CIBJO, the World Jewelery Confederation, has recommended that laboratories only use the term “grading report” for natural diamonds, arguing that lab-grown stones lack rarity as a basis for the concept of classification.
Instead, the documents providing details on synthetic diamonds are referred to as “lab-grown diamond product specifications,” which CIBJO has urged in a newly developed set of guidelines. Available for trade this week.
A CIBJO spokesperson told Rapaport News on Tuesday that the standard scoring report implies “the rarity of the product.” “But on the other hand, consumers have the right to know what the ingredients in a product are. The important factor is that the term 'classification' is introduced. ”
CIBJO's Board of Directors has made the new Laboratory-Grown Diamond Guide available for review by affiliated companies and national associations. The consultation period is the final stage in a two-year process to create harmonized standards for engineered stone.
The rule book, which is not binding, also calls for labs to provide additional information such as the name of the manufacturer, country and method of production (chemical vapor deposition or High Pressure-High Temperature). and information on post-growth treatments. The organization also recommends that the letters “LG” precede color and clarity grades on the report to indicate the stones were lab-grown.
This guide covers how to describe lab-grown diamonds and display them at events such as trade shows. They also make recommendations on how companies should disclose the origin of stones on invoices and shipping documents and discuss synthetic detection technology.
CIBJO explains: “A key principle of the Laboratory Diamond Guide is that to ensure confidence, consumers must receive full and clear information about what they are buying, so that they can Make conscious purchasing decisions.
CIBJO's Blue Book, a separate document of grading standards and terminology, notably kept “natural” in its definition of diamond even after the US Federal Trade Commission dropped the word. year 2018.