September 2021 | Lab Grown Magazine

September 2021 | The Lab Grown Diamond Resource Book 24 To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | September 2021 25 Image: LuxeLicensing.com T his is a three-part story due in part to the length,but also because this feature will serve as an audience measurement tool of sorts. Your responses to this three-month story—and a critical correction I will open with—will be reviewed and your suggestions will be implemented. This is offered for the constant improvement of this platform, for which I’m honored to write. Perhaps your first response will be to accept my apologies. Please allow me to explain. Whistle orTrumpet I always attempt to curb my opinions and offer diamond-focused facts based on evidence, wherever that may lead. Readers who follow my stories in Lab- Grown Magazine or know of my work with Luxe Licensing, understand that I’m proud to carry and blow a whistle in one hand and a trumpet in the other. Wherever a diamond originates, if false truths are being promoted from its seller and I am writing about or referencing that company, it’s my responsibility to inquire, review and gain sharable evidence aligned to whatever statements are presented in my story. Even if existing data is repurposed with permission, no one should ever rely on someone else’s published story as their fact check, nor did I. The same is true if there’s no fire to be concerned with, not even a trace of smoke. To determine that, facts must be checked and cross- checked. We define “cross-checked” as securing a second verifiable source, one that supports the first, if not exactly, then very close to it. Like any HR department interviewing a job candidate, all titles and education appearing on that candidate’s resume must be validated before an employment offer is made. So, too, I won’t write about a company or organization’s positive or negative claims without having supporting material, otherwise it’s simply hearsay. Positive news requires just as much time and detail to cultivate support material as does supporting third-party evidence behind any claim worth reporting. Facts are only facts when backed by scientific, governmental, legal and commonsense rules—all double-checked and cemented in place, strong cornerstones, indeed. Throughout any story, I remain centralized. Staying center allows for firm footing; there’s no wobbly edges to worry about when one moves too far in one direction or becomes unbalanced. Still, being center and cross- checking doesn’t make a background-check process foolproof. In this round, I may have been played the fool in “foolproof.”That means an error, and a serious one because I inadvertently cut a corner. Allow me to correct myself and offer a summary of what occurred and how it actually speaks to Part One of this piece. Then we’ll swiftly move onto understanding why corporate America is paying to be eco-green. SelfWhistle In last month’s story, I didn’t mean to mislead anyone—including myself. In preparing for Pandora’s Natural Diamond Divorce, a research paper was presented to me in its entirely. I read every word with eyes wide open. Created in 2014, it was a well-crafted, highly-detailed article offering a seemingly fair and accurate comparison and scientific-level discussion of mined and lab-grown diamonds from a “be good to Gaia” eco-standpoint. The sponsor of the report? None listed. No sponsor being listed on a report isn’t all that rare. Edahn Golan, for example, doesn’t accept sponsors for his diamond reports so that he can maintain his objectivity, credibility and neutrality. For the article I referenced in the last issue, not only was there no sponsor indicated, but the entire article has now just simply disappeared. Not only is the original MIA, but all its supporting and referenced social media, every platform, every post, pin and tweet has been deleted as if it never existed. Where’s that darn whistle? What I am talking about is an article published by Frost & Sullivan (F&S), a worldwide mega-analytics firm often compared to Accenture or Bain & Co. It is a highly recognized and frequently quoted group in global sectors beyond diamonds and jewelry.Most would agree that Frost & Sullivan has a strong track record for high accuracy. Accuracy equals trust to me. See that? I just cut a corner. During the twelve hours of researching and writing this current story, I hit a snag. Actually, it was more like a fishing net. There, on my computer screen, almost shouting for my attention, was a warning— clear as day, front-and-center. But I’m in the center… how did I miss this? Staring at me as was a top-of-page, non-sponsored Google search result that was jaw dropping. And I found where my whistle went. Rob Bates of JCK Magazine borrowed it, and for good reason. He wrote: Please Don’t Use Frost & Sullivan’s Lab-grown Eco-Impact friendly research. I must add that, for my last write-up, I still did conduct a mild background check even though this “non-sponsored” data-rich diamond comparison piece was from the major-league F&S. I found that it was also referenced by another leading diamond professional. Plus, I had plenty of social media and downloadable website options supporting the same information. But Rob Bates didn’t just write this warning now, it was two years old. Clearly, it could have been waiting for me on page two or three of the research from my last story. I just missed it. So, thank you, Rob, for at least allowing this retraction to be swift. What Rob discovered is that the F&S report (which F&S just can’t seem to locate now or want to even discuss) was, in fact, sponsored by a lab-grown diamond group. This is the same, small non-profit group with the outdated website that hasn’t been touched in about eight months and a social media presence that hasn’t been touched in a year—the International Grown Diamond Association (IGDA) of Morrisville, North Carolina. Does it even still exist? Good question. I’ve attempted to reach them by phone and email for over two years to no avail. Stability vs. Sustainability These two nouns sound somewhat similar, but “stability” and “sustainability” have utterly different meanings, especially when addressing today’s diamond- specific worlds. Oddly, the experience I summarized above speaks to how the diamond world is anything but