COMPETITION BUREAU CLARIFIES DIAMOND MARKETING RULES
By Adnews Staff
The Competition Bureau in Ottawa released new rules this earlier this month clarifying what diamonds can and cannot be marketed as Canadian. There had previously been some confusion in the diamond industry as to whether a stone had to be mined in this country or merely cut and polished here in order to be advertised as a Canadian diamond. The bureau's new rules, outlined in the updated Guide to "Made in Canada" Claims, specify that a diamond can only be advertised as a Canadian diamond when it originates from Canadian soil. Foreign diamonds that have been cut and polished in this country do not qualify as Canadian diamonds. "These clarifications will benefit consumers and will help open up the market by allowing all Canadian mined diamonds to be advertised as Canadian diamonds," said Raymond Pierce, deputy commissioner of competition for the bureau's Fair Business Practices Branch. "Our approach on this issue is consistent with the bureau's objective, under the Competition Act, that all advertising claims be fair and accurate."