A micro-spectroscopy technique to sieve out the fake from the real

Singapore

A SCIENTIFIC equipment trade show may be an odd place to learn that the diamond necklace you are wearing and are so proud of, is fake. Yet, it's where one visitor found out - and the person who detected it was businessman Tok Wee Lee.

Mr Tok, 47, is no jeweller. But he is the executive director of Technospex, which designs machines that use light wavelengths to identify molecular fingerprints. The technique, called Raman micro-spectroscopy, can sieve out the real McCoy from counterfeits for anything from gems to palm oil to drugs.

The technique itself is…