The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) published ISO 18323:2015 ‘Jewellery -- Consumer confidence in the diamond industry’ on 1 July 2015 specifying a set of permitted descriptors for the diamond industry aiming to provide further clarity for traders and maintain consumer confidence in the diamond industry. The new ruling is welcomed by CIBJO, said in its statement dated 27 July.
ISO 18323:2015 defines nomenclature that must be used, and also nomenclature that cannot be used, in the buying and selling of diamonds, treated diamonds and synthetic diamonds. It particularly outlines how to describe synthetic diamonds in a clear and accurate manner.
According to CIBJO, the new standard defines a synthetic diamond as “an artificial product that has essentially the same chemical composition, crystal structure and physical (including optical) properties as a diamond.” The only permissible terms that may be used to describe it are “synthetic diamond”, “laboratory-grown diamond” or “laboratory-created diamond”, and no abbreviations can be used.
The new standard bars the use of “cultured”, “cultivated”, “real”, “genuine”, “precious” and “gem to describe any synthetic diamond. The use of such adjectives can be considered deceptive. It states that any diamond having been subject to a treatment shall be disclosed as a “treated diamond”, and/or include a specific reference to the particular treatment.
ISO 18323:2015 mirrors the definitions outlined in CIBJO’s ‘Diamond Blue Book’, according to CIBJO.
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