Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but as anyone who watched “Blood Diamond” can tell you, they may also be a source of conflict. Rebels opposed to legitimate governments illicitly trade rough diamonds to fund their armed conflicts. Amnesty International USA estimates that wars funded by the illicit diamond trade in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo have resulted in 3.7 million deaths.
It is, however, possible to purchase diamonds without supporting the illicit diamond trade. In 2003, the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was implemented by certain countries to regulate the diamond industry, and many retailers have taken steps to ensure that the diamonds they sell are conflict-free. Here are some questions to ask your retailer to ensure that the diamonds you purchase are conflict-free:
- What is your company’s policy on conflict diamonds?
- The retailer’s policy should clearly define “conflict-free” and be published in some form of writing, whether in-store or online.
- May I see the diamond’s System of Warranties statement?
- It is a big warning sign if the retailer cannot provide official certification of its diamonds.
- Do you track your diamonds from the mine to your store?
- Retailers should fully track and monitor its diamonds and be able to provide you with information about mining conditions.
Say you’re shopping online for diamond pendant necklaces. Look for retailers that sell brands such as Helzberg Diamonds jewelery as they explicitly guarantee on their websites that their diamonds are conflict-free. They should also require warranties from their diamond suppliers.
If you’re purchasing jewelry that combine something like a 2 carat cushion cut diamond with precious metals, for example rose gold diamond earrings, you can take your socially conscious shopping a step further by ensuring that the metals were ethically mined. As with diamonds, ask your retailer for details about the source of their gold. Gold miners often work under very poor conditions, and the act of gold mining itself can be very harmful to the environment.
