The Responsible Jewellery Council said Tuesday it has amendment its definition of “diamond” and renamed its mining membership category to diamond and/or gold producer.

RJC took the actions to welcome laboratory]grown diamond producers, RJC said in a statement. RJC members and can participate in the RJC System of Certification that involves third party auditing to verify conformance with the RJC’s standards of business ethics, human rights, social and environmental performance.

The Council defines a “diamond” as: a mineral (natural or laboratory]grown) consisting essentially of pure carbon crystallized with a cubic structure in the isometric system. Its hardness on the Mohs scale is approximately 10; its specific gravity is approximately 3.52; it has a refractive index of approximately 2.42; and it can be found in many colors.

The diamond definition has been amended in the Council’s Membership Application Forms and on its Web site. The amendment will also be incorporated in the core system documents of the RJC’s Certification System when they are re]issued later this year, following the completion of new mining]specific standards and guidance currently being developed.

JCK