Claudia Piaserico

Are diamonds produced with sophisticated machines the same as those that are millions of years old and extracted from the depths of the Earth? Is it right to modestly define the diamonds created by a company with the term “grown in the laboratory“, as if they were greenhouse tomatoes that you buy at the supermarket? And, again, to what extent are diamonds created with an industrial process environmentally friendly? All questions that should be asked more often by those who want to buy a diamond jewel (the same goes for other gems). Each choice has pros and cons but, probably, it is a stretch to identify diamonds resulting from complicated technological procedures (which require a lot of energy) as green gems. Even if few know it.

That natural and true are synonymous with authenticity, also desirable when choosing a precious object destined to represent our emotions of greatest value such as love, gratitude, celebration of a success, is certainly a personal opinion, but I believe it is widely acceptable. . It is above all by starting from the use of clear and shared terminology that it is possible to correctly describe the world of diamonds to its customers. The commitment of manufacturing companies, industry professionals and trade associations already active in this regard must be increasingly oriented in this direction. Only in this way can we talk about the ethics of natural diamonds.
Guido Damiani, president of the Damiani Group and of the Assogemme Ethics Committee

An opportunity to deepen the topic was given to Vicenzaoro by the comparison organized by Assogemme, the Italian national organization that represents the companies that embrace the jewelery supply chain, made up of the main operators in the field of colored gems, precious stones , semiprecious and hard, diamonds and corals. Objective: to clarify a concept that seems trivial, but that marketing operations have helped to confuse. In other words, there is a difference between what is the result of nature, or more precisely, the contribution of powerful geological upheavals, from what is the result of a technical procedure, as if it were a smartphone. Even if the composition of the two stones, natural and laboratory, is identical from a chemical point of view.

Guido Damiani, for example, pointed out that it is wrong to consider the production of synthetic diamonds as ecologically sustainable. If only large amounts of energy are needed to produce diamonds. And most of these gems are produced in China, where most of the electricity is obtained from polluting coal-fired plants. Of course, the mines are not a pleasant place and natural oases. But, given that for years they have come under the lens of the media, they have adopted measures to contain environmental damage and respect for the protection of those who work. Among other things, in many countries the gem mines are a source of livelihood for local populations.

Also in the meeting organized by Assogemme another aspect emerged that should not be underestimated. While a natural diamond is a safe haven asset, that is, it has a value that is preserved over time (albeit with variations, as for gold), a synthetic gem is an artificial product that is destined to lose economic appeal, also because quantities are produced. always increasing.

Having said all this, what is the solution? It seems obvious: to inform more and better those who want to buy a diamond jewel. Knowing can help you make an informed choice, as Claudia Piaserico, president of Federorafi, argues. Also because the boom in so-called lab grown diamonds, supported by lower prices than natural gems and the misunderstanding that they are more environmentally friendly, has created uncertainty. If we then add that the company that identifies itself with the diamond, De Beers, also produces synthetic gems, the confusion is complete. For this Federorafi, presses on the European Federation of Jewelery, with the aim of obtaining clearer rules, perhaps with an EU law. It would be precious, it must be said.