The Russian government has introduced stringent new regulations that ban the use of terms like "lab-grown" or "diamond" for man-made stones, mandating instead that they be strictly labelled as "synthetic".
Effective from 1 September 2026, the sweeping measures aim to enhance marketplace transparency and protect consumers from confusing artificial inserts with natural gems. Under the new retail rules, the word "diamond" will be reserved exclusively for stones of natural origin. Jewellery sellers will be required to disclose the non-natural origin of products using the officially approved phrase "faceted synthetic" or simply "synthetic".
Furthermore, the legislation prohibits the use of descriptive or promotional marketing terms often associated with natural stones, such as "precious", "genuine", "real", "mineral", or "eco-friendly". In an unprecedented shift for the industry, the government is also outlawing traditional carat weight, quality, and colour classifications for non-natural stones. Instead, these products must be weighed and sold strictly in grams.
Russia’s deputy finance minister, Alexey Moiseev, stated that the changes would ensure an honest relationship between jewellery sellers and buyers. With this move, Moscow joins France in adopting some of the world's strictest terminology frameworks, contrasting with the UK, the United States, and EU, where descriptors like "lab-grown" remain widely permitted. (Photo courtesy: GIA)
20-07-2026
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