The Autorité des marchés financiers (AMF) has warned French investors against marketing material issued by BLUE STONE LTD via several web sites proposing offers to invest in diamonds.
BLUE STONE LTD, whose head office is located at 3rd Floor, 120 Baker Street, London, England, W1U 6TU, proposes offers to investors residing in France to invest in diamonds – while emphasising the attractive financial return – directly or indirectly via at least eight web sites:
- www.diamoneo.com,
- www.diamondthrust.com,
- www.boursodiamants.com,
- www.gemoneo.com,
- www.investissementdiamant.com,
- www.diamoning.com,
- www.ruedudiamant.com,
- www.diamonds-exchanges.com
In view of the uncertainty as to the nature of the activities carried out by BLUE STONE LTD and companies related to it and given the unbalanced character of the marketing materials, notably the absence of a mention of risk, the AMF recommends that investors do not take up these solicitations from said entities and do not communicate them to third parties, in any form whatsoever.
Lastly, the AMF reminds investors and individuals responsible for marketing investment products to follow these safety guidelines before making any investment:
- no advertising materials should make you overlook the fact that high returns always involve high risk;
- learn as much as you can about the company or intermediary trying to sell you a product (authorisation/certification, company history, location of head offices, etc.);
only invest in a product you understand; - ask yourself how, and by whom, the purchase price or selling price of the advertised product is set, and find out the precise terms and timeline for selling the product, especially in cases where the product invests in an asset class with low liquidity.