CIBJO backs 'synthetic' alone, FTC holds three terms to 2028
The confederation's general assembly and board took up the change in Vicenza on 7 September. Its lab-grown committee had asked to keep one alternative term, and its coloured stone commission voted the same way.
By The Diamond Desk
What changed
The Blue Books change word. CIBJO's general assembly and board took up the switch to synthetic on 7 September, putting the confederation alongside the London Diamond Bourse and the African Diamond Producers Association in recommending that term alone.
What it means
- If you print tags outside the US: check your supplier's wording. CIBJO now recommends synthetic alone.
- If you sell in America: nothing changes. The FTC still allows three terms, and reopens its guides in 2028.
- What this is not: a ban. Cavalieri says each country follows its own terminology.
Key figures
| Terms the FTC allowssynthetic, lab-grown, lab-created | 3 |
|---|---|
| Next FTC revisionthe earliest US wording change | 2028 |
| Countries on synthetic onlyFrance and Russia | 2 |
| Study beganat CIBJO's Paris congress | 2025 |
Source: CIBJO Centenary Congress, Vicenza, 4-7 September 2026 · JCK and CIBJO releases published 7 September 2026
Two commissions voted the same way
Diamond and coloured stone. CIBJO's diamond commission proposed the change, having begun studying it in 2025 after the Paris congress. Its coloured stone commission voted for synthetic on 6 September.
The board decides. Under CIBJO's procedures a final nomenclature decision rests with the board, on guidance from Sector A and the general assembly. Both met on 7 September.
| Body or market | Term permitted | Status |
|---|---|---|
| CIBJO Blue Books | Synthetic | Recommended alone from 7 September 2026 |
| CIBJO commissions voting | Diamond and coloured stone | 2 of 2, on 6 and 7 September |
| United States, FTC | Synthetic, lab-grown, lab-created | 2018 guides, next revision 2028 |
| France | Synthetic | The only term allowed |
| Russia | Synthetic | The only term allowed |
| United States and India, in trade use | Lab-grown, laboratory-grown | In use |
| London Diamond Bourse | Synthetic | Recommended alone |
| African Diamond Producers Association | Synthetic | Recommended alone |
Source. CIBJO's release of 7 September 2026 for the France, Russia, United States and India rows; JCK of 7 September 2026 for the CIBJO, FTC, London Diamond Bourse and African Diamond Producers Association rows.
The FTC. position dates from its 2018 Jewelry Guides, and the next revision is slated for 2028.
One alternative term was requested
The committee asked. CIBJO's Laboratory-Grown Diamond Steering Committee requested that one alternative term, laboratory-grown, be kept, its chair Wesley Hunt told the congress.
A letter sought delay. Hunt said CIBJO had received a letter earlier in September from senior industry participants asking it to defer any final decision. Cavalieri said it would proceed.
The reason given. Udi Sheintal, who heads CIBJO's diamond commission, told the room: “This is not about marketing. It is about telling the truth to the consumer.”
America keeps three terms
Nothing moves before 2028. The Federal Trade Commission allows 3 terms: synthetic, lab-grown and lab-created, a position set in its 2018 Jewelry Guides. The next revision is slated for 2028.
AGTA is lobbying. The American Gem Trade Association told the congress it will keep pressing the FTC to correct the 2018 decision, and is briefing members of Congress.
The market splits by country
Two words, two maps. France and Russia allow only synthetic, while the United States and India use lab-grown or laboratory-grown, CIBJO's release says.
What to watch
- 10-13 SepHardrock Summit, Denver, the first US trade gathering after the congress.
- By end 2026CIBJO's next Blue Book editions, and whether laboratory-grown survives as an alternative.
- 2028The FTC's scheduled revision of its Jewelry Guides, the earliest date US wording can change.
The story so far
- Gareth Penny gives CIBJO an 8-point planSynthetics take the majority by volume of US engagement rings.
- Russia bans the wordResolution No. 657 requires synthetic from 1 September.
- Not lab-grown, syntheticCIBJO expected to strike the terms at a September congress.
Go deeper
What would change this call
The CIBJO board reopening the Blue Book wording to admit laboratory-grown as a permitted alternative. Its own lab-grown committee asked for exactly that, and the Blue Books are revisable documents.
What the Blue Books are
The Blue Books are CIBJO's grading and nomenclature standards for diamonds, coloured stones, pearls, precious metals and gemmological laboratories. They are guidance rather than law. They bind CIBJO's members and are widely cited by national trade bodies and laboratories, but a jurisdiction's own regulator sets what a tag must say in that market, which is why the FTC's three terms are unaffected.
Method
The vote and its outcome are taken from JCK's report of 7 September 2026 by Karen Dybis, fetched at its own URL. The committee's request for one alternative term, the France, Russia, United States and India split, and CIBJO's decision procedure are taken from CIBJO's own release of the same day, timestamped 2026-09-07T10:29:24Z in its schema.org datePublished field. CIBJO's release was published before the board met and describes the decision as pending; JCK's report, published later the same day, describes the outcome. The two are a sequence, not a disagreement between sources. CIBJO's page prints a SEPTEMBER 7, 2025 dateline in its body while its own metadata and category, Congress 2026 News, give 2026; the metadata date is used. The congress ran 4 to 7 September 2026 and its general assembly re-elected Gaetano Cavalieri as president.
Sources
- CIBJO Pushes to Replace 'Laboratory-Grown' With 'Synthetic' - JCK, Karen Dybis, 7 September 2026
- More than half of U.S. engagement rings feature laboratory-grown diamonds, CIBJO Congress hears - CIBJO, 7 September 2026, 10:29 UTC
- CIBJO Congress concludes, General Assembly re-elects Gaetano Cavalieri as president - CIBJO, 7 September 2026, 21:00 UTC