London–The U.K. Advertising Standards Authority announced that it had upheld Natural Diamond Council complaint against retailer Skydiamond For misleading advertising and marketing of lab-grown Diamonds.
According to its website, the online fine jewelry retailer has patented a process that creates diamonds using atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) and rainwater. It uses renewable energy sources such as solar and wind.
In its complaint, the NDC alleged it was unfair for Skydiamond’s use of the words “Skydiamonds,” a “diamond,” or “diamonds entirely made from the skies” in its ads that were featured early in 2023, in the press, Instagram and its website.
The company also questioned the word “real” used in the FAQ section that answers the question, “Are Skydiamonds really diamonds?” by saying “Each Skydiamond has a perfect shape.”
The ASA (the U.K.’s equivalent to the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC) sided with NDC in its decision, stating the advertisements did not clearly state that the diamonds had been grown in a lab.
The UK Code of Non-Broadcast Advertising Sales Promotions and Direct Marketing was also violated by the ads. rules The 3.1, 3.3 and 3.9 sections are about misleading advertising and qualification.
According to the code, marketing communications cannot mislead consumers by omitting important information. The code states that they must not deceive by hiding important information, or presenting the material in a way that is unclear, unintelligible or ambiguous.
The ruling stated that all Skydiamond ads contained clear gemstones as well as references to diamonds. It also considered the consumers to understand “diamond” in insolation, to be a naturally occurring crystallized mineral.
ASA stated that while some consumers may be aware of the fact that diamonds can be made in a laboratory, others would not.
ASA directed Skydiamond not to use the above terms to describe their lab-grown diamonds without a clear and prominent qualifier, such as “synthetic,” “laboratory-grown” or “laboratory-created,” or another way of conveying the same meaning to consumers in a direct and obvious manner.
The retailer was also instructed to refrain from using the term “real diamonds”, and not to use it to refer to lab-grown stones.
Skydiamond Tell WWD It plans to appeal, calling the decision “a mistake.”
Here you will find related stories. The NDC filed its complaint in March 2023. It was based on the Diamond Terminology GuidelineTrading Standards will recognize and assure the document as a standard reference in 2020.
National Association of Jewellers of the U.K., as well as leading industry groups, have endorsed this guideline. It is based on ISO 18323 Standard (Jewellery – Consumer Confidence in the Diamond Industry) and CIBJO Diamond Blue Book.
The FTC is a federal agency that regulates the marketplace. Its own Rules Diamond terminology is used in the United States, but not outside of it.
According to the Diamond Terminology Guidelines, all documents, websites and other communication tools intended for selling, buying and promoting natural diamonds and lab-grown ones, gemstones and laboratory reports, as well as natural and lab grown diamond jewelry, must refer to these lab-grown stones using “synthetic,” or “laboratory created”; this is a directive that was cited by ASA in their ruling.
One section is dedicated to its lengthy response Skydiamond responded to NDC’s complaint by stating that the guideline “shouldn’t be and didn’t profess it to be the only basis to define the origin of the diamond, or to determine definitively whether the diamond advertisements were misleading for an average consumer”.
Skydiamond argued, too, that only one of the 23 steps of their “novel” and “innovative” process was common to conventional lab-grown processes. The commercialization of this process pre-dated the Diamond Terminology Guidelines, which is why it wasn’t considered.
In its decision, the ASA admitted that it had updated the guidelines in 2023. However, there were not any major changes made to the version of 2020.
ASA stated that, while it agreed with Skydiamond on its production method, the lab-grown diamonds are still a fact and should be known by consumers before they make a purchase decision.