CIBJO Calls for Synthetics Treatment Disclosure

RAPAPORT... The World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO) has specified theneed to disclose treatments to both natural and lab-grown diamonds. Sellers must make the disclosure clearly, both at the time of sale and before, the organization noted in guidelines it released last week. The same instructions apply to natural and synthetic colored gemstones, CIBJO said. The guidelines apply to any stone that has been treated tochange its color, durability, stability or clarity, CIBJO explained. Thosetreatments include irradiation, coating, heating and annealing, and HighPressure-High Temperature (HPHT). While disclosure of treatments for natural diamonds has notbeen an issue of debate, applying the same rules to synthetic stones is morecontroversial. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) determined it was necessaryto disclose any treatment that significantly affects the stone's value. However, De Beersmaintains it does not need to disclose treatments to the lab-grown diamonds inits Lightbox brand, claiming they are just one more step in the manufacturingprocess of a synthetic product. CIBJO believes the rules for lab-growndiamonds and gemstones should be the same as those for natural ones. Sellers should use the descriptions "treated synthetic diamond," "treated laboratory-created diamond" or "treatedlaboratory-grown diamond" for these stones, a CIBJO spokesperson told Rapaport News lastweek.  The "Do's and Don'ts" guidelines for ethically responsible trading in diamonds, colored gemstones, pearls and corals discuss terminology for referring tonatural and synthetic stones, and the ways in which information must bemarketed and disclosed. The new guidelines have yet to be added to CIBJO's BlueBook, which is updated every three years, it said. The new revisions to itsDiamond Blue Book will take place in 2020. Image: Diamonds and colored gemstones. (Shutterstock)