Jeweler Removes "Misleading" Lab Grown Ad
September 04, 24
(IDEX Online) - Indian jeweler Kalamandir has been ordered to modify or withdraw a YouTube ad for its Rishta brand of lab growns after a complaint from the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) that it was damaging and misleading.
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), a regulatory body, found that it included "several baseless and exaggerated claims around how natural diamonds are mined and how all lab grown diamonds are eco-friendly and sustainable".
The NDC, funded by major diamond miners and industry partners, claimed the Kalamandir Jewellers advertisement had presented a misleading narrative, unsupported by any credible evidence.
Richa Singh, NDC's managing director for India and the Middle East, said: "ASCI's decision will go a long way in promoting the same values within the diamond industry and uphold the integrity of all players within our business."
ASCI said the matter had been informally resolved and the ad in question had been taken down.
Kalamandir, founded in 1986, has 30 stores across India and 1,200 staff.
Pic courtesy Kalamandir Jewellers.