The newly formed Grown Diamond Trade Organization (GDTO) has announced its mission to revolutionise the lab-grown diamond industry. GDTO aims to unite growers, manufacturers, and retailers, creating a unified voice for the rapidly growing lab-grown diamond segment of the jewellery market.
“It’s time for lab-grown diamonds to have its own ecosystem,” said Marty Hurwitz, GDTO’s Executive Director. “The consumer’s voice is loud and clear; we must organise to meet the growing demand and proudly differentiate from the traditional mined diamond institutions.”
GDTO Jewellery Reports will be available exclusively to members. They will provide reliable and affordable certifications on manufacturing processes, quality control, and finished jewellery specifications.
“Lab grown diamonds are manufactured to strict standards and should be graded accordingly,” added Marty Hurwitz. “Lab grown diamonds are grown to strict tolerances with multiple quality control steps throughout. Sending a grown diamond to a laboratory to verify the quality after it’s produced is akin to re-opening and tasting every bottle of wine after it’s corked. It simply doesn’t make sense.”
Beyond the traditional 4Cs, GDTO’s Jewellery Reports will cover the entire piece of jewellery, not just the centre stone. GDTO will also introduce the industry’s first Sustainability Rating, ensuring transparency about the jewellery’s source, conditions, and production.
An advisory board, consisting of key senior executives from the lab-grown diamond supply chain, will support GDTO’s mission. It includes Mehul Vaghani, CEO of Kira Jewels; Lani Nguyen, President of Valentina Designs; Suhel Kothari, President of Renaissance Global; David Sherwood, CEO of Daniel’s Jewelers; Dan Schneider, President Pure Grown Diamonds; Irene Hsieh, CEO of Joy Colori; Bob Golden, President of Allure Gems; and Roger Kylberg, Co-CEO of 2DOT4.
Retailer members will gain access to a co-op advertising fund, sales associate training materials, consumer and trade PR support, vendor matching, government lobbying, and capital raising assistance. GDTO also plans to host the first-ever trade show dedicated solely to lab-grown diamonds.