Is the whole concept of conflict free diamonds basically nonsense?

[bravecrowd817]

I am thinking that if the diamond comes from the government of the Congo, which may have funded jungle militias to murder for it, then it is not conflict, but then if its source is unconfirmed it is conflict. The real problems seems to me what is called the curse of natural resources and this is that any government sitting on huge natural resources will tend to become domintated by organized crime calling itself a government (look at Russia) and the result is that almost all diamonds should be called conflict diamonds.

[alana8631]

There is a process that commercially mined diamonds go through and that is called the Kimberly Process. The Kimberly Process ensures that diamonds are escorted from mine to retailer to make sure there is no foul play.

[HE Lives!!!!]

The concept of a conflict free diamond put forth by jewelers is an attempt to put a positive spin on onerous diamond issues. We use the term only for search engine ranking. Since all diamonds, like other natural resources, have social and environmental costs, the critical issue for those who are interested in ethical sourcing is, how can I purchase a diamond to create a better world?


(Every diamond has a social and environmental cost)
When someone claims to sell a conflict free diamond, it means Kimberlery Process Certified (KPC). Industry insiders now widely question its effectiveness. Though much of the diamond supply chain certified by KPC is ethically acceptable, KPC diamonds can be mined under terrible labor and environmental conditions, by diamantairs who collaborate with corrupt governments. Indeed, even polishers have been shot and killed for refusing to produce "conflict free" diamonds which are products of humiliation and misery.

No one in the diamond sector has ever been held accountable for hiring the paramilitary groups, which resulted in the deaths of approximately four million Africans during the blood diamond funded wars. Some of the same people who are responsible, directly or indirectly, for the blood diamond tragedy, also had a strong voice in framing the Kimberley Process.

We knew that KPC, as a treaty, was ineffective. Recently, many of our conclusions were confirmed when one of the most well respected figures on international diamond and human rights issues, publicly discredited Kimberley.

If you want an ethical diamond, the critical issue is mine to market transparency, which allows you to know who benefits, besides your retailer, from the purchase of your diamond.

If you would like to understand more about conflict free diamond issues, read our fairjewelry.org article on the Kimberley Certification Process, which borrows its title from the classic Leonard Cohen song, "Everybody Knows The Deal Is Rotten".

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