New and improved wording
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has had a bit of a rethink concerning its grading reports of diamonds grown in a laboratory. Actually, in this instance, it is more of a reword. From July 2019, the old “GIA Synthetic Diamond Grading Report” will be replaced with the new and improved “GIA Laboratory-Grown Diamond Report.” Spot the difference? This change now conforms to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines.
Avoiding misleading
Swapping “synthetic” for “laboratory-grown” is not just confined to the headline either. “Synthetic” will no longer feature inside GIA reports. A minor change, some might say. It might be considered minor with regards to synthetic being a nine-letter word but it is a major change when addressing the problem of “synthetic” used in marketing terms to communicate a negative message. On these occasions, it implies or hints at an “inferior” product or not a “real” diamond. These implications can be misleading and confusing to customers, which is exactly why the FTC made the changes to its Jewelry Guides in the first place.
On the other hand, “lab-grown diamond” or a diamond “grown in a laboratory” is a transparent term and a straightforward description. You know exactly what it is about and where it has come from. There is traceability from start to finish.
The rewording of the GIA reports is great news for the makers and creators of lab-grown diamonds. Madestones, Europe’s market leader in lab-grown diamonds, welcomes this positive change. It cuts through the confusion and eliminates mixed messages, especially when someone questions if a lab-grown diamond is “real”, as in real like a mined diamond. As Thierry Silber explains, “Their provenance differs, but the actual matter has the same properties.”
GIA CEO Susan Jacques comments “With the increased availability of man-made diamonds in commercial qualities, sizes and quantities, and with greater consumer awareness of and desire to this product, GIA is making these changes to align with the revised FTC (Federal Trade Commission) guides and changes in the market”.
The potential and possibilities of lab-grown diamonds
Madestones is passionate about the potential and possibilities of lab-grown diamonds. Currently, it is the only company in the world that offers the full range in lab-grown diamonds. Besides the traditional small, medium and large sizes in round and fancies shapes colourless diamonds, the company supplies beautiful yellow, pink and blue colours in various sizes. Madestones also produces on a bespoke basis, lines of fancy shapes in a cushion, emerald, oval, princess, pear and baguette. This means more choice and variation, which is exciting for retailers, jewellery manufacturers, designers and ultimately, the diamond-wearing consumers who like the idea of environmentally friendly, socially responsible lab-grown diamonds that also happen to be an affordable alternative to mined diamonds.
The increasing popularity of lab-grown diamonds has spiked consumer interest and the desire to find out more about them. With regards to change and transparency, GIA lab-grown diamond grading certificates will now also include the process in which the diamond was grown: HPHT (high pressure and high temperature) or CVD (chemical vapour deposition).
These changes come hot on the heels of a recent decision made by HRD Antwerp, Europe’s experts in diamond grading, to revise its grading scale for lab-grown diamonds. It now grades lab-grown diamonds in the same way as mined diamonds using the 4Cs. This means the same colour and clarity grades for all diamonds, irrespective of source. HRD has also scheduled to launch a lab-grown jewellery report in September.