Product wording guide

An acceptable term stands immediately before the stone name, and is equally conspicuous

Writing "lab created" at the end of a description puts the words somewhere other than where the clause puts them, because the clause is written about a position. § 23.25(b) fixes where the qualifying term goes and how visible it is; § 23.25(c) fixes when the laboratory-grown family of words may sit beside a natural stone's name at all; and two short notes deal with "faux" and with "cultured". These are United States clauses, and the Jewelry Guides state in their own § 23.0(d) that they confer no rights and bind neither the Commission nor the public.

The requirement is written about where the word stands

§ 23.25(b) is not a list of approved vocabulary with a free choice of placement. It addresses the use of "ruby", "sapphire", "emerald", "topaz", the name of any other precious or semi-precious stone, and the words "stone", "birthstone", "gem" and "gemstone", to describe a laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, imitation or simulated product — and it states that the qualifying term must appear immediately before that name, in equal conspicuousness.

Two things follow from that single sentence. The qualifier is adjacent, so "sapphire ring, lab created" places the words in a different relation than "laboratory-created sapphire ring". And the qualifier is equally conspicuous, so the same words set in a smaller typeface, a lighter colour or a secondary field are not in the position the clause describes.

The terms the clause names are "laboratory-grown", "laboratory-created", "[manufacturer name]-created" or another word or phrase of like meaning, and "imitation" or "simulated". Everything else on this page is either a condition on one of those terms or a clause about a word that is not on the list.

Two conditions travel with these words, and they test different things

One condition is about the line of copy. The other is about the stone. Meeting either one says nothing about the other.

The positional condition, § 23.25(b).: The acceptable term stands immediately before the stone name and is equally conspicuous. This is a fact about the description, and it can be checked by looking at the description.
The identity condition, § 23.25(c).: Using "laboratory-grown", "laboratory-created", "[manufacturer name]-created", "synthetic" or a phrase of like meaning with the name of a natural stone is stated to be unfair or deceptive unless the product has essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the stone named. This is a fact about the stone, and it does not come from the description.
"Cultured" needs both, plus a disclosure.: Note 2 to § 23.25(b) requires the essential-identity condition and, on top of it, a clear and conspicuous qualification conveying that the product is not a mined stone.
Reading (b) and (c) together narrows the list rather than emptying it.: Where the essential-identity condition is not met, § 23.25(c) removes the laboratory-grown family from beside the natural stone's name. The terms that § 23.25(b) still lists in that position are "imitation" and "simulated".

Each term, where it is written, and what the clause attaches to it

Read the third column as the condition the clause states, not as a conclusion about any listing. Every entry is from 16 CFR Part 23, a United States federal document, read on 19 August 2026.

Term	Where it is written	What the clause attaches to it
laboratory-grown	§ 23.25(b), § 23.25(c)	Named as an acceptable qualifier, standing immediately before the stone name and equally conspicuous; permitted beside a natural stone's name only where the product has essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as that stone.
laboratory-created	§ 23.25(b), § 23.25(c)	Same position requirement and same essential-identity condition as laboratory-grown.
[manufacturer name]-created	§ 23.25(b), § 23.25(c)	Named in the same list, with the maker's name in place of the bracket; the essential-identity condition in (c) applies to it as well.
synthetic	§ 23.25(c)	Listed in (c) with the laboratory-grown family, and subject to the same essential-identity condition when used with the name of a natural stone.
imitation	§ 23.25(b)	Named as an acceptable qualifier in the same immediate position and with the same conspicuousness.
simulated	§ 23.25(b)	Named alongside imitation, in the same position and with the same conspicuousness.
cultured	Note 2 to § 23.25(b)	Available for laboratory-created gemstone products with essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the named stone, and only where the term is qualified by a clear and conspicuous disclosure that the product is not a mined stone.
faux	Note 1 to § 23.25(b)	Stated not to be an adequate disclosure that the stone is not a mined stone, for laboratory-created and imitation stones alike.
real, genuine, natural, precious, semi-precious	§ 23.27	Stated to be unfair or deceptive as descriptions of any industry product that is manufactured or produced artificially, together with similar terms.

Points these clauses speak to when a line of copy is read

These are the questions the text raises about a description. Whether a given line meets any of them is not something this page can decide, and no item below is a statement that a description is adequate.

Whether the qualifying term stands immediately before the stone name, as § 23.25(b) states.
Whether the qualifying term is as conspicuous as the stone name it precedes, rather than smaller, lighter or placed in a secondary field.
Whether the term used is one § 23.25(b) names — laboratory-grown, laboratory-created, [manufacturer name]-created, imitation or simulated — or a word of like meaning.
Whether the stone carries essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the stone named, which is the condition § 23.25(c) attaches to the laboratory-grown family of words.
Where "cultured" appears, whether the clear and conspicuous disclosure that Note 2 requires appears with it.
Whether "faux" is being asked to do the work that Note 1 states it does not do.
Whether "real", "genuine", "natural", "precious" or "semi-precious" appears anywhere in copy about an artificially produced product, which is what § 23.27 addresses.

Where these clauses stop

Diamonds. This page is written about coloured stones. The wording that goes with the word diamond is handled separately and is not set out here.
Treatments. Anything done to a stone is a separate disclosure question, written elsewhere in Part 23 and not set out here.
Composite stones and varietal names. Those have their own clauses in Part 23 and are not covered here.
Pearls. Natural and cultured pearls and their imitations sit inside the product scope of the Jewelry Guides, but the clauses set out on this page are the stone clauses. Pearl wording is not covered here.
Certificates and grading. The words "certificate" and "grading report" do not appear in the text of Part 23, and no requirement to obtain a report from any laboratory is recorded in this source.
Production method and place. The source does not require disclosure of how a laboratory stone was made or where it was made; the qualification it asks for is the one conveying that the product is not mined.
Moissanite. The word does not appear in the text of Part 23, so no clause specific to it is stated here.
Anything outside the United States. Part 23 rests on the FTC Act, a United States federal statute, and sets out no rule for the European Union, the United Kingdom, Turkey or elsewhere.
Any conclusion about a particular listing. This page reports what clauses say. It is not legal advice, and it does not state that any description is adequate, sufficient or lawful.

Questions

What words have to sit next to 'ruby' or 'sapphire' when the stone was grown in a laboratory?

§ 23.25(b) names "laboratory-grown", "laboratory-created", "[manufacturer name]-created" or another word or phrase of like meaning, and "imitation" or "simulated". The clause places the term immediately before the stone name and requires it to be equally conspicuous. § 23.25(c) adds that the laboratory-grown family may be used with a natural stone's name only where the product has essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as that stone. These are United States clauses, and this page states no conclusion about any individual listing.

Is "faux" enough on its own?

Note 1 to § 23.25(b) states that using "faux" to describe a laboratory-created or imitation stone is not an adequate disclosure that the stone is not a mined stone. The note names both product types, so the answer does not change with the kind of stone.

Can a laboratory-created sapphire be described as a "cultured sapphire"?

Note 2 to § 23.25(b) allows "cultured" for laboratory-created gemstone products that have essentially the same optical, physical and chemical properties as the named stone, and only where the term carries a clear and conspicuous disclosure conveying that the product is not a mined stone. The permission and the condition are stated together. Whether a particular stone meets the property condition is a question about that stone, not about the wording.

Does the qualifier have to be in the title, or is somewhere in the description enough?

The condition § 23.25(b) states is relative rather than tied to any field: the acceptable term stands immediately before the stone name and is equally conspicuous. It is stated about the stone name wherever that name is used. The source read here does not address the individual fields of any marketplace form, and this page does not go further than the clause.