WHAT IS BLOOD DIAMOND & KIMBERLEY PROCESS? How to avoid them.

Dinesh Maurya

Executive-Client Acquisition

Published Jun 3, 2022

Blood diamond, also called a conflict diamond, as defined by the United Nations (UN), any diamond that is mined in areas controlled by forces opposed to the legitimate and internationally recognized government of a country and that is sold to finance military action against that government.

The very specific UN definition of blood diamonds was formulated during the 1990s, when rebel groups based in diamond-rich areas of their countries were waging brutal civil wars in parts of West and Central Africa. Three specific conflicts, in Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Sierra Leone, focused world attention on the destructive role of diamonds, although the problem also emerged in other countries. Rough diamonds mined in rebel-held areas were either sold directly to dealers or smuggled into neighboring countries, where they were merged with legitimately mined diamond stocks and then sold on the open market. Proceeds from the sale of diamonds were used to buy weapons and war material for rebel groups, some of which carried out extremely violent campaigns that caused great suffering to civilians.

Once a conflict diamond entered the processing stream and was cut and polished, it was virtually identical to any other diamond. Global concern arose over the entry of these gemstones into the huge consumer markets of the West, where buyers could not distinguish conflict diamonds from legitimate gems and where the origin of the stones could not be verified. Diamond dealers, for their part, worried that the growing disgust against blood diamonds could lead to calls to boycott all gems. In fact, in 2000, the UN Security Council issued a report on the presence of conflict diamonds in world markets that specifically implicated De Beers Consolidated Mines, Ltd., the Anglo-South African company that controlled around 60 percent cent of the world trade in rough diamonds. The report also criticized the world's largest diamond market, in Antwerp, Belgium, for failing to verify the origin of diamonds traded there. Trade associations therefore joined with human rights groups and the UN to establish the Kimberley Process, a certification scheme that in 2003 began verifying whether diamonds from exporting countries were "conflict-free." Since then, when the worst of Africa's civil wars ended and central governments restored control over rebel-held areas, the share of blood diamonds in the global diamond trade has fallen from 15 percent in the 1990s. 1990 to less than 1 percent in 1990. 2010.

“In America, it’s bling bling, but out here it’s bling bang.” If you’ve seen Blood Diamond you’ll recognize this quote by diamond smuggler Danny, played by Leonardo Dicaprio- he’s referring to the mined diamond industry of course. Set in Sierra Leone during the civil war of 1991, the movie made the public aware of conflict diamonds- the truth was our adored sparkly gems were actually being used to fund wars in Africa! The diamond industry was forced to switch gears and market themselves as conflict-free, and with the help of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), they were able to keep consumers feeling good about buying the sought-after gems. What the Kimberly Process didn’t do was address blood diamonds- yes, they are a different thing entirely! If you search for either blood or conflict diamonds on the web you will notice they are used interchangeably. Well, we are here to help you learn the difference!

However, some human rights activists pointed out that those figures may not make sense, as they only reflect the UN's specific definition of blood diamonds as gems that finance rebellion against a country's government. Citing Zimbabwe as a specific example, observers noted that even in certified conflict-free countries, it is entirely possible for recognized government officials to use their control over legal diamond operations to enrich themselves, preserve their power or promote their associates. —often at the expense of diamond miners and other workers, who can be brutalized and denied basic human rights. The abuse of the legitimate diamond trade in Zimbabwe prompted calls to redefine blood diamonds as gems whose trade is based on aggression or violence of any kind. Such a redefinition would expand the campaign against blood diamonds to some diamond-rich countries where the denial of human rights is common.

Regulation of rough diamonds

Regulating diamond mining can be complicated and, realistically, until 2003 it was not a priority for the diamond industry. Blood diamonds were a political but not an industrial hazard. Whether or not a conflict diamond fanned the flames of war did not matter to the big diamond miners or retailers. The goal was for rough diamonds to reach certain countries with a high demand for them. This led to mined diamonds being linked to brutal civil wars, forced labor, human rights abuses, rebel groups, war zones and child soldiers. Gemstones on earth from diamond-rich countries were mined for global markets without thought of how this would affect diamond-rich areas. This was mainly seen in African countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Mining companies operating on land to extract diamonds turned a blind eye to the suffering of central Africa in order to provide the world's diamonds to the market.

Kimberley Process Certification: Is My Mined Diamond Ethical?

The Kimberley Process was created to prevent the sale of blood diamonds. These are diamonds financed by armed rebel groups in order to destabilize the powers that be, especially in African countries.

