So what can you do to make sure you have a guilt-free diamond to say “I do"?
Even before the release of Blood Diamond socially conscious couples have been actively searching for conflict free diamonds for their engagement and wedding rings.
So-called blood diamonds are typically mined in African war zones and sold to fund devastating civil wars.
For the past 15 years, an estimated 500,000 Angolans, 50,000 people in Sierra Leone, and nearly 4 million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo have died from civil wars funded through the sale of conflict diamonds otherwise known as blood diamonds.
Many couples believe they are avoiding all the brutality associated with blood diamonds when they buy engagement rings tagged as “conflict free,” but that is not necessarily the case. That conflict free diamond may not be as conflict free as you may have assumed.
The Kimberly Process
Jewelers can now provide Kimberley certificates as proof of a “clean” diamond which they can declare as conflict free.
The Kimberley Process – created in 2003– is a voluntary, self-regulated system that established standards for certifying diamonds. A diamond with a Kimberley certificate guarantees that sales of that diamond did not go to finance a civil war.
You can also feel good in knowing that 100% of Whiteflash’s Dreams of Africa collection profits go to communities impacted by the jewelry trade (WCCCI).
When shopping for a diamond here are a few initial questions to request:
What are your companies conflict diamond policies?
What is your companies definition of conflict free jewelry?
Can you provide official certification from an established grading lab?
Where do you source your diamonds from?
