Since the release of the movie “Blood Diamond” late last year, more and more people are suddenly learning about so-called conflict diamonds, and this surge in interest has affected the engagement-ring business.
The term “conflict diamond” refers to stones mined in certain countries in Africa where the profits are used to fund arms trades or military groups. They also are often linked to exploitative working conditions.
Depending on whom you ask, between 1 and 10 percent of the world’s diamond supply can be considered conflict diamonds. But people in the diamond industry and in organizations that fight the conflict-diamond trade agree that being informed is the best way to stop illegalities and injustices and to buy a “conflict-free” diamond.
Among the anti-conflict-diamond efforts, the Kimberley Process is perhaps the best known. Named for the town in South Africa where it was signed, the Kimberley Process is a certification pact endorsed by the United Nations that lists 45 nations as participants. Those countries promise to deal only in diamonds that meet Kimberley Process standards, which require that rough diamonds be exported in tamper-proof containers accompanied by a Kimberley Process certificate. The idea is that countries where diamonds are harvested to fund civil war are removed from the legitimate diamond trade.
Georgie Gleim, president of Gleim Jewelers in Palo Alto, believes the Kimberley process has helped reduce the percentage of blood diamonds in the overall market from about 4 percent to less than 1 percent in the last 10 years. The process is “about as good of a guarantee you can get,” she said.
More of her customers are asking about the Kimberley Process and where Gleim’s diamonds come from. Overall, she said, that’s a positive development, but it does have some in the diamond business worried.
“My concern is that it would make people stop buying diamonds entirely, and that would be devastating for southern Africa’s economy,” she said. “Even those behind the movie have said ‘Don’t stop buying diamonds.'”
Her advice to concerned consumers is to buy from an established jeweler and ask questions. Make sure the jeweler “doesn’t shy away from your questions,” she said.
For diamond buyers who want even more assurance that their stones are conflict-free, there’s San Francisco-based Brilliant Earth. Co-founder Beth Gerstein not only wants to sell diamonds that aren’t funding civil war, but that are also mined with the best environmental and labor practices, she said. So far, only one diamond provider has met her strict standards: a Canadian company called Polar Diamonds.
“Canada is the only one we’ve been able to find as a guaranteed source,” she said, adding that if diamonds cross other national borders, “they get mixed into the general supply.”
Polar Diamonds is also the only company endorsed by the Conflict Free Diamond Council, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C. Robert Cosentino, founder and executive director of the council, wants to encourage people to buy diamonds that are strictly certified and to ask questions about the origins of the diamond they’re considering buying.
“From the moment the diamond comes out of the ground it has a unique DNA,” he said. “It gets scanned, and as it goes through cutting and polishing it retains that DNA.”
So far, Polar Diamonds is the only company the council considers strict enough in its mining, handling and processes to make sure other diamonds aren’t mixed into its supply. Each Polar diamond gets a tiny laser imprint as a guarantee of its origin. The council is, however, investigating two other processes that it might decide to endorse, Cosentino said.
Palo Alto resident Bryan Kirk recently bought a diamond from Brilliant Earth. When he started researching diamonds in preparation for buying an engagement ring, he came across the company and decided he liked the socially responsible aspect of their business.
As he looked into price comparisons, he found they weren’t charging more than most retailers, since they operate as wholesalers. Kirk made an appointment at their San Francisco offices and found the right diamond for his needs. He was also planning to propose to his girlfriend in Canada, so it was a bonus to have that connection, he said.
In researching his diamond purchase, Kirk learned a lot about the Kimberley Process. While it’s better than nothing, it doesn’t completely eliminate conflict diamonds from the trade, he said. “It doesn’t make the issue disappear,” he added.
Kirk felt good about buying from the company and knowing he was doing the right thing.
“You feel better about going with them. Even if 1 percent of diamonds are conflict diamonds, with Brilliant Earth you get the guarantee.”
