A moment every CX leader will recognise
India’s New Diamond Rule: How BIS Is Redefining Trust, Transparency, and Customer Experience
Imagine this. A customer scrolls through an e-commerce jewellery app late at night. The product title says “Premium Diamond Ring.” The price looks attractive. The description mentions “eco-conscious brilliance.” Only after checkout does the customer realise it is not a natural diamond at all—but a laboratory-grown alternative. India’s New Diamond Rule tackles it now.
The refund process is painful. Trust erodes instantly. Reviews turn bitter. The brand loses more than a sale—it loses credibility.
This is not just a jewellery problem. It is a customer experience failure rooted in ambiguity.
With the adoption of IS 19469:2025 by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), India has taken a decisive step to eliminate such ambiguity. And for CX and EX leaders across industries, India’s New Diamond Rule move offers a powerful lesson: clarity is not compliance—it is experience design.
What is India’s New Diamond Terminology Rule—and why should CX teams care?
Short answer: Only a natural diamond can now be called a “diamond,” ending years of confusing product language.
Under IS 19469:2025, a modified adoption of ISO 18323:2015, the BIS has introduced a clear, enforceable framework that governs how diamonds and their alternatives are described to consumers. The Natural Diamond Council (NDC) has welcomed this move as a landmark step toward consumer protection and transparency.
For CX leaders, this is not niche regulation. It is a case study in trust architecture.
Why inconsistent terminology breaks customer journeys
Short answer: Ambiguous language creates expectation gaps, which directly damage trust, loyalty, and lifetime value.
In CX, we talk often about moments of truth. Product description is one of the earliest and most influential moments. When terminology is unclear:
- Customers form incorrect mental models
- Price-value perception becomes distorted
- Post-purchase regret increases
- Support and returns spike
- Brand advocacy collapses
The Indian gem and jewellery industry faced this exact issue. Multiple terms—lab-grown, cultured, eco-diamond, nature-inspired—were used interchangeably. Digital platforms amplified the confusion.
The BIS intervention addresses this root cause head-on.
What exactly does the new BIS standard mandate?
Short answer: Clear naming, explicit disclosure, and zero tolerance for misleading descriptors.
1. What can be called a “diamond”?
The word “diamond,” used alone, applies exclusively to natural diamonds. Retailers may add qualifiers such as natural, real, genuine, or precious—but the base term remains protected.
This is a linguistic reset that prioritises consumer understanding over marketing creativity.
2. How must laboratory-grown diamonds be described?
Man-made alternatives must always be disclosed using only:
- Laboratory-grown diamond
- Laboratory-created diamond
Abbreviations like LGD, lab-grown, or lab-diamond are no longer acceptable in formal disclosure.
3. What language is now banned?
The standard explicitly forbids misleading terms such as:
- Nature’s diamond
- Pure
- Earth-friendly
- Cultured
Brand names alone are also insufficient if they do not include the approved qualifier.
For CX professionals, this reads like a textbook example of plain-language UX.
How does this regulation strengthen trust at scale?
Short answer: It removes interpretation from the customer’s burden and places responsibility on the brand.
Richa Singh, Managing Director of the Natural Diamond Council, captures the CX essence clearly:
“When someone buys a diamond, they deserve to know exactly what it is—clearly, honestly, and without confusion.”
Trust is not built through emotional storytelling alone. It is built through consistent, unambiguous signals across touchpoints—product pages, invoices, certifications, store conversations, and customer support scripts.
This standard aligns all those signals.
Why CX leaders should view this as a design framework, not a rulebook
Short answer: The BIS framework mirrors core CX principles: transparency, consistency, and informed choice.
If we strip away the jewellery context, the rule reflects three universal CX truths:
- Names shape expectations
- Expectations shape satisfaction
- Satisfaction shapes loyalty
The jewellery trade’s response reinforces this.
Tarun Kanwar, Director at Navrattan Jewellers, notes that transparency is foundational in India’s trust-led retail culture. Vaibhav Saraf of Aisshpra Jewellery highlights informed choice as essential to preserving trust. Gaurav Anand of Anand Jewels points to accountability across the ecosystem, while Sunil Datwani of Gehna Jewellers emphasises transparency as responsibility, not option.
