Conflict Free Diamonds?
We use the term "conflict free" only for search engine marketing purposes to get people visit to our website. Because of the pervasive marketing spin around diamond sourcing, "conflict free" has little meaning in the context to ethical sourcing. The critical issue is mine to market transparency, which allows you to know who benefits, besides your retailer, from the purchase of your diamond.
Read on to find the information you need to make an informed decision.
Sourcing Ethically Mined and Cut Diamonds
Everyone involved in profiting from diamonds, from NGOs who raise the blood diamond issue to their donors, DeBeers, to the average jeweler, markets to a target audience. In the retail sector, issues of quality and price are in the forefront and information on the "4 Cs" is easily available.
The question of what exactly constitutes and ethically sourced diamonds is more difficult.
Diamonds are either mined by Artisanal Small Scale Miners (ASM) — perhaps moving a ton of gravel or more a day, sorting through alluvial deposits; or highly mechanized Large Scale Mines (LSM) moving massive amounts of earth and rock with large equipment. Diamonds from poor ASM miners have fueled regional conflicts in Africa, resulting in “blood diamonds,” which are also known as "conflict diamonds".
The Kimberly Process, set up as a sector response to the black market diamond trade that fueled regional conflicts, attempts to regulate the entire diamond sector. Kimberly is self regulated and enforced by each country that has signed on; consequently, how the treaty is interpreted and applied varies greatly. Some diamond producing countries, such as Venezuela, operate outside of Kimberly.
Every jewelry company in the world will claim to be Kimberly Compliant, selling only "conflict free” diamonds. The World Diamond Council recently stated that less than one percent of diamonds are "conflict diamonds”, funding wars on the Ivory Coast and now, possibly, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. To say that only one percent of diamonds were being mined and sold outside of the Kimberly Process, however, would be inaccurate. Because diamonds are easily transported and valuable, poor miners bypass regulated diamond dealers to get a better price for their rough stones. Once a diamond arrives in a polisher's hand, it will be cut and sold. It is likely that the majority of diamonds sold outside of the Kimberly Process, known as "conflict diamonds," are simply black market diamonds and do not necessarily fund wars.
These complex issues fuel misleading terminology in the market place that makes it difficult to know what it is supporting. The vast majority of people purchasing a diamond are interested in getting the best price. For those who are also motivated by ethical concerns, it is best not to get too caught up in the internet marketing of "conflict free" diamonds. Everybody is "conflict free" and Kimberly Certified. The critical issue for someone who wishes to shop their values is, exactly where was the diamond mined and cut? Ideally, we would be able to source directly from a community of small scale diamond miners that would also cut their own gemstones, which would support a strong local economy. At this point, these models have yet to come fully into fruition where a supply is readily available.
Therefore, we rely upon large producers that have organized programs that maximize benefit for the local economies where they operate. We offer two options: Diamonds from Canada and Diamonds from Namibia.
Diamonds from Namibia and Canada
Diamonds from Namibia
Namibia is a country about half the size of Alaska, in Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean. It is mostly desert and its population just over two million depend upon its extractive industries, particularly because it has very little farmland. In the past, all diamonds taken from Namibia were cut in other parts of the world. Now, it is possible to purchase a diamond mined and cut in this economically and politically stable African country with an organized diamond polishing industry. This ground breaking initiative allows more money and jobs to stay in the local economy, which desperately needs it and well paying jobs. The polishing facility where we source our diamonds supports over 100 local workers. It represents a functional example of skill transfer, job creation and economic empowerment. In general, workers in the diamond industry earn twice the national salary average which is profound in a country with a relatively small population. In the past, diamond companies have been reluctant to create these types of projects because they require huge new investments in training and infrastructure. The initiative has been developed by a company which purchases unpolished diamonds from a mine owned by DeBeers for the Namibia project. The environmental responsibility of the mine is third party verified by SGS whose verification is further reviewed by URS.
Beneficiation in the diamond sector represents a best practice. The people involved in this project are very forward thinking and dedicated to creating a better situation in Africa. They deserve and need market support.
Diamonds From Canada
Canada's four large diamond mines are among the most regulated in the world and there is generally little difference between them since they are all highly regulated by the Canadian government.. Massive environmental studies are conducted regularly. Native people have been compensated. Almost all diamonds are gathered in central polishing locations where they are mixed up regardless of their sourcing. Canadian diamonds have a tiny "Canada Mark", that gives you assurance that the gems were actually mined in Canada. Cutting takes place in third party certified facilities. The companies that run the mines know that their brand image depends upon the assurance of a seamless mine to market pipeline.
What those who push Canadian diamonds as the perfect choice do not talk about is the infrastructure required to transport millions of gallons of petrol to run the machinery and generators in the arctic tundra, creating disruption to the environment. Those who consider themselves environmentalists need to understand that the diamond mining in Canada is part of a larger trend that is drastically impacting North America's last Serengeti. You can learn more from our blog, fairjewelry.org which covers these issues:
- The impact of mining in the Northwest territories and a photo of one of the mines.
- An interview with Tracy Williams, a trustee for the Canadian National Parks and Wilderness Society, who lives in the NW Territories, on the impact of diamond mining on people and the wild.
- Kim Poole, an accomplished Wildlife Biologist has studied the mines the environmental impact of the mines and has a more sanguine view in this interview
If you feel that the talismanic quality of converting coal to diamond under the earth is not important, consider industrially grown diamonds, marketed as "created diamonds". You can contact us if you are interested in this option.
Diamonds are a commodity and our work is to use our purchasing power to benefit producer communities while minimizing environmental impact. Perfection should not be the enemy of the good. Canada's careful mining practices and the efforts in Botswana, represent some of the best of what the diamond sector has to offer.
Consider buying a diamond with the acknowledgement that everything in life has a cost. If you believe that our very living means we incur a debt to existence, perhaps what the diamond represents ia a dedication to giving something back — a strong courageous love to our marriage that blossoms outward, giving us strength to be in service to the great mystery that connects us all.
But if diamonds are not your preference, we offer a wide variety of other ethically sourced gemstone options, including sapphires, aquamarines, emeralds and rubies that we can trace from mine to cutting factory to market.
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