certificate will be issued in September 2007.

The new laboratory will be managed by Peter Meeus who will soon be its chief executive officer, IDL said in a statement. The government backed initiative is a direct result of the Masterplan that Dubai Multi Commodities Centre adopted earlier this year to further develop its services to the diamond trade.

The diamondlab is an initiative of the DMCC, a strategic government initiative that provides industry-specific market infrastructure and services to key sectors like the diamond market.

“High-quality diamond certificates are becoming increasingly significant in the industry as they generate confidence in the certified product,” said David Rutledge, chief executive officer, DMCC. “The diamond lab will offer value-added services to the trade and consumers in keeping with Dubai’s status as the leading diamond trade hub in the region.”

Rutledge added that further details about IDL and its services will be announced in the coming months.

JCK