CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, and the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) are collaborating to advance the lab-grown diamond (LGD) trade by developing industry standards, operating principles and LGD terminology.

CIBJO President Gaetano Cavalieri and IGDA President Joanna Park-Tonks inked a Memorandum of Understanding on June 25, 2023 during the National Association of Jewellers’ NAJ Summit in the United Kingdom.

Park-Tonks commented, “This sends a clear signal to the global jewellery industry to set personal agendas and egos aside, placing the consumer and their best interests at the heart of our work. We all agree that a strategy of deriding natural diamonds or LGD products is not conducive to consumers’ understanding of either sector.” 

As part of the agreement, IGDA, represented by Park-Tonks, will become a member of CIBJO’s Laboratory Grown Diamond Committee. The committee earlier developed a Laboratory Grown Diamond Guidance document, which is aimed at defining universal trading and handling practices for LGDs, safeguarding their identity and enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions.  

“We have had open lines of communication for some time already, and IGDA did participate in the public review before we released the Laboratory Grown Diamond Guidance document in 2021,” said Cavalieri.

According to CIBJO, the Laboratory Grown Diamond Committee is currently focused on “the honest and accurate presentation of sustainability issues” in the LGD sector.