Israel's diamond industry has adopted the slogan "Natural Is Real" as it welcomes thousands of participants to this week's U.S. and International Diamond Week to conduct business on the trading floor of the Israel Diamond Exchange (IDE).

"Israel's diamond industry and trade, led by the exchange, is branding itself as the world's prime center for trade in natural diamonds," says IDE President Shmuel Schnitzer. "By adopting the slogan 'Natural Is Real,' we are sending a clear message to the market that Israel's diamond trade is all about natural diamonds."

According to IDE board member Loney Grinker, the slogan "Natural Is Real" had its beginnings at the December 2013 edition of the U.S. and International Diamond in New York. The slogan was proposed by IDE member Nathalie Dehan.

In 2013, the IDE board voted to ban the trading of synthetic diamonds from the IDE trading floor. "The IDE trading floor is the most active and vibrant bourse floor in the world," Schnitzer said. "At any time of the day there are hundreds of members working there, and we felt synthetic diamonds have no business being on the IDE floor."

Schnitzer emphasizes, however, that there is no prohibition on trading in synthetic diamonds anywhere else in the four buildings of the IDE complex.