Diamonds | Gemstones | Precious Metals | Ring Sizers
What exactly are “conflict diamonds”?
In 1998, Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) Global Witness brought to the world’s attention that UNITA, a rebel group in Angola, was funding its war against the legitimate government by the control and sale of rough diamonds. These have since become known as conflict diamonds. We also now know that rebel groups in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo were also funding conflicts in this way. Although peace has since been restored in Angola and Sierra Leone, and a cease fire in the DRC, the diamond industry is determined to work with governments through the United Nations to ensure that future conflicts cannot be funded in this way. At its peak, the trade in conflict diamonds was estimated to be less than 4% of annual rough diamond production but the industry has declared that one diamond traded in this way is one too many. Since the introduction of Kimberley well over 99% of the worlds diamond supply is certified to be from sources that are free from conflict.
Conflict Diamonds – Evriviadis Jewellery Policy and Procedures
The diamonds contained in our jewellery are millions of years old and may have been mined in parts of Africa, Canada, Russia or Australia. A few years ago the jewellery industry discovered that in some parts of Africa, small scale diamond mining was being exploited by illegal militias to support civil war and conflict. These diamonds have been referred to as “Conflict Diamonds”.
As a member of the British Jewellers’ Association, Jewellery.tv supports the initiative of the United Nations and the World Diamond Council (The Kimberley Process) to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate supply chains of the jewellery industry. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme ensures that mining of diamonds is strictly supervised at government level and that legitimately mined diamonds, in their “rough” state (before cutting and polishing) are only transferred between participating countries under strictly monitored conditions, in tamper proof containers, and accompanied by the appropriate documentation.
To ensure that only these legitimate diamonds, when cut and polished, pass into the jewellery manufacturing process, and therefore into the jewellery which we sell to our customers, we participate in the system of warranties and code of conduct issued by the World Diamond Council on 29 October 2002 and endorsed by the British Jewellers’ Association.
Under the WDC Code of Conduct we will:
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not buy diamonds from firms who will not put a conflict diamonds warranty on their invoices.
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not buy diamonds from suspect or unknown sources or from countries not participating in the Kimberley Process.
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not buy diamonds from a source found to have violated government regulations on conflict diamonds.
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not buy diamonds from regions where government advice indicates that conflict diamonds are emanating or on sale unless they have been exported under the Kimberley Process.
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not knowingly buy or sell or assist others to buy or sell conflict diamonds.
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ensure that all company employees who buy and sell diamonds are well informed about the Kimberley process and industry self regulation.
All of our suppliers have been advised that each invoice they send us covering diamonds (or jewellery which contains diamonds), must carry the following warranty and that if they fail to supply this warranty, we will not place further orders with them.
See also:
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Conflict Diamonds