Register to get free articles
Want unlimited access? View Plans
Already have an account? Sign in
A clutch of leading jewellery organisations have come together to call upon Pandora to retract its stance regarding lab-grown diamonds (LGDs).
The bodies have urged the Danish jewellery brand to “market LGDs responsibly”, and take back its “false and misleading narrative” surrounding the ethical superiority of LGDs.
The participants of the joint statement were The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the World Diamond Council (WDC), CIBJO, the World Jewellery Confederation, the Natural Diamond Council (NDC) and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
The groups highlighted that the natural diamond industry employs “tens of millions of people” globally, with the income and welfare of communities supported by the sector.
They said: “The misleading narrative created by the Pandora announcement implying the natural diamond industry is both less ethical and the impetus behind Pandora’s move to lab-grown diamonds … can have unintended but substantial consequences on communities in developing nations.
“The group acknowledges Pandora’s decision to sell laboratory grown diamonds as a positive expansion of the jewellery industry but warns that potentially false and misleading assertions can diminish consumer confidence across all categories and create confusion which is detrimental to the industry as a whole.”
Pandora made the announcement on Tuesday (4 May), claiming that the group will “no longer be using mined diamonds” following the launch of Pandora Brilliance, its debut LGD collection.
