Conflict diamonds, blood diamonds and war diamonds

. . . are all terms used to describe diamonds mined in a war zone and sold, usually covertly, in order to finance an insurgent or invading army's war efforts.

The only country that sells conflict free diamonds is Canada.

Canada has a Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims. (You can read the code here. PDF Reader required.)

This means that the retailers that participate must provide customers with:

The diamond Identification Number

The retailer's name and address

An invoice number and the date of the invoice

The polished diamond description

An explanation of the Code

The Code requires tracking of a diamond's progress. It starts from the mine and traces the diamond to its retail destination. The Code includes requirements for proper handling, packing and marking of all diamonds that are represented as Canadian stones.

Retailers and wholesalers who follow the Code's Procedures can be found in this list of signatories. Retailers will display in plain view a CDCC approved Code Member picture or decal or sign indicating compliance with the Code.

The body who monitors the Code is the Canadian Diamond Code Committee ("the Committee"), a non-profit volunteer industry body comprised of representatives from the mining, cutting and polishing, wholesale and retail sectors, Jewelers Vigilance Canada and Canadian Jewelers Association as well as a national consumer association.

More information on Conflict Diamonds

When buyers of diamonds, in the late 1990's, became aware of diamonds being used to fund wars and subsequently causing human suffering in conflicted countries, retailers and customers started to ask where these diamonds and in what circumstances they came from.

Factions in African countries, particularly Angola, Sierra Leone and Liberia are best known for supplying conflict diamonds.

In 2000, a joint initiative supported by the United Nations General Assembly created the Kimberly Process, an international certification regimen that aims to put an end to illegally traded diamonds. Today, 69 countries are legally bound by the rules of this strict and thorough process.

Any trade of diamonds between these 69 countries (which includes Canada, the U.S., Belgium and many of the African countries involved in the trade of diamonds) must adhere to these guidelines:

Each participating country must have laws in place that mandate the Kimberly Process

Any shipment of diamonds must be inspected to ensure that each shipment adheres to the guidelines

They must then be shipped in tamper-proof containers

They must be accompanied by a uniquely numbered, Government validated Kimberly Process certificate

Each diamond, when sold by a retailer must be accompanied by the following warranty statement:

“The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. The undersigned hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds.”

In a very short time, the Kimberly Process has had a profound effect. In the years since its creation, the Kimberly Process has reduced the trade of conflict diamonds, from 4% to less than 1% of the entire diamond industry.

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