FTC Jewelry Guidelines: What Every Seller Must Know

The Federal Trade Commission’s Guides for the Jewelry, Precious Metals, and Pewter Industries — commonly called the FTC Jewelry Guides — set the baseline legal standard for what may and may not be represented to consumers in the United States. While not legislation themselves, they represent the FTC’s interpretation of what constitutes unfair or deceptive trade practice under the FTC Act. Violations can result in enforcement actions, fines, and reputational damage. Every jewelry professional selling to US consumers must understand the key provisions.

The Nature and Force of the FTC Guides

The FTC Guides (16 CFR Part 23) were last comprehensively updated in 2018, with amendments specifically addressing laboratory-grown diamonds and other contemporary issues. They are administrative guidelines rather than statutes, but they carry significant weight. The FTC enforces them by bringing actions against businesses making deceptive claims, and courts frequently use them as the standard for what reasonable disclosure requires.

The Guides apply to any seller marketing jewelry, gemstones, or precious metals to US consumers, regardless of where the seller is located. A cruise ship jeweler selling to American passengers, an international retailer with a US-facing website, and a domestic retail store are all covered.

Diamond Disclosures Under the FTC Guides

Laboratory-Grown Diamonds

The 2018 update removed the word “synthetic” from the approved descriptors for laboratory-grown diamonds (though it remains acceptable in other contexts). Approved qualifiers include: “laboratory-grown,” “laboratory-created,” “lab-grown,” “[manufacturer name]-created,” and “synthetic.” The qualifier must appear immediately before the word “diamond” with sufficient prominence that consumers will not overlook it.

Simply calling a laboratory-grown diamond a “diamond” without qualification is a deceptive practice under the Guides. The claim “real diamond” for a laboratory-grown stone without the lab-grown qualifier is similarly deceptive if it could lead consumers to believe they are purchasing a mined diamond.

Diamond Treatments

Fracture filling and HPHT treatment of diamonds require disclosure. The Guides specify that sellers must disclose any treatment that “significantly affects the value of the stone.” Because fracture filling can obscure the true clarity of a diamond and may not be permanent, and because HPHT treatment changes the color of a natural diamond, both require affirmative disclosure to the buyer.

Colored Gemstone Disclosures

Synthetic Colored Stones

Synthetic colored gemstones must be identified with a qualifying word indicating laboratory origin. “Synthetic ruby,” “laboratory-created emerald,” “created sapphire” are all acceptable. Using just “ruby,” “emerald,” or “sapphire” for a laboratory-grown stone without qualification is deceptive. The qualifier must be conspicuous, not buried in fine print.

Simulants and Imitations

Simulants must be clearly identified as such. Calling a blue glass stone an “aquamarine” or a CZ an “emerald” is deceptive regardless of price. Terms like “simulated emerald,” “imitation ruby,” or the specific trade name (e.g., “cubic zirconia”) are required when the stone imitates but does not share the properties of the named gem.

Treatments for Colored Stones

The Guides require disclosure of treatments that are not “commonly known” to the trade, are not “permanent,” or that “require special care.” Fracture filling, coating, dyeing, and diffusion treatment all meet one or more of these criteria and must be disclosed. Heat treatment of corundum and tanzanite, while widespread, should still be disclosed when specifically asked about or when claiming the much higher value “no heat” status.

Precious Metal Standards

Gold

Gold products must be accurately described by karat quality. Products marked or described as gold must contain at least 10 karat (US standard). Items with quality marks must meet the declared purity within a half-karat tolerance. Gold-filled articles must be described as “gold-filled,” not “gold.” Gold-plated items must be described as “gold-plated” or “gold-tone,” not simply “gold.”

Silver

Items described as “silver” or “sterling” must be at least 925/1000 pure silver. Silver-plated items must be described as plated. Items that contain less than sterling quality silver must not use unqualified “silver” terminology.

Platinum

To be described as “platinum” without qualification, an item must contain at least 950 parts per thousand of platinum group metals (PGM), of which at least 950 parts per thousand must be platinum. Alloys with 850 or more parts PGM may use “platinum” with a qualifier indicating composition (e.g., “850 Platinum 150 Iridium”). Items containing less than 500 parts PGM should not use the word “platinum.”

Pearl Disclosures

Natural pearls, cultured pearls, and imitation (simulated) pearls are three distinct categories requiring separate identification. “Pearl” alone implies natural pearl — formed without human intervention. “Cultured pearl” accurately describes the majority of pearls sold commercially today. “Simulated pearl,” “faux pearl,” or “imitation pearl” is required for glass, plastic, or coated bead pearls.

Practical Compliance Strategies

Compliance does not require legal expertise in day-to-day operations — it requires consistent habits. Use the correct terminology from the moment of training. If your training materials say “ruby” when the product is synthetic ruby, fix the training materials. Review item descriptions on websites and price tags for accuracy. When in doubt, err toward more disclosure, not less.

For multi-channel sellers, ensure that disclosure standards are uniform across in-person, online, and telephone sales. The FTC does not apply a lesser standard to online sales — if anything, the absence of a live expert makes accurate written descriptions more important.