UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 8-K

CURRENT REPORT

PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

Date of Report (Date of earliest event reported): June 15, 2020

Charles & Colvard, Ltd.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

(919) 468-0399

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

Check the appropriate box below if the Form 8-K filing is intended to simultaneously satisfy the filing obligation of the registrant under any of the following provisions:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is an emerging growth company as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act of 1933 (17 CFR 230.405) or Rule 12b-2 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.12b-2).

Emerging growth company o

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. o

Charles & Colvard Ltd., a North Carolina corporation (the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”), has received a loan pursuant to the Paycheck Protection Program under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”), as administered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (the “SBA”). The loan in the principal amount of $965,000 (the “PPP Loan”) was disbursed by Newtek Small Business Finance, LLC, a nationally licensed lender under the SBA (“Lender”), on June 18, 2020 pursuant to a promissory note issued by the Company (the “Promissory Note”) on June 15, 2020.

The Promissory Note matures two years from the date of first disbursement of the PPP Loan and may be extended under the provisions of the CARES Act. The Promissory Note bears interest at a fixed rate of 1% per annum. Monthly principal and interest payments, less the amount of any potential forgiveness (discussed below), will commence on April 1, 2021. The Company did not provide any collateral or guarantees for the PPP Loan, nor did the Company pay any facility charge to obtain the PPP Loan. The Promissory Note provides for customary events of default, including, among others, those relating to failure to make payment and breaches of representations. The Company may prepay the principal of the PPP Loan at any time without incurring any prepayment charges.

Under the CARES Act and the Promissory Note, loan forgiveness is available for the sum of documented payroll costs, covered rent payments, and covered utilities during the 24-week period beginning on the date of first disbursement of the PPP Loan. For purposes of the CARES Act, payroll costs exclude cash compensation of an individual employee in excess of $100,000, prorated annually. Not more than 40% of the forgiven amount can be attributable to non-payroll costs. Although the Company currently believes that its use of the PPP Loan will meet the conditions for forgiveness of the PPP Loan, the Company cannot assure that the PPP Loan will be forgiven, in whole or in part.

Forward-Looking Statements

This Current Report on Form 8-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Statements expressing expectations regarding our future and projections relating to our products, sales, revenues, and earnings are typical of such statements and are made under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about our plans, objectives, representations, and contentions and are not historical facts and typically are identified by use of terms such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “could,” “expect,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “continue,” and similar words, although some forward-looking statements are expressed differently.

All forward-looking statements are subject to the risks and uncertainties inherent in predicting the future. You should be aware that although the forward-looking statements included herein represent management’s current judgment and expectations, our actual results may differ materially from those projected, stated, or implied in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors including, but not limited to, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related global economic condition on our business, financial condition, and results from operations; actions by the PPP Loan parties; changes by, or new guidelines or interpretations by, the SBA or other governmental authorities regarding the CARES Act, the Payroll Protection Program, or related administrative matters; our ability to comply with the terms of the PPP Loan and the CARES Act, including to use the proceeds of the PPP Loan as described herein; our dependence on increased consumer acceptance, growth of sales of our products, and operational execution of our strategic initiatives; the impact of the execution of our business plans on our liquidity; general economic and market conditions, including the current economic environment; intense competition in the worldwide gemstone and jewelry industry; the financial difficulties or insolvency of one or more of our major customers and their willingness and ability to market our products; certain risks due to our international operations, distribution channels and vendors; our ability to fulfill orders on a timely basis; dependence on a limited number of distributor and retail partners in our Traditional segment; dependence on our exclusive supply agreement with Cree, Inc. for the supply of our silicon carbide crystals for the foreseeable future; inaccuracies in assumptions, estimates and data we use to calculate certain of our key operating metrics; our ability to maintain compliance with The Nasdaq Stock Market’s continued listing requirements; quality control challenges from time to time that can result in lost revenue and harm to our brands and reputation; the potential impact of seasonality on our business; the impact of natural disasters and other events beyond our control on our operations; our PPP Loan may not be forgiven or may be subject to challenges and investigations regarding qualification for the loan; the pricing of precious metals, which is beyond our control; our current customers’ potential perception of us as a competitor in the finished jewelry business; the impact of significant changes in e-commerce opportunities, technology, or models; the risk of a failure of our information technology infrastructure or a failure to protect confidential information against security breaches; our ability to protect our intellectual property; the potential adverse impact of negative or inaccurate information on social media; the failure to evaluate, implement, and integrate strategic opportunities; possible adverse effects of governmental regulation and oversight; and the impact of anti-takeover provisions included in our charter documents, in addition to the other risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019 and subsequent reports filed with the SEC. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made. We undertake no obligation to update or revise such statements to reflect new circumstances or unanticipated events as they occur except as required by the federal securities laws, and you are urged to review and consider disclosures that we make in the reports that we file with the SEC that discuss other factors relevant to our business.

SIGNATURE

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized.