4C’s Best Practices

Naturalmark has taken this initiative and is keen to spread awareness and urges the members of fraternity to support & follow best practices.

—— CODE OF ETHICS —–

To maintain and enhance consumer trust in, and the reputation of, the gem diamond industry, there must be a commitment to combating mixing of undisclosed diamonds, dishonesty and fraud in all business transactions.

—– COMMITMENT —–

Demonstrate commitment to responsible business practices both internally to employees, and publicly to stakeholders.

—– COMPLIANCE —–

The company must comply with the Kimberley process guidelines which prevent the flow of conflict diamonds and protect legitimate trade in rough diamonds.

—– COMPLETE DISCLOSURE ——

Complete disclosure is the total release of material information about gold, a diamond or other stone and the material steps it has undergone prior to sale to the purchaser. The vendor must make all reasonable efforts to ensure this information is disclosed at all times during the selling process. Complete disclosure of all material facts must take place whether or not the information is specifically requested and regardless of the effect on the value of the item being sold.

Complete disclosure, by the vendor to the purchaser, must take place when offered for sale, such that:

1. Complete verbal disclosure must clearly take place prior to the completion of sale;
2. Complete written disclosure must be conspicuously included on each bill of sale or receipt in plain language and readily understandable to the purchaser. Written disclosure should normally be in English/Hindi and any relevant local language;
3. Disclosure must be immediately preceding or succeeding the description of the diamond and/or gold and must be equally conspicuous to that description.
4. See also the guidance provided in the Diamond Terminology Guideline below.

MISUSES OF TERMINOLOGY : It is contrary to the purposes of these Requirements:

1. To make any representation that does not conform in all respects to these requirements in the selling, advertising or distribution of any gold, natural diamond, lab grown diamond, treated diamond, synthetic stones or diamond simulant defined in these requirements;
2. To make any misleading or deceptive statement, representation or illustration relating to origin, formation, production, condition, quality or fineness of any gold, natural diamond, treated diamond, lab grown diamond, synthetic stone or diamond simulant defined in these Requirements.
3. Representation includes illustrations, descriptions, expressions, words, figures, depictions or symbols shown in a manner that may reasonably be regarded as relating to the substance.
4. Selling includes offering for sale, exposing for sale, displaying in such a manner as to lead to a reasonable belief that the product so displayed is intended for sale. For avoidance of doubt this includes the accepted industry practice of ‘memo’, the practice of consigning goods, normally polished, to clients for pre-arranged periods for potential sale.
5. Advertising includes directly or indirectly promoting the sale or use of a product.

-DIAMOND

The unqualified word ‘diamond’ must not be used to describe or identify any object or product not meeting the definition in the Definitions section below.

-NATURAL DIAMOND

Natural diamonds are created over a period of one to three billion years, at least 85 miles below the earth’s mantle under natural conditions of very high pressure and high temperature.

-LAB GROWN DIAMOND

Lab grown diamond is a diamond that is produced in a controlled technological process. A ‘man-made’, ‘laboratory created’, ‘laboratory-grown’, ‘lab grown’, ‘CVD’ or ‘HPHT’ and the description must be equally as conspicuous and immediately preceding the word ‘diamond’.

-SYNTHETIC STONE

The fact that a stone is wholly or partially synthetic stone must be disclosed at all times. A synthetic stone like Moissanite, Cubic zircon must only and always be disclosed as ‘synthetic stone’. Any terms that are designed to disguise the fact that a stone is synthetic or that mislead the consumer in any way must not be used. For example, the terms ‘natural, ‘real’, ‘genuine’, ‘precious’, ‘cultured’, ‘cultivated’ and ‘gem’ must not be used to describe a synthetic stone.

-TREATED DIAMOND

Treatment means any process, treatment or enhancement changing, interfering with and/or contaminating the natural appearance or composition of a natural diamond other than the historically accepted practices of cutting and polishing. It includes colour (and decolourisation) treatment, high pressure high temperature (HPHT) treatment, fracture filling, laser drilling and irradiation treatment and coating.

1. The fact that a diamond has been treated must be disclosed at all times.
2. A treated diamond must be disclosed as either ‘treated’ or with specific reference to the particular treatment and the description must be equally conspicuous and immediately preceding the word ‘diamond’.
3. A description of the type of treatment and the methods used to achieve the treatment must always accompany the diamond.
4. Any term that is designed to disguise that treatment has occurred, or to imply that a treatment is part of the normal polishing process or that misleads the consumer in any way should not be used. For example, the term ‘improved’ must not be used to describe a treated diamond.
5. Any significant effect on the diamond’s value caused by the treatment must be disclosed.
6. Any special care requirements that the treatment creates must be disclosed.

-DIAMOND SIMULANT

1. Diamond simulants must always be disclosed either as the mineral or compound that it is or as a ‘diamond simulant’, ‘imitation diamond’ or ‘fake diamond’. 
2. The unqualified word
   ‘diamond’ must never be used with diamond simulants.
3. Gemstones other than
   diamond whose colour, cut and appearance might be misrepresented as a diamond
   shall always be referred to by its mineral name, and not described as
   ‘imitation of diamond’. This could include gemstones such as quartz, sapphire,
   topaz, zircon and beryl.

– GOLD

All gold jewellery
products must comply with relevant local, national and global trading standards
and applicable legislation.

1. All gold used in
   products must be accurately described in terms of fineness.
2. Gold must be checked at
   Hallmark centres authorized by BIS, must be inscribed and accurately indicate
   the quality of gold.