Lab-grown diamonds to be marketed as synthetic diamonds: Official

NEW DELHI: Makers of lab-grown diamonds can’t market their gems using any term other than “synthetic diamonds” and statutory guidelines will soon be framed in this regard, a senior official said. FILE PHOTO: Diamonds are displayed during a visit to the De Beers Global Sightholder Sales in Botswana in 2015 The consumer affairs ministry on Tuesday held consultations to frame regulations for distinct marketing labels for natural and lab-grown diamonds amid rising confusion, mix-ups and possible unethical selling practices, the official said. In the meeting with diamond-sector representatives chaired by consumer affairs secretary Nidhi Khare, the ministry said these “gaps” had led to consumer confusion and misleading practices, especially concerning the differentiation between natural diamonds and lab-grown diamonds. However, the Bureau of Indian Standards, the national certifying agency, already mandates that the term “diamond” alone must exclusively be used to refer to natural diamonds.