UK Advertising Standards Ruling Targets Lab Diamond Marketing

 

Two online jewellery retailers have been ordered to amend their advertising after the United Kingdom’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled that their use of the word “diamond” without clear qualification was misleading to consumers.

According to a report published by the Financial Times, the ASA found that online retailers Linjer and Novita Diamonds breached advertising standards by failing to adequately disclose that the products promoted in paid Google and Meta advertisements were laboratory grown rather than natural diamonds.

The advertisements, which ran in January, were challenged by the Natural Diamond Council and the London Diamond Bourse, both of which argued that consumers could reasonably interpret the term “diamond” to refer to natural diamonds unless otherwise specified.

The ASA ruled that future advertising must include clear and prominent qualifiers such as “synthetic”, “laboratory grown”, or “laboratory created” whenever describing non natural diamond products.

Amber Pepper, CEO of the Natural Diamond Council, described the decision as “a victory for consumers”, while London Diamond Bourse president David Troostwyk said the ruling delivered a strong message that misleading advertising practices would not be tolerated within the jewellery sector.

Linjer stated that it had not realised the advertisements breached the code and confirmed it would work with its marketing agency to ensure appropriate terminology is used in future campaigns. Novita Diamonds maintained that it did not consider its advertising misleading, although it has since amended its advertisements to place the word “lab” before “diamonds” for greater clarity.

Laboratory grown diamonds are manufactured using high pressure high temperature or chemical vapour deposition technology, replicating the crystal structure of natural diamonds through energy intensive industrial processes. Their significantly lower production costs have contributed to rapid market growth in recent years, particularly within the United States jewellery sector.

The Financial Times reported that laboratory grown diamonds now account for approximately 17 per cent of the US retail diamond jewellery market by volume, compared with only 3 per cent in 2020.

The ruling is likely to be viewed as an important development for the natural diamond industry, which has faced increasing price pressure and shifting consumer demand amid the rapid expansion of synthetic diamond sales. For many within the trade, the decision reinforces the importance of accurate terminology, transparency, and consumer confidence in diamond marketing and disclosure standards.

Source: DCLA