RJC Introduces Lab Grown Regulations

(IDEX Online) -The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC) has issued a comprehensive set of regulations on the ethical, social, human rights and environmental aspects of lab grown diamonds for its 2,000-plus members.

Its Laboratory Grown Materials (LGMS) 2025 standard is a set of 28 provisions - from legal compliance, working hours and forced labor to health and safety, hazardous substances and grading analysis.

The 33-page document establishes responsible business practices throughout the jewelry and watch supply chain

"LGMS certification provides a strong system for assuring stakeholders, shareholders, customers and business partners that a company conducts its business responsibly," says the London-based RJC in its introduction to the LGMS. "This can add value to a company's products and help protect and enhance its brands."

RJC members, among them De Beers, Lucara, Signet Jewellers, Leo Schachter, Cartier and Harry Winston, must have their facilities certified as compliant by the RJC within a year if they handle lab growns.

Non-members are encouraged to use the LGMS to improve their business practices.

"Our mission at RJC is to promote responsible business practices from laboratory or mine to retail," said Dave Meleski, RJC chairman.

"With the LGMS, we are not just setting a standard; we are setting a vision for a future where elegance and ethics go hand-in-hand.

"We believe that every diamond, whether mined or lab-grown, can be celebrated without compromising our values."