The problem is that having Kimberley Process certification does not guarantee that your diamond is ethical in any way. Even if you end up with a certified "conflict-free" diamond, the chance that someone was raped, murdered, or enslaved for you to wear is still very likely. The Kimberley Process definition of a conflict diamond is too narrow: a "rough diamond mined in an area controlled by insurgent forces whose sale is used to finance anti-government military action." This does not take into account any of the human abuse involved in diamond mining! In addition, conflict diamonds are often smuggled and commingled with conflict-free diamond lots, their origins lost in the process. In the Central African Republic alone, United Nations experts estimate that after diamonds were banned from the area, $30 million was smuggled out of the country and into the hands of unsuspecting consumers.

The Kimberley Process brings together 83 countries around the world represented by 56 members. The implementation of this certification was initiated by the UN, NGOs, the governments of the countries concerned by blood diamonds and the industry represented by the World Council Diamonds.

Stephen Press of Stanford University explained: “Most diamonds cannot be reliably traced back to their source. In addition, they can be cut, reshaped or reclassified in the registers to hide their origin, whether illicit or lawful. Consumers in general do not appreciate the extent to which this is possible. Smugglers and governments have methods to get around detection.” In the end, diamonds mined from the ground can change hands up to ten times before they are polished by diamond cutters for final sale. If you ever played the game phone, then you know that after a few people, the original message is lost. In this case, the origin of the diamond is lost; You can never be sure that your diamond is truly conflict free. And if you can't be sure of that, you can't be sure you're not buying a blood diamond either!

Being free from conflict does not take into account the harm caused to children and adults in mining communities who are forced to work, threatened by violence and unable to seek other sustainable means of income. Many children are sent to the mines instead of school to support their families, earning only $1-3 a day! Diamond mining is back-breaking work and child abuse, and that bypasses the Kimberley Process because the proceeds from that diamond sale did not go to fund a local warlord.

Awareness of conflict diamonds has risen in recent years and as the diamond industry suffers from negative press, steps have been taken to try to combat this problem. Today, the Kimberley Process is one such step that aims to regulate the entire diamond trade. The goal of the program is to ensure that each and every diamond can be identified and traced; ensuring peaceful mining conditions. Participants in the Kimberley Process represent approximately 99.8% of the diamond trade and are typically government officials. Sounds promising, doesn't it?

While the Kimberley Process can certify a diamond as conflict-free, blood diamonds continue to circulate on the market today. In May 2021, Petra Diamonds, one of the world's largest diamond mining companies, had to pay damages of “$6 million to Tanzanian miners who suffered human rights abuses, including shooting, beatings, stabbings, detention in dirty cells and handcuffs. to hospital beds. Do you want to risk wearing a mined diamond knowing that the origin could have a cruel and vicious history?

Keep in mind that regardless of whether a diamond is conflict or blood, all diamonds mined from the earth are destructive to the environment. So, not only people are harmed, but the environment suffers irreversible damage. Which is the solution then? Lab grown diamonds! In Frost & Sullivan's most recent report, carbon emissions from ground-mined diamonds were 57,000 grams compared to 0.028 grams for lab-grown diamonds when comparing equal carats produced. And water? A mined diamond consumes more than 126 gallons of water per carat, while lab-grown diamonds use only 18!

The Kimberley Process certification allows for the tracing of the origin of diamonds and the removal from the international market of all war-funded diamonds. The Kimberley Process focuses primarily on the major problem of diamonds that finance wars and the exploitation of children, women and men in inhumane conditions to extract the coveted stones.

But diamonds are not the only problem. The conditions for extracting gold are equally abominable. Approximately $2 billion worth of gold is produced annually in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, coming from the country's 1,500 gold mines. Surprisingly, only 106 have been certified not to use forced labour. Rape is also widespread in this country, where an estimated 1,152 women are raped every day, which is equivalent to 48 every hour. Most of these rapes occur near the mines as a way to show control of those who run them and to strike fear into the residents into submission.

The only way to be sure your beautiful ring is 100% conflict free and not a blood diamond is to go Lab Grown. When you opt for a lab-grown diamond, you get a gem that is optically, physically, and chemically identical to ones that are mined from the earth. Wear jewelry that saves lives, not jewelry that fuels an outdated, harmful and violent industry.

Smuggling

Should is the most important word to keep in mind here. The Kimberley Process should have removed conflict diamonds from the mined market. Unfortunately, a Kimberley Process certification does not apply to a particular stone, but to a collection of rough diamonds cut and shipped around the world. This opens the door for smugglers to conceal conflict diamonds within “conflict-free” Kimberley Process diamond shipments. As such, corruption and smuggling remain a part of the diamond trade. In short, while the Kimberley Process has successfully curbed the conflict diamond trade, it is not perfect. There is still no way to know with 100% certainty if a Kimberley Process diamond is truly conflict free. So if you want to avoid conflict diamonds, what do you do?

