World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB) president Mehul Shah believes individual governments should decide on terminology for synthetics in local languages to ensure consumers have full understanding.
“Our key agenda should be consumer awareness and protection,” he said Tuesday. “Every region or country has its own language under which various terminologies are used.”
Shah called on the trade to focus on “one-line declarations” rather than debating whether to us the terms “lab-grown” or “synthetic.”
“We are not above any governments, as only respective governments can enforce rules,” he pointed out. “I urge all trade bodies to come together and appeal to governments in the interest of consumers, to prescribe declarations in local language related to terminologies concerning lab-grown or synthetic diamonds that can be globally implemented.”
Shah argued that consumers, jewelers, retailers and traders need to be clearly informed and educated on appropriate terms and wording in the local languages, given someone who doesn’t understand English may not fully grasp what “synthetic” or “lab-grown” mean. He likened it to the labels on cigarette boxes that let buyers know smoking is bad for their health, or those on liquor bottles urging buyers not to drink and drive.
“Terminology is meaningful only when it is understood, accepted and implemented by everyone,” he explained. “It must be communicated in a manner that is clear and easily understood by the people who are expected to use it.”
Grading labs should also use local language on grading certificates, Shah said. Meanwhile, he recommended that natural diamonds have a trademark such as “Natural Diamond Mark” that guarantees the stone is mined. That kind of system would “strengthen consumer confidence, provide greater transparency and help eliminate doubts, misconceptions and confusion,” he added.
Image: Mehul Shah. (Bharat Diamond Bourse)
