Misleading Lab Grown Ads Breached Rules

(IDEX Online) - Two companies breached UK advertising rules by failing to disclose that the diamonds they were selling online were actually lab grown.

The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) said it was a victory for consumers.

The NDC referred Australia-based Novita Diamonds and Hong Kong-based Linjer to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), claiming their ads were misleading because they used the word "diamond" without clearly and prominently stating the stones were synthetic (lab‑created).

The ASA today (13 May) upheld both complaints. It said that describing lab grown stones simply as "diamonds" without a clear, prominent qualifier such as "synthetic", "lab‑grown" or equivalent wording, was likely to mislead the average consumer.

The ASA considered two paid Meta ads for Novita - one showing a diamond ring with the text "Novita Diamonds Ready-to-Ship Engagement Rings 1-10 days" and a video ad with on-screen text "Premium Diamonds" and "Shop our ready-to-ship collection today - Novita Diamonds" - and concluded they did not make clear the diamonds were synthetic. The ads were upheld as misleading and must not appear again in that form.

It also considered two paid Google ads that included the phrase "Discover our brilliant diamonds" (one ad also showed rings with clear gemstones) and found neither ad explicitly qualified the stones as synthetic or laboratory-created.

The ASA therefore ruled the ads breached the CAP Code (the rules for non-broadcast advertising) for misleading advertising and qualification and told Linjer not to use "diamond" in isolation for synthetic stones.

"This is a victory for consumers," said Natural Diamond Council CEO, Amber Pepper.

"Diamonds carry deep emotional significance and are often bought to mark life's meaningful moments. It's vital that consumers can make informed choices in total confidence.

"This is not the first time we have successfully challenged advertising that blurs the distinction between mass-produced products grown in a factory and products of nature formed deep in the Earth over billions of years."

Pic shows a Novita engagement ring.