Meeting in Vicenza, Italy, on September 7, 2026, after the conclusion  of the Centenary CIBJO Congress, the organization’s Board of Directors approved a recommendation by its Diamond Commission and Coloured Stone Commission that the Blue Books be revised so that the word “synthetic” be the sole descriptor used to accurately and scientifically define a created product with the same chemical composition, physical properties and structure as that of its naturally occurring counterpart.

The CIBJO Board of Directors acknowledged that “laboratory-grown” and “laboratory-created” are consumer marketing terms accepted in certain jurisdictions, and recognized that national law or regulations take precedence in the jurisdictions where they are relevant.

However, CIBJO recommends that, when communicating to an international audience, “synthetic” be used as the most unambiguous term of description.