Barneys NY introducing Lab-Grown Diamond Collection using controversial term "cultivated", not approved by the FTC

[PinkDiamond]

The man-made diamond industry absolutely abhors the term synthetic, so they were given other terms by the FTC to use instead of synthetic, and yet Barneys decided to go with their own term; not that it's a bad one, but just that they're deliberately not abiding by the new FTC rule. ... as if the diamond industry doesn't already have enough issues to address.

Barneys New York Introducing Lab-Grown Diamond Collection
Controversy has arisen over the retailer’s use of the term “cultivated”
Rob Bates | October 27, 2016

"Barneys New York is introducing a collection of lab-grown diamonds, with a limited collection produced by three designers.

Diamond Foundry, a San Francisco–based diamond grower, will supply the lab-grown stones. The three designers are CVC Stones, Eva Fehren, and Nak Armstrong, whose ring is pictured.

The collection will be available starting Oct. 25 exclusively at select Barneys New York locations as well as Barneys.com. The collection consists of 19 SKUs, including pendant necklaces, bracelets, earrings, and home objects, with prices ranging from $675 to $18,800.

The Barneys release calls the stones cultivated—which is not, at press time, one of the terms the Federal Trade Commission has okayed for lab-grown diamonds.

“We have chosen not to be ISO compliant,” says Diamond Foundry vice president of supply chain Alon Ben-Shoshan. “We have started a dialogue with the FTC to make sure that everyone is in agreement.

“I am not a lawyer, but my personal opinion is that the FTC just wants to make sure that consumers are not tricked,” he continues. “We are very proud of the origin of our diamonds and are clear about it.”

However, when asked her view if the term was sufficient under the FTC Guides, Jewelers Vigilance Committee president and CEO Cecilia Gardner replied, ... "
http://www.jckonline.com/2016/10/26/bar ... -306540353

[crazy8s]

Great discussion at the end of the article.

[SwordfishMining]

Deliberately not abiding by the new FTC rules deserves fines, not some we will make them understand of mis labeling so we can lie about growing our fake gem diamonds to sound GREEN instead of the high tech manufactured cheap product we want to push. Language is important, I hope they LOSE fast and the industry makes notes to stick to facts and honest sales pleas or see it costs money and respect.

[PinkDiamond]

You're right, and Rob Bates has more to say about it and I agree with him wholeheartedly.


Barneys and Diamond Foundry Are Making a Big Mistake With Their Lab-Grown Diamond Line
Their use of a non-FTC-approved descriptor is irresponsible
Rob Bates | November 11, 2016

"While it’s hardly the most pressing issue in the world right now, I am disappointed with Diamond Foundry and Barneys New York’s decision to use the word cultivated for their new line of lab-grown diamonds.

The controversy boils down to this:

The Barneys release calls the stones cultivated—which is not, at press time, one of the terms the Federal Trade Commission has okayed for lab-grown diamonds.

Diamond Foundry said in response, “Our diamonds being man-made is the whole point of our marketing, which we are very clear about. This is consistent with FTC principles of making sure that consumers get what they think they get.”

However, when asked her view if the term was sufficient under the FTC Guides, Jewelers Vigilance Committee president and CEO Cecilia Gardner replied, “Nope.”

In a submission to the FTC concerning the ongoing revision of the Guides, Diamond Foundry vice president of jewelry Khristina Horn makes the standard pitch to disqualify the word synthetic—and while that is not likely to happen, there is at least some logic there. But she also calls for allowing the terms foundry diamonds, cultured diamonds (with no modifier), and grown diamonds.

The FTC will eventually make the call here, but from where I sit, the terms foundry diamond, cultivated diamond, grown diamond, and cultured diamond communicate absolutely nothing. They do not describe the product; they just attach a vague modifier to it. The terms lab-grown, man-made, [company]-created, and non-mined do a far better job of explaining how these diamonds differ from traditional earth-mined rocks. (Non-mined has not been approved by the FTC. But I like it.)

A company that uses the term cultivated diamonds does not seem like one that’s proud of the origin of its diamonds, but one that is deliberately trying to obscure it.

More importantly, cultivated has not been approved by the FTC. In her submission, Horn does not even make a case for it. But Diamond Foundry and Barneys are using it anyway.

Let’s compare their behavior here to that of Spence Diamonds, which also sells man-made diamonds. The people there found consumers didn’t care for the term lab-grown. So they labeled their diamonds “Spence Artisan Created diamonds.” It’s not the most descriptive title in the world, but it conforms to the FTC Guides, and consumers apparently like it. No one will object.

The reason the Guides exist is to referee the industry’s endless disputes over nomenclature. You may not agree with all its calls, but we can submit comments regarding them, and the lawyers there publicly explain their reasoning. And, in the end, the rules are the rules.

For years, sellers of simulants have called their products “lab-grown diamonds.” The people who make real lab-grown diamonds hate that, as well they should. It’s clearly misleading. The only way we have to stop them is to cite the FTC Guides. So these rules protect everyone. When a notable retailer and well-funded up-and-comer disregards them, that sets a dangerous precedent.

Despite my occasional disagreements with Diamond Foundry, the people there ... "
http://www.jckonline.com/blogs/cutting- ... -306540353

[SwordfishMining]

I am so going to start using the word Diamond in a MORE depreciative tone as in when asked about constructing Opal jewelry "You can always buy "cheap diamonds" for accent side stones to the genuine natural main stone." The emphasis on what size, price and availability so they are recognized as just another part- colorless sparkle with way too much baggage hype.

[rocks2dust]

"Cultivated"
Makes me think that they throw melee out into the dirt, then come back in late summer to harvest bigger diamonds.

Nor do I think most of the other fuzzy terms are clear enough – currently approved/unapproved notwithstanding. If there is a way to blur the lines, marketing folks are going to do it (e.g., writers of ad copy will take "man-made" and hint that it's synonymous with "hand crafted", or word so that "manufactured" is somehow the same as the process of cutting and polishing). They need to settle on a single term and apply it across the board to all synthesized mineral and organic materials that can be used as gems. I think they'd do well to just stick with "synthetic" and make sure it is used with every reference to the product being sold – none of the current burying it down in the copy, explaining/rationalizing it away, or relegating to a tiny footnote.

Similarly, the wording for treatments ("artificially enhanced" with no wording allowed that implies natural) and simulants ("simulated" or similar term used with every reference to the product being sold, not merely mentioned once) needs to be trimmed down to single acceptable terms that are clearer and must applied across the board.