GIA Aligns Lab-Grown Reports with FTC Guidelines

 RAPAPORT... The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has updated thelanguage in its lab-grown-diamond certificates to align them withrecent Federal Trade Commission (FTC) guidelines. The grading lab will no longer use the term synthetic whenreferring to diamonds created in a lab, either inside its reports, or in the title, it said Friday. The new reports willalso feature the same 4Cs descriptions found on the GIA'sgrading reports for natural diamonds. Additionally, the certificate will include a QR code whichwill link to the GIA's report-check service, and provide consumers with moreinformation about the growth process of lab-grown diamonds. It will also listany detected clarity treatments the stone has undergone. The GIA will include a comment on the report disclosing thefact that the stone is man-made and has been produced using either chemical vapor deposition (CVD) or High-Pressure, High-Temperature (HPHT). "Over the past few years, there has been an incredibleadvancement in the technology by which laboratory-grown diamonds are made,"said GIA CEO Susan Jacques. "With the increased availability of man-madediamonds in commercial qualities, sizes and quantities, and with greaterconsumer awareness of and desire for this product, GIA is making these changesto align with the revised FTC guides and changes in the market." Earlier this month, HRD Antwerp announced changes to itslab-grown-diamond reports, including updating the language to match those ofnatural diamonds, and expanding its color categories for synthetic stones. Itwill also launch a lab-grown-diamond-jewelry report in September. The new GIA lab-grown-diamond reports will be available fromJuly 1. Customers that have purchased synthetic-diamond reports from the GIAprior to that date can exchange them for a new certificate at no cost, the GIAnoted. Image: A sample GIA lab-grown-diamond grading report. (GIA)