Go lab grown

An even more popular option these days is that synthetic diamond, man made in a lab. These man-made diamonds are free of conflict, and likely to surpass rough diamonds in terms of popularity due to their lower pricing and fine quality. Synthetic diamonds and natural diamonds have the same exact makeup, the only difference is where they come from. Synthetics are not just completely conflict free, they are also environmentally responsible. Mining on an industrial scale, like the mines in Canada and Russia, cause land to become dry and brittle over time. Large drills and equipment used in mining use vast quantities of water. It takes many decades to replenish land that has been used for mining over the years if it can be done at all, the synthetic process would be free from any of these problems.

Trying to sort conflict diamond pipeline to ensure your mined diamond is conflict free can be a nightmare. Ultimately, you'll never really know if the beautiful gift, stamp of your love, or anniversary bookmark is related to civil war, forced labor, or human rights abuses. Even legitimate mining is under scrutiny for its environmental impacts alone. Instead of worrying about receiving a conflict diamond, avoid them altogether by buying lab-grown diamonds. By using lab-grown diamonds, you avoid buying conflict diamonds and will ultimately get a better price and excellent quality. Many diamond retailers are including lab-grown options now that they realize people prefer their jewelry conflict-free and care about quality and buying ethical jewelry. We pride ourselves on selling only lab-grown stones to ensure our supply chains are filled with the finest diamonds from the most ethical sources.

Tips to avoid blood diamonds

The good news is that blood diamonds are much rarer now than they were a couple of decades ago. The bad news is that they are still out there. And since you obviously don't want to help finance a violent civil war or any other harmful and illicit activity, here are some tips for avoiding conflict when buying diamonds.

When looking for an engagement ring, the old saying goes: "a diamond is a girl's best friend." Diamonds are supposed to represent your marriage, last forever and are seemingly impossible to break. Unfortunately, due to the state in which diamonds are mined today, many women may find themselves looking at their engagement ring and feeling a little guilty. The diamond in her ring may be a conflict diamond, which means she comes with a dark history.

Be wary of older diamonds: Unless it's a family heirloom, you'll want to be especially inquisitive about the history of any diamond that's at least a decade old. Blood diamond rates were much higher the year before, meaning an older diamond is likely to be contaminated. While the proceeds from purchasing such a diamond are not likely to contribute to a civil war, many people would want to avoid diamonds with a history of violence.
Buy from trusted retailers: Reputation is very important in the jewelry business. If a particular chain has a history of absolutely avoiding blood diamonds, he thinks they're not likely to jeopardize that image any time soon. Likewise, if a certain shop is known to dabble in blood diamonds, then you'll know how to avoid it. Given the historical prevalence of conflict diamonds, it is highly likely that most major retailers have sold them at some point. Just always make sure you do your research before you buy somewhere because sellers won't always have all the information you need. A 2004 Global Witness report found that employees at 26 of the top 30 US retailers they visited were unaware of their company's policy regarding conflict diamond detection and warranties. Twenty-five of the 30 retailers officially declined to comment on their policies.
Request Documentation: You should be able to find out if a particular stone is certified by the Kimberley Process. If not, and you also lack other supporting documentation that might reassure you, it's probably best to look at other options. Please note that Gemological Institute of America grades speak only to the quality of a diamond, not whether it is conflict free.
Identify the source of your stone: You should be able to find out if a particular stone is certified by the Kimberley Process. If not, and you also lack other supporting documentation that might reassure you, it's probably best to look at other options. Please note that Gemological Institute of America grades speak only to the quality of a diamond, not whether it is conflict free.

Conflict free but environmentally sound?

While conflict-free diamonds take human lives into account, they do little to protect the environment. This is an example of a Canadian diamond mine.

For those people who do not want to face the ethical dilemma of buying diamonds, there are other alternatives. Today, many retailers solve the problem of conflict diamonds by providing stones that come from places outside of Africa's war-torn areas. For example, mines in Canada and Russia produce diamonds and are free from the conflicts that plague some diamond-producing nations. However, there is a premium to pay when buying diamonds from conflict-free countries. Often you will end up paying a higher price for a lower quality diamond as mines in Canada and Russia produce less quality diamonds than those in Africa. While these diamonds may be free from civil war and human suffering, they are by no means free from negative environmental impact. Diamonds are not cheap, if you are going to spend a decent amount of money you want a high quality product. that is both conflict-free and environmentally sound.

What Are You Thoughts?

Let us know what you think. Does it put you off knowing that the diamond you want to buy might be a conflict diamond? Are you willing to sacrifice some quality in your diamond to ensure it is not a conflict diamond? Or could you see yourself giving up a diamond altogether and opting for a sapphire engagement ring instead?

WHAT IS BLOOD DIAMOND & KIMBERLEY PROCESS? How to avoid them.