India to bring regulatory framework for diamond industry to protect consumers’ interest

The Indian government is looking to draft guidelines for diamonds specifying definitions for natural and lab-grown stones, said India’s Ministry of Consumers Affairs in a statement on 19, November 2024.

The Central Consumer Protection Authority (CCPA), which operates under the Ministry of Consumer Affairs, had organised a stakeholder consultation with representatives of the diamond industry to discuss the use of appropriate terminology for diamonds chaired by Nidhi Khare, chief commissioner, CCPA.

The proposed guidelines will have explicit labelling and certification of all diamonds, specifying their origin and production method and have clauses prohibiting misleading terms like “natural” or “genuine” for lab-grown products.

The proposed guidelines will also develop an accreditation system to regulate and standardise diamond testing laboratories, curbing the rise of unregulated entities.