The “laboratory-grown”  is misleading, because the diamonds are manufactured in a factory, Bernadette Pinet-Cuoq, Executive President of French trade association UFBJOP, told the CIBJO Congress.

“It is essential to question the acceptability of the word laboratory, and to reestablish a clear boundary between natural diamonds and synthetic ones,” she said in a keynote address to the CIBJO Congress.

The CIBJO Diamond Commission will be discussing the possibility of moving to recommend that the term “laboratory-grown” is dropped, and that “synthetic diamonds” should be used for diamonds created in industrial processes.

Ms Pinet-Cuoq thanked CIBJO organisers for placing the nomenclature issue on the programme.

“In France, together with the Natural Diamond Council (NDC), we have taken a clear position on terminology: The 2002 French decree defines a diamond as synthetic when it is man-made – and therefore, consequently, a diamond that is not man-made is natural,” she said.

“That is our linguistic standard, and the authorities have confirmed it.

Ms Pinet-Cuoq said that through the Blue List, CIBJO provides the industry with clear guidelines on how to communicate about sustainability. 

It gives, for each claim related to business or product, an accurate definition.

Consequently, the Blue List prohibits the use of terms such as “eco-friendly” or biodegradable and requires proof when using terms like “origin” – through due diligence, certificates of origin, or transfer documentation.

Ms Pinet-Cuoq said the jewellery industry is magnificent, because it incarnates the strength of the collective: a collective enlightened, that takes destiny into its own hands, with two goals in mind: the consumer’s confidence and a committed supply chain.

She thanked CIBJO for its efforts to bring the highest possible standards across the jewellery supply chain.