The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has updated the terms it will use to describe lab-grown on reports, to distinguish them further from natural diamonds.
The new nomenclature will use descriptive terms to characterize the quality of synthetic diamonds, the GIA said Monday. According to the new system, submitted lab-grown diamonds will fall into one of two categories — premium or standard — which it will define by a combination of metrics related to color, clarity and finish.
“The GIA will start using descriptive terms to characterize the quality of lab-grown diamonds and will no longer use the color and clarity nomenclature that GIA developed for natural diamonds,” the institute explained.
If a synthetic diamond fails to achieve the minimum standard for quality, the GIA will not assign it a designation. The change in description will help consumers understand the important differences between natural and lab-grown, enabling them to make informed and educated decisions about their purchases, the GIA noted.
“Similar to other man-made gem materials, we anticipate the continued acceptance and popularity of laboratory-grown diamonds,” said Tom Moses, executive vice president and chief laboratory and research officer at the GIA. “More than 95% of laboratory-grown diamonds entering the market fall into a very narrow range of color and clarity. Because of that, it is no longer relevant for GIA to describe man-made diamonds using the nomenclature created for the continuum of color and clarity of natural diamonds.”
Until the GIA finalizes the revised description system for lab-grown diamonds, it will continue to provide its current services for synthetics, the organization said. The institute will release its revised pricing and submission guidelines at the end of the third quarter. Reports for lab-grown the GIA has already issued will remain valid, it added.
Image: A lab-grown diamond. (Shutterstock)
