CIBJO has launched a new informational website, called “What is a Diamond?” Its purpose is to inform consumers and members of the jewellery and gemstone industry about the precise terminology that should be used to describe both diamonds found in nature and diamond crystals created in a factory or laboratory.

Located on the web at www.whatisadiamond.org, the new website is an initiative of CIBJO’s Diamond Commission, and it was built with the support of the Swiss Gemmological Institute SSEF.

Using the CIBJO Diamond Blue Book as its primary reference, the new website definitions also comply with ISO Standard 18323 of the International Organisation for Standardisation. They draw a clear distinction between natural diamonds and synthetic or laboratory-grown or laboratory-created diamonds, as well qualifying what are considered natural products and what are considered products made artificially.

The website also explains the distinctions used in the Harmonised Commodity Description and Coding System of the World Customs Organisation (WCO), and supplies concise guidelines as to the  terminology that should be applied by traders of both natural diamonds and man-made diamonds.

“The purpose of the website is to be an easy-to-find and simple-to-understand reference point for all those who purchase, sell or handle diamonds,” said CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri. “Our goal is not to indicate what is better or more valuable, but rather to ensure that the public is able to distinguish between the different products in the marketplace. Consumer confidence, which is the bedrock of our industry, is completely dependent on people being able to make informed purchasing decisions.”