Ernie Blom, president of the World Federation of Diamond Bourses (WFDB), has praised the release of ISO’s new International Standard 18323.
The standard, which offers a series of definitions that provide clarity for traders, aims to help maintain and strengthen consumer confidence in the diamond industry as a whole. Blom notes that this ruling outlines very clearly the issues that the WFDB has been emphasizing for some time, including the need for “integrity and transparency” in the industry.
“The importance of this standard lies in the fact that it sets out which nomenclature can be used and which cannot in the purchase and sale of diamonds, treated diamonds and synthetic diamonds,” says Blom.
The document defines a diamond as something that was “created by nature”, and that “the denomination ‘diamond’ without further specification always implies ‘natural diamond’”. It also sets out descriptions for synthetic diamonds, pointing out a growth in their production in recent years, and noting that lab-grown diamonds have essentially the same chemical and physical (including optical) properties as a natural, mined diamond. CJ
