More than 10 diamond producers, distributors and retailers have banded together to launch the International Grown Diamond Association, which the group is calling the “first-ever” grown diamond industry association. According to a statement from the IGDA, the association will strive to promote grown diamonds and educate consumers about their qualities and applications while making sure synthetics “are presented in a fair and technically correct manner across geographies, commercial and consumer verticals.”
“With IGDA, the grown diamond industry can effectively take the collective steps to present itself to consumers who wish to have a genuine choice in diamonds, commercial sectors who require high quality but a consistent supply to develop diamond-based applications, and the larger diamond processing industry, in general,” says Richard Garard, patron member and secretary general of the IGDA, who’s also the CEO of Microwave Enterprises.
Vishal Mehta, the CEO of Ila Technologies, is another patron member and also the founding president of the association. Other founding members include: Washington Diamonds, New Diamond Technology, Scio Diamond, Golcondia, Pure Grown Diamonds, Polished Diamond Company, Diamond Foundry, MiaDonna & Company and Chatham Created Gems & Diamonds.