Pandora’s ‘sustainability’ narrative as it relates to its exclusive adoption of lab-grown diamonds has been called “misleading” by several major industry players.
The Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), the World Diamond Council (WDC), the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO), the World Jewellery Confederation, the Natural Diamond Council (NDC), and the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) have released a joint statement in response to the Danish jewellery brand’s recent announcement it would no longer use mined diamonds and, instead, opt for ‘sustainably created’ lab-grown diamonds.
While the groups acknowledge Pandora’s decision to sell lab-grown diamonds as a positive expansion of the jewellery industry, they are concerned the “potentially false and misleading assertions” made by the brand could “diminish consumer confidence across all categories and create confusion which is detrimental to the industry as a whole.”
“The [mined diamond] industry employs tens of millions of people around the world and their families and communities depend on the income and welfare the natural diamond industry provides,” the statement reads. “These communities need the support of the industry now more than ever given the hardship brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“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, particularly given the inconsequential amount of diamonds Pandora features in its collections, can have unintended but substantial consequences on communities in developing nations. The industry organizations have called upon Pandora to support communities by correcting the record.”
