Conflict Controversy

Travis Trewarne investigates the plight of the conflict diamond.

An engagement commemorates a very special time in your life. You’re in love, your partner proposes with a diamond ring, you see it sparkle and slide it on your finger. It looks breathtaking and you close your eyes to soak in the moment forever but then you remember that horrible movie about diamond smuggling in Africa and despite doing your best to put it out of your head you still have a niggling suspicion that this diamond may have funded some kind of terrible conflict. You never really wanted to see that movie anyway but Leonardo’s in it and you thought, “Well, I’d watch him read the paper so…?” How can you be sure your gorgeous new diamond is as innocent as it looks?

The good news is that there is a high chance your diamond is actually innocent. Since the mid 1990’s De Beers, the worlds largest diamond mining and distribution company, has in association with worldwide governments and their respective customs agencies, instigated a system called the Kimberley Process. Essentially this is a system whereby the diamonds are provided with provenance. It’s a way of tracking the diamond from when it was removed from the mine after lying there dormant for over 150 million agonisingly boring years, all the way to your trusted jeweller and subsequently to your finger where I can confidently say it’s having a far better time than it did underground. I mean, you can just see how happy it looks!

The Kimberley Process is now able to almost eliminate the trade in conflict diamonds. Since 1995 when up to 5% of diamonds traded around the world were thought to be of questionable origin, that figure now stands at less than 1%, a substantial improvement. This is how it works. The small parcel of loose diamond rough is mined is issued with a Kimberly certificate detailing the origins of the crystal when it is exported. The diamonds are authenticated and have to pass many criteria tests necessary to respect the Kimberly Process. For example, most diamonds from the same mine will have some kind of unique chemistry or physical property unique to that mine.

If during authentication a diamond was found to not have similar DNA, then its origins would be questioned, its credentials compromised and no Kimberly certificate would be issued. If they do pass the test, a certificate is issued and from then on those diamonds can be tracked as they travel around the world. They first travel to the distribution office in Europe, then to the cutting factory, then to the distributor and so on. This process flows right through to the retailer. Should any parcel of diamond rough pass through any of the excess of 280 worldwide customs agencies without a certificate, they would be impounded.

So what about the 1% of diamonds still at question? Well in any industry some kind of black market exists but there are things you can do to ensure your diamond isn’t from this minority. The Diamond Guild of Australia comprises various quality diamond retailers around Australia. These members operate long established businesses with a history of fair trade and reliability. They have all made sure that their supply lines are clean and they can provide you with diamonds that have absolute provenance reliability. At these locations you can purchase diamonds that are fully compliant with the Kimberly Process but even further, you can often purchase diamonds that have provenance from other countries such as Russia and Canada where there is no conflict whatsoever. Often these diamonds that carry brand names such as Hermitage and Australian Star are laser-inscribed with a serial number on the girdle that corresