The Laboratory Grown Materials Standard (LGMS) 2025 outlines 28 key provisions, ensuring responsible practices across the jewellery and watch industries.
The 33-page framework covers a broad range of industry concerns, including legal compliance, labour rights, health and safety, hazardous substances, and grading analysis. Designed for the RJC’s 2,000+ members, which include major players like De Beers, Lucara, Signet Jewellers, Leo Schachter, Cartier, and Harry Winston, the standard requires certification within one year for any business handling lab-grown diamonds.
“LGMS certification provides a strong system for assuring stakeholders, shareholders, customers, and business partners that a company conducts its business responsibly,” states the London-based RJC in its introduction to the new standard. “This can add value to a company’s products and help protect and enhance its brands.”
Strengthening Industry Accountability
While RJC members must certify compliance, non-members are encouraged to adopt the LGMS framework to enhance their business operations. The initiative reflects the growing importance of transparency and ethical sourcing in the evolving diamond market.
Dave Meleski, RJC Chairman, emphasized the broader mission behind the initiative, “With the LGMS, we are not just setting a standard; we are setting a vision for a future where elegance and ethics go hand in hand. We believe that every diamond, whether mined or lab-grown, can be celebrated without compromising our values.”
As lab-grown diamonds continue to gain market share, the LGMS 2025 standard ensures that responsibility, sustainability, and integrity remain central to the industry’s evolution.
