CIBJO Backs 'Synthetic' Terminology for Lab Growns

(IDEX Online) - CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, this week backed "synthetic" as the preferred term for diamonds produced through industrial processes.

The move reverses its 2010 acceptance of "laboratory-grown diamond" and other similar terms, and could influence the terminology used in future by laboratories, retailers and other parts of the international jewelry industry.

CIBJO sets standards and terminology for the diamond and jewelry industries through its Blue Books, which provide internationally recognized guidance on diamonds, gemstones, precious metals and jewelry.

The move could therefore affect industry terminology across a range of areas, including laboratory reports, retail descriptions and consumer disclosure.

The decision was taken at CIBJO's centenary congress in Vicenza, Italy, on September 7, following more than a year of debate over how non-natural diamonds should be described in the organization's nomenclature.

CIBJO's Diamond Commission had proposed removing "laboratory-grown" and "laboratory-created" as synonyms for "synthetic," arguing that diamonds produced using High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT) or Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) technology are manufactured through industrial processes rather than grown in a laboratory.

The move reverses CIBJO's position from 2010, when the organization accepted "laboratory-grown diamond," "laboratory-created diamond" and "synthetic diamond" as equivalent terms for non-natural diamonds.

The terminology debate has since become increasingly significant as laboratory-grown diamonds have moved into the mainstream of the jewelry market.

CIBJO's Laboratory Grown Diamond Committee told the congress that more than half of engagement rings sold by volume in the United States now feature lab grown diamonds.

The committee also said retail prices for laboratory-grown diamonds have fallen in recent years, putting pressure on natural diamond prices. France and Russia, meanwhile, use "synthetic," while "lab-grown" or "laboratory-grown" is used in the United States and India.

The World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) has separately backed the use of "synthetic." WFDB President Mehul Shah told the CIBJO centenary celebration that the federation had passed a resolution supporting the terminology, describing it as a step toward greater clarity and transparency in the industry.

The terminology issue is part of a wider international debate over how the two types of diamond should be distinguished.

In 2009, a European standards agreement introduced "laboratory-grown diamond" and "laboratory-created diamond" as terms synonymous with "synthetic diamond." The terminology was subsequently incorporated into an international ISO standard on consumer confidence in the diamond industry, and CIBJO adopted the terms in 2010.

CIBJO's existing Diamond Terminology Guideline, developed with other major industry organizations, currently authorizes "synthetic," "laboratory-grown" and "laboratory-created" as descriptions of synthetic diamonds.

Pic shows delegates on the opening day of CIBJO's Centenary Congress.