BBC Under Fire over Lab Grown TV Show
February 08, 24
(IDEX Online) - The BBC is facing criticism over the way it described the impact of natural diamonds and the terminology used to describe lab growns in a TV reality show.
The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has reacted to an episode of Dragons' Den (equivalent of Shark Tank in the US) in which two friends from Antwerp won $315,000 of venture capital for their lab grown startup Kimai.
The US-based NDC, together with the UK's National Association of Jewellers and the London Diamond Bourse say in an open letter that the BBC's use of "misleading terminology and outdated misconceptions" about natural diamonds, pose a threat to consumer confidence.
They find fault with the government-owned broadcaster's description of lab growns as "bling without the ethical or environmental baggage".
And with a comment by Deborah Meaden, one of the Dragons' Den investors, who said: "I've never been quite sure about the deep ethics of the [diamond] business. I don't want to be promoting something and I then find out later it's a blood diamond."
They also point out that "calling laboratory-grown diamonds 'diamonds' without qualifier (as happened in the program) is in breach with UK agreed nomenclature."
The program featured a number of new businesses seeking investment from a panel of venture capitalists.
The winners were Sidney Neuhaus and Jessica Warch, who established Kimai in 2018 and found fame a year later when Meghan Markle wore a pair of their earrings.
The BBC declined to comment on the NDC's criticisms.
Pic shows Sidney Neuhaus (right) and Jessica Warch (left), courtesy BBC/Dragons' Den.