The CIBJO Diamond Commission has decided to accept descriptive terms other than “synthetic” for diamonds grown in a non-natural setting, a Diamond Commission press release said.

The decision was made at the 2010 CIBJO Congress in Munich, brings the organization in line with the position adopted earlier by other major industry groups.

The Diamond Commission's stated as follows: “In the best interest of consumer protection and industry harmonization, the Diamond Commission now will accept the terms ‘laboratory-grown diamond’ and ‘laboratory-created diamond,’ as well as the previously acceptable term ‘synthetic’ to describe non-natural diamond.

“The Diamond Commission recognizes that any applicable local legal compliances will supersede any of these rules. When there is no acceptable local direct translation of the English terms noted then the local jewellery association should be consulted for an acceptable resolution.”



Diamond Commission President Udi Sheintal said that the decision followed a lengthy discussion: “It has been my pleasure to facilitate meaningful and effective exchanges (and) to search for a solution to what was earlier believed to an impossible impasse. The CIBJO diamond commission will now be able to concentrate on the many other issues, such as how to address the research results of the AGA task force on fluorescence and misrepresentation of diamonds.”