These are not compliance statements. They are CX philosophies.
What can CX teams learn from the jewellery industry’s response?
Short answer: Industry-wide alignment accelerates trust faster than isolated brand efforts.
Unlike fragmented CX initiatives, this change works because:
- Standards apply uniformly
- Language is non-negotiable
- Enforcement is external
- Education is collective
The Natural Diamond Council’s role here is instructive. As a global not-for-profit operating across India, the US, China, UAE, and Europe, NDC focuses on consumer education, ethical growth, and clarity.
This ecosystem approach mirrors how CX maturity actually scales.
A CX lens on “consumer confidence”
Short answer: Confidence emerges when customers do not need to second-guess brands.
The ISO standard that underpins IS 19469 is literally titled Consumer Confidence in the Diamond Industry. Confidence is a CX outcome, not a marketing claim.
When customers are confident:
- They spend less cognitive effort
- They trust pricing signals
- They engage emotionally
- They recommend willingly
In CXQuest terms, this is frictionless decision-making.
How does this relate to AI, digital journeys, and modern CX challenges?
Short answer: AI amplifies both clarity and confusion—standards decide which one wins.
CX leaders today struggle with:
- AI-generated product descriptions
- Automated recommendations
- Chatbots summarising complex products
- Marketplace listings at scale
Without strict terminology rules, AI systems optimise for clicks, not clarity. The BIS framework gives AI something crucial: ground truth.
Clear definitions improve:
- Search accuracy
- Recommendation relevance
- Chatbot explanations
- Voice commerce trust
- Post-purchase satisfaction
This is a quiet but powerful AI-readiness move.
Common CX pitfalls this standard helps avoid
Short answer: Most CX failures stem from misaligned promises.
Key pitfalls now addressed:
- Over-romanticised product language
- Hidden qualifiers in footnotes
- Price anchoring without context
- Brand-first, customer-last disclosures
- Support teams cleaning up marketing messes
By forcing clarity upfront, the rule shifts effort left in the journey, where CX investments matter most.
Key Insights for CX and EX Leaders
- Clarity scales better than persuasion
- Language is experience design
- Disclosure is not friction—it is reassurance
- Standards reduce emotional labour for frontline staff
- Trust compounds when ecosystems align
A practical CX framework inspired by the BIS move
The “CLEAR” Disclosure Framework
CX teams can adapt this beyond jewellery.
- Consistent naming across channels
- Language customers already understand
- Explicit differentiation between options
- Accountability owned by the brand
- Reinforcement through education
This framework applies equally to fintech products, health plans, AI tools, sustainability claims, and data privacy notices.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Why does BIS restrict the word “diamond” only to natural diamonds?
To eliminate consumer confusion and ensure the term reflects its traditional, geological meaning.
Are laboratory-grown diamonds banned?
No. They can be sold, but must be clearly disclosed using approved terminology.
How does this impact online marketplaces?
Marketplaces must update product titles, filters, descriptions, and AI-driven summaries to remain compliant.
What happens if brands ignore the standard?
They risk regulatory action, reputational damage, and erosion of consumer trust.
Why should CX leaders outside jewellery care?
Because this is a blueprint for trust-first experience design across regulated and digital markets.
Actionable Takeaways for CX Professionals
- Audit product language across all customer touchpoints.
- Remove abbreviations that customers may misinterpret.
- Align marketing, legal, CX, and support teams on terminology.
- Train frontline staff using plain-language explanations.
- Update AI prompts and content rules with approved definitions.
- Shift disclosure earlier in the journey, not after checkout.
- Treat standards as experience enablers, not constraints.
- Measure trust signals, not just conversion rates.
Final thought
India’s new diamond rule is not just about gemstones. It is about respecting the customer’s right to clarity. In a world of AI-generated content, fragmented journeys, and declining trust, this move reminds CX leaders of a simple truth:
The most premium experience is honesty—clearly named.
For more CX frameworks, trust-led strategy insights, and real-world case studies, explore the CXQuest.com knowledge hubs.
