The Gemological Institute of America launched its first-ever national public awareness campaign Friday designed to help better educate consumers about diamonds. 

The name of the campaign is “The Difference Between Wondering and Knowing.” It explains the Four Cs of diamond elements and the importance of having a diamond grading report.

“Our purpose in initiating this new awareness campaign is to help educate the public about diamonds and diamond grading reports so they are able to make more informed buying decisions,” said Ralph Destino, GIA chairman.

The campaign has three parts:

* A national print and online advertising campaign targeted to audiences with an immediate need to know more about diamonds such as affluent jewelry buyers and men looking for wedding rings. Ads will run in several select, major publications in the U.S., and prominent Web sites.

* The ads are designed to direct the public to a new GIA Web site: www.gia4cs.gia.edu. The Web site will provide information about diamonds, the Four Cs, how GIA grades diamonds, and how to read a GIA diamond grading report. It will offer basic and unbiased knowledge about diamond origins; the differences between natural diamonds, synthetics and look-alikes, details about diamond care, and other diamond essentials.

* A kit for retailers to help them educate customers with confidence and accuracy about diamonds, the Four Cs, and the International Diamond Grading System.

“Retailers are key providers of diamond information to the public,” said Destino. “We’ve had many requests from retailers for these kinds of tools, and we’re glad to provide them and make it easy for stores to respond to their customers.”

This kit’s contents include: quantities of Four Cs brochures, a grading report tool to help explain what’s on a GIA Diamond Grading Report and a new “Grading the 4Cs” video. The kit, and other materials, including posters, will be available mid-November on a special retailer Web site.

JCK