From September 1, 2026, Russia introduced new rules on how synthetic diamonds can be described and marketed to consumers.
At first glance, the biggest headline may seem to be the terminology. But from an industry perspective, I don’t think the use of the word “synthetic” is the most significant change.
From an import-export perspective, the distinction between natural and synthetic diamonds is not new.
Under the Harmonized System (HS), natural diamonds are classified under heading 7102, while synthetic or reconstructed precious or semi-precious stones fall under heading 7104.
So, from a trade and customs perspective, referring to these stones as “synthetic” and treating them as a separate category is nothing particularly new.
What Russia is doing now is taking a distinction that already exists in international trade and making it much more explicit in the way these stones are presented to consumers.
For me, this is where the regulation becomes much more interesting.
Under the new rules, synthetic diamonds sold to consumers in Russia can no longer have their weight described in carats. Instead, their weight may be expressed in grams.
That is a much more drastic change.
The carat is one of the most universally recognized measurements in the diamond industry. One carat equals 0.2 grams. So instead of communicating a stone as a “1-carat synthetic diamond,” its weight would be expressed as 0.2 grams.
The new rules also restrict the use of traditional color and quality characteristics when presenting synthetic stones to consumers. A similar distinction can already be seen in laboratory-grown diamond reports issued by GIA. In 2025, GIA moved away from the traditional color and clarity nomenclature used for natural diamonds and instead began classifying qualifying laboratory-grown diamonds as either “Premium” or “Standard.”
FROM A TRADE PERSPECTIVE, “SYNTHETIC” ISN’T NEW. WHAT’S NEW IS HOW FAR RUSSIA IS TAKING THAT DISTINCTION AT THE CONSUMER LEVEL.
Probably, yes.
Russia is one of the world’s largest producers of natural diamonds. In 2024 alone, the country produced more than 37 million carats of rough diamonds, according to Kimberley Process data.
Looking at the decision purely from an industry and commercial perspective, I can understand the logic.
If a country has such a significant position in natural diamond production, it makes sense that it would want to protect that industry and create a very clear distinction between natural and synthetic diamonds in the eyes of consumers.
That doesn’t mean every market should necessarily adopt the same approach. But if I were in Russia’s position, I would probably want to protect my natural diamond production too.
