If you advertise or sell jewelry, the claims you make about the products must be accurate. The Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) Jewelry Guides offer specific information on how to describe jewelry products truthfully and non-deceptively and how to disclose material information to consumers. This brochure highlights the sections of the Jewelry Guides that concern diamonds, gemstones and pearls. You may need to scrutinize your product descriptions to make sure they are not misleading and that they disclose material information to consumers.

Diamond Weight
Decimal Representations
If the diamond's weight is described in decimal parts of a carat, the figure should be accurate to the last decimal place. For example, ".30 carat" could represent a diamond that weighs between .295 and .304 carat. If the weight is given to only one decimal place, it should be accurate to the second decimal place: If you say a diamond weighs .5 carat, the diamond should weigh between .495 and .504 carat.

Fractional Representations
If the diamond's weight is described in fractions, the fraction may represent a range of weights. For example, a diamond described as carat could weigh between .47 and .54 carat. If you use the fraction method, you also should disclose that the diamond weight is not exact and the reasonable range of weight for each fraction or the weight tolerance used.

Disclosures in Catalogs, Printed Materials and Online Ads
If you use fractions to represent the weight of a diamond in catalogs or other printed materials, you should disclose - clearly and conspicuously on every page that includes a representation - that the diamond weight is not exact. You can give the range of weights for each fraction or the tolerances used on a separate page of the catalog or materials. But in that case, you should state where the consumer can find the information on every page that includes a fractional representation. For example, your catalog may say "Diamond weights are not exact. See the chart on page x for weight ranges."

Diamond Testers and Moissanite
Thermal testers used to distinguish diamonds from cubic zirconia may not accurately identify moissanite - a laboratory-created gemstone that resembles a diamond. As a result, this stone may falsely register as a diamond on your thermal detector. How can you ensure that you recognize moissanite for what it is? A newer tester can do it for you, or you may have to learn other ways to distinguish moissanite from diamonds.

Gemstone Treatments
Gemstone treatments or enhancements refer to the way some gems are altered or treated to improve their appearance or durability. Some common treatments include:

* Heating, which can lighten, darken or change the color of some gems, or improve a gemstone's clarity.
* Irradiation, which can add more color to colored diamonds, some other gemstones and pearls.
* Impregnating some gems with colorless oils, wax or resins, which makes a variety of imperfections less visible and can improve a gemstones' clarity and appearance.
* Fracture filling, which involves injecting colorless plastic or glass in the gems to hide cracks or fractures and improve the gemstones' appearance and durability.
* Diffusion treatment, which adds color to the surface of colorless gems while the center of the stone remains colorless.
* Dyeing, which adds color and improves color uniformity in some gemstones and pearls.
* Bleaching, which lightens and whitens some gems, including jade and pearls.
* Laser-drilling, which removes dark inclusions from diamonds, improving the clarity of the stone.