Cibjo's Synthetics Push

It’s been a relatively quiet period, with many dealers in Antwerp, Israel and New York taking vacation over the summer. That also applies to the news flow, which has been rather sparse as earnings season winds down.

For me, the highlight of the coming week will be the CIBJO Congress at the Vicenza show. I always love attending Vicenza, despite feeling eternally underdressed there. It has not only emerged as the most important European jewelry fair, but is arguably the number one global destination for jewelry style and design trends.

My focus, though, will be on the congress, as CIBJO celebrates its 100th anniversary. Amid all the diamond trade talk we’re engaged in, CIBJO offers a sense of how the diamond industry is viewed from the broader jewelry trade perspective.

During the congress, it will consider amendments to its Diamond Blue Book, including provisions relating to synthetic diamonds. Among the issues on the table are the removal of the terms “laboratory-grown” and “laboratory-created” as synonyms for synthetic diamonds, while the organization is also exploring ways to restrict use of the 4Cs to natural diamonds. (See Special Report: Diamonds).

If the proposals pass, as they are likely to do, they will serve in an advisory capacity only. CIBJO has no legal jurisdiction, but governments do consult its Blue Books when considering regulation around these issues. It will therefore send a message, set a precedent and raise the question of whether governments and other trade organizations will follow suit. France and Russia have already moved in that direction.

I explore the potential for the US to align with CIBJO’s Blue Books, as the Federal Trade Commission prepares to review its Jewelry Guides in 2028, along with what may be next in the tariff discussions, in my latest column for Solitaire International, Tariffs and Terminology.

This blog first appeared in the August 31 Pressing Matters Executive Memo. Read the full memo here, Pressing Matters.