In January 2018, nine leading industry organisations released the jointly-developed Diamond Terminology Guideline to encourage full, fair and effective use of a clear and accessible terminology for diamonds and their counterparts by all practitioners. The guideline clearly states that “diamond” always means “natural diamond”. It also provides the trade with a scope of descriptions for synthetic diamonds.
Served as a reference document for the diamond and jewellery trade, the guideline stipulates that the industry should use ‘synthetic’, ‘laboratory-grown’ or ‘laboratory-created’ but not ‘real’, ‘genuine’ and ‘authentic’ terms to describe such man-made products. Abbreviations such as ‘lab-grown’ and ‘lab-created’, or terms like ‘cultured diamonds’ and ‘cultivated diamonds’ cannot be used.
“Our goal was largely to create a single, simple and universal frame of reference for the trade and the jewellery buying public that creates a clear distinction among natural diamonds, synthetic and treated diamonds, and imitations – all are legitimate product categories, but each differs from the other,” said Gaetano Cavalieri, president of World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), one of the nine organisations that developed the guideline.
The idea of developing a unified terminology guideline stemmed from a general feeling that while the industry is increasingly aware of the presence and significance of synthetic diamonds, there remains widespread confusion about how they should be described, Cavalieri told Hong Kong Jewellery. After several uncoordinated efforts to remedy the problem and acknowledged a growing need within CIBJO for a simplified version of the Blue Books created for more general consumption, the guideline was put on the agenda.
The latest Diamond Terminology Guideline was initiated by Jean-Marc Lieberherr, CEO of Diamond Producers Association (DPA), and was put together by his team, CIBJO’s team which was headed by Udi Sheintal, president of CIBJO Diamond Commission, and a team from Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).
Positioned as a recommendation but not a binding document, the guideline has been endorsed by many other industry associations across the world since released, which Cavalieri thinks makes it truly an internationally-recognised guideline. “We hope that with the endorsement of almost all the leading organisations in the diamond sector, the language contained the guideline will become standard internationally and will enhance consumer confidence,” noted him.
During an interview with New Diamond Technology, the market leader of HPHT lab-grown diamonds in large sizes and high quality, company president Tamazi Khikhinashvili expressed his support for the guideline. “The guideline is really the industry’s achievement. For our company, it is a very good promotion. If people speak about you, they speak better advertisement of your products. More often people mention the term laboratory-grown diamond, more impressive image of the product will be in their mind. Ultimately, they will buy our products,” he stated.
According to Khikhinashvili, the company produces HPHT diamonds in sizes ranging mainly from three to 40 carats, with the largest stone weighing up to 80 carats. Besides colourless lab-grown diamonds in D to J colours, they also sell fancy coloured lab-grown diamonds including fancy blue, fancy deep blue, fancy yellow and fancy vivid yellow. He revealed that nowadays main laboratories such as International Gemological Institute (IGI) and HRD Antwerp issue lab-grown diamond certificates by using the term ‘laboratory-grown’ and all stones they produce are with laser descriptions marked as laboratory-grown diamond. “We show our clients all the information they need to know, and try to explain to them what we sell,” he added.
However, Khikhinashvili also holds different views on the terminology of synthetic diamonds in the guideline. He thinks that related to CZs and imitations, the term ‘synthetic’ cannot be used to describe lab-grown diamonds that have the same crystal structure as their natural counterparts. Also, abbreviations such as ‘lab-grown’ are easy to use for business conversations, he said.
Regarding these, Gaetano Cavalieri explained that synthetic diamond producers must distinguish their products from diamond imitations in an accurate way, which does not mislead or misinform consumers. “Where synthetics and imitations are the same is that they are both artificial products, in that they both are made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally. Anything that conceals that distinction could be considered deceptive,” he emphasised.
To avoid abbreviations in terminology, Cavalieri said: “our main concern is accuracy. As a matter of principle, and especially when consumers are concerned, we believe that information should be provided in such a way that the intended meaning is properly conveyed.” Facing an international audience whose mother tongue may not be English, he thinks that the terminology needs to be as clear as possible.
Believing that both product categories will prosper and lead to a broadening of the jewellery market in general, Cavalieri foresees: “Synthetic diamonds may put some pressure on diamonds of natural origin in the lower quality ranges, but they will also fill gaps in the market as rough diamond production does not meet the growing market demand.”
The Diamond Terminology Guidelin was developed by AWDC, CIBJO, DPA, the Gem Jewellery Export Promotion Council (GJEPC), the Israel Diamond Institute (IDI), the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA), the US Jewelry Council (USJC), the World Diamond Council (WDC) and the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB).
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