How should a lab-grown diamond be described on an invoice?

With the qualifier next to the word diamond, then the specification: "laboratory-grown diamond melee, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, 1.5 mm, 20 stones", or for a single stone "laboratory-grown diamond, round, 0.52 ct, DE colour, VS clarity". Never "diamond" alone, and never real, genuine or natural.

Is "lab-grown diamond" acceptable, or must it say "laboratory-grown"?

Both are acceptable under the FTC Guides, which accept laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, [manufacturer]-created or a word or phrase of like meaning, as long as it sits immediately before "diamond" and is equally conspicuous. Write it out in full on customer-facing documents rather than abbreviating to LGD.

Can I call a lab-grown diamond a real diamond?

No. The FTC reserves real, genuine and natural for mined stones. You may say truthfully that it is diamond — the same material, hardness and optics — but it must be described as laboratory-grown diamond.

Can I describe melee as "D colour, VVS1"?

Not unless each stone was graded. Melee is sorted and graded as a parcel, so describe the parcel range: DE colour, VS–VVS clarity. Writing a single-stone grade implies a report that does not exist.

How do I invoice a ring with a mined centre and lab-grown melee?

One line per stone type: the centre as a natural diamond with its weight, grades and report number, and the melee as laboratory-grown diamond with its size, count and parcel grade. The same split goes on the appraisal and the insurance schedule.

Can I say lab-grown diamonds are sustainable or eco-friendly?

Only with substantiation, which most sellers do not have. The FTC's Green Guides require evidence for environmental claims, and the FTC warned laboratory-grown diamond sellers about such claims in 2019. Describe the material and the price instead.

How to Describe Lab-Grown Diamond Melee on Invoices, Appraisals and Listings (FTC 16 CFR Part 23, ISO 18323)

Short answer: write laboratory-grown diamond (or lab-grown diamond, laboratory-created diamond) with the qualifier right next to the word diamond, every time the word appears — on the listing, the quote, the invoice, the appraisal and the insurance schedule. Under the FTC Jewelry Guides (16 CFR Part 23) the word diamond on its own means a mined diamond, and real, genuine and natural are reserved for mined stones; ISO 18323 takes the same line internationally. For melee, a line that satisfies everyone reads: laboratory-grown diamond melee, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, 1.5 mm, 20 stones. The wording below is what we use ourselves, with the cases that trip people up: mixed pieces, repairs, appraisals and the claims you should not make.

The rules in one table

The two documents that matter for most jewelers, and what each requires. Neither is complicated; both come down to the qualifier.

Disclosure requirements for laboratory-grown diamond
Rule	Who it covers	What it requires
FTC Jewelry Guides, 16 CFR Part 23 (United States)	Anyone marketing jewelry in the US, trade and retail, including listings, invoices and advertising	Diamond alone means a mined diamond. A laboratory-grown stone must be described with a qualifier such as laboratory-grown, laboratory-created or [manufacturer]-created, placed immediately before the word diamond and equally conspicuous. Real, genuine and natural may not be used for laboratory-grown stones.
ISO 18323 (international standard, adopted by the trade through the CIBJO Diamond Blue Book)	Trade descriptions of diamonds worldwide; the basis for most national trade codes	Laboratory-grown diamond and laboratory-created diamond are the accepted terms, always written with the qualifier; cultured is not permitted for laboratory-grown diamond.
General consumer law (UK, EU and elsewhere)	Any sale to a consumer	No special diamond rule, but describing a laboratory-grown stone as a diamond without the qualifier is a misleading description under general unfair-trading law, with the same practical effect.

Wording that works, document by document

Copy these as they are. The pattern is the same everywhere: the qualifier, then the word diamond, then the specification.

Example descriptions for laboratory-grown diamond melee and single stones
Document	Example
Invoice line, melee	Laboratory-grown diamond melee, round brilliant, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity (parcel grade), 1.5 mm, 20 stones
Invoice line, single stone	Laboratory-grown diamond, round brilliant, 0.52 ct, DE colour, VS clarity, no laboratory report
Invoice line, finished piece with a mined centre	14k white gold halo ring: one natural diamond, round, 1.01 ct, G colour, VS2 clarity, GIA report 1234567890; twenty laboratory-grown diamonds, round, 1.2 mm, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, 0.16 ct total
Website or marketplace listing title	Lab-Grown Diamond Halo Ring, 1 ct Natural Diamond Centre — the qualifier in the title, not only in the description
Price tag or job envelope	LG diamond melee 1.2 mm ×20 — acceptable on an internal tag only if the customer-facing paperwork spells it out in full
Appraisal	Twenty round brilliant laboratory-grown diamonds, 1.2 mm, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, approximately 0.16 ct total weight; valued on the laboratory-grown diamond market
Insurance schedule	Same description as the appraisal, with "laboratory-grown" carried through so a later screener referral matches the paperwork

Words to avoid

"Diamond" on its own for a laboratory-grown stone, anywhere a customer will read it — including a title whose description mentions the qualifier further down. The Guides want the qualifier next to the word, equally conspicuous.
Real, genuine, natural for laboratory-grown diamond. These words are reserved for mined stones, even though a laboratory-grown stone is chemically and physically diamond.
Cultured. Not permitted under ISO 18323, and under the FTC Guides it needs an added qualifier anyway. There is no reason to use it.
Synthetic. Permitted under ISO 18323, but the FTC dropped it from its list of recommended qualifiers in 2018 because consumers read it as "fake", and a description that leaves the buyer thinking the stone is not diamond is misleading in the other direction. We do not use it.
Diamond simulant or imitation. Wrong for laboratory-grown diamond — a simulant is a different material that imitates diamond. Laboratory-grown diamond is diamond.
Abbreviations alone — LGD, LG, lab. Fine on an internal tag; not conspicuous enough on anything the customer keeps. Write it out at least once in full on every customer-facing document.
Certified, IGI, GIA unless that particular stone carries that laboratory's report. Melee is graded as a parcel, without reports; say so. Melee and certificates →
Single-stone grades for a parcel. "D colour, VVS1" for melee implies stone-by-stone grading that did not happen. Write the parcel range: DE colour, VS–VVS clarity.

Mixed pieces and repairs

The commonest use of laboratory-grown melee is around a mined centre stone, and the paperwork simply lists both, each with its own description: the centre as a natural diamond with its report number, the melee as laboratory-grown diamond with the parcel grade. One line per stone type; never one line that says "diamonds" and leaves the customer to assume.

Repairs need the same care. If you replace a missing stone in a customer's mined-diamond pavé with a laboratory-grown stone, say so on the job ticket and the receipt — "one laboratory-grown diamond, 1.3 mm, replaced" — and tell the customer at the counter. A screener at the next appraisal will refer that one stone; the receipt is what turns that referral from an accusation into a record. Keep laboratory-grown and mined melee in separate, labelled parcels at the bench so this never happens by accident.

Appraisals and insurance

An appraisal describes the stones with the same qualifier and values laboratory-grown diamonds on the laboratory-grown market, not on mined-diamond price lists; the two markets have separated, and an appraisal that uses mined prices for laboratory-grown stones over-insures the client and misstates the piece. Carry the designation onto the insurer's schedule, and when a piece mixes the two, state the value of each part. Replacement cost for laboratory-grown melee is low — at our prices, about $38 of stones for a twenty-stone halo in 1.2 mm — and an appraisal can say so plainly; the value in the piece is the centre stone and the work. Current prices per carat and per stone →

Claims you cannot substantiate

Describing the material truthfully is easy: laboratory-grown diamond has the same composition, hardness, brightness and fire as mined diamond, and you may say so. The claims that get sellers into trouble are about virtue. Under the FTC's Green Guides, words like sustainable, eco-friendly and environmentally friendly need substantiation, and in 2019 the FTC sent warning letters to laboratory-grown diamond sellers over exactly those claims; growing diamond uses a great deal of electricity and the supply chain varies. Conflict-free and ethical are comparative claims that need the same evidence. We do not make them for our stones and suggest you do not either. Sell laboratory-grown diamond on what it is and what it costs.

Questions jewelers ask

How should a lab-grown diamond be described on an invoice?: With the qualifier next to the word diamond, then the specification: "laboratory-grown diamond melee, DE colour, VS–VVS clarity, 1.5 mm, 20 stones", or for a single stone "laboratory-grown diamond, round, 0.52 ct, DE colour, VS clarity". Never "diamond" alone, and never real, genuine or natural.
Is "lab-grown diamond" acceptable, or must it say "laboratory-grown"?: Both are acceptable under the FTC Guides, which accept laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, [manufacturer]-created or a word or phrase of like meaning, as long as it sits immediately before "diamond" and is equally conspicuous. Write it out in full on customer-facing documents rather than abbreviating to LGD.
Can I call a lab-grown diamond a real diamond?: No. The FTC reserves real, genuine and natural for mined stones. You may say truthfully that it is diamond — the same material, hardness and optics — but it must be described as laboratory-grown diamond.
Can I describe melee as "D colour, VVS1"?: Not unless each stone was graded. Melee is sorted and graded as a parcel, so describe the parcel range: DE colour, VS–VVS clarity. Writing a single-stone grade implies a report that does not exist.
How do I invoice a ring with a mined centre and lab-grown melee?: One line per stone type: the centre as a natural diamond with its weight, grades and report number, and the melee as laboratory-grown diamond with its size, count and parcel grade. The same split goes on the appraisal and the insurance schedule.
Can I say lab-grown diamonds are sustainable or eco-friendly?: Only with substantiation, which most sellers do not have. The FTC's Green Guides require evidence for environmental claims, and the FTC warned laboratory-grown diamond sellers about such claims in 2019. Describe the material and the price instead.

By Leilei, founder of Caratura — I source, inspect and pack every order myself. Every price is published on the product pages — no price list, no quote. Message me on WhatsApp with your spec for a stock check.