New Group Aims to Unite Lab-Grown Industry

A new organization dedicated to creating a unified ecosystem within the lab-grown diamond industry intends to bring together growers, manufacturers and retailers. 

The Grown Diamond Trade Organization (GDTO) will “revolutionize” the synthetics segment by presenting a “single voice” to consumers, it said last week. The aim is to create a distinct line between natural and lab-grown diamonds. 

“It’s time for lab-grown diamonds to have their own ecosystem,” said GDTO executive director Marty Hurwitz. “The consumer’s voice is loud and clear; we must organize to meet the growing demand and proudly differentiate form the traditional mined-diamond institutions.” 

The group will offer members reports with certifications for manufacturing processes, quality control and the specifications of the finished jewelry, it explained. The reports will cover the entire finished piece of jewelry, rather than just the center stone, and will include a sustainability rating. 

“Lab-grown diamonds are manufactured to strict standards and should be graded accordingly,” noted Hurwitz. [There] are multiple quality control steps throughout. Sending a grown diamond to a laboratory to verify the quality after it’s produced is akin to reopening and tasting every bottle of wine after it’s corked. It simply doesn’t make sense.” 

GDTO will create an advertising fund for retail, provide sales associate training materials, and carry out government lobbying. It is also planning the first trade show featuring solely lab-grown diamonds, it added. 

Image: Lab=grown diamond jewelry. (Helzberg Diamonds)