by Alexandra Dorian

Created on: September 13, 2008

Lovely and awe inspiring, perfect and sparkling are adjectives aptly used to describe diamond jewelry. However, how would you feel to learn that scores of people may have been beaten, tortured, maimed and even executed because of that shiny new rock? The conflict, or blood, diamond trade is something not from the too distant past. In 2003, the UN and many nations around the world banned together to form the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). This landmark decision is designed to certify that the precious diamonds in a new pair of earrings or an engagement ring are not unknowingly funding civil war or other atrocities.

The conflicts of war-torn regions of Africa seem worlds away, or even insignificant, to many of us in the modernized world. Yet, take a trip into Tiffany's or DeBeers and your credit card might be making a direct contribution to rebel soldiers and their reign of terror. Before the Kimberley Process, there was no true way to tell if diamonds were sourced from conflict areas, where they were mined by slave labor or traded for lives, or from a legitimate source. Anyone buying a gift or new piece of jewelry would be horrified to be contributing to such activities. The Process has place a vastly greater number of clean diamonds on the market and has pressured many major manufacturers to source only certified stones. For the most part, consumers can now rest assured that they are not purchasing conflict diamonds.

The Process began as a meeting between several African diamond producing states in Kimberley, South Africa. To date, there are roughly 74 countries participating in the certification process. It begins with how the diamonds are shipped. They must cross any international boarders in tamper-resistant containers, and have a government validated KPCS Certificate. Absolutely no shipping to or from non-KPCS agreement countries is allowed. The certificates must be authentic; to achieve this, each is given a unique number and a detailed description of the container's contents. Any tampering will compromise the shipment which can lead to seizure by international officials. Loosing thousands of raw diamonds in this process would be a financial blow.

In addition to this, the diamond industry has adopted its own system of warranties to align with the Kimberley Process. When purchasing a new diamond, the following statement should accompany your purchase:
"The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations resolutions. The seller hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds."
This statement must be supported by the paperwork from the shipping process above. If you are the buyer, be sure to ask for it. It is your right to know you are not contributing to global conflict. Organizations within the diamond industry are under regulations to not buy from uncertified or unwarrantied sources or from countries that are known violators of the Process.

While the process is a major step in the right direction against conflict diamonds, flaws still do exist. The major penalties from violating the agreements are economical so countries that export these stones and manufacturers that buy them have great interest in following the process. In the end, it is up to the consumer to practice due diligence and purchase only clean, Kimberley Process certified diamonds. Lives, literally, depend on it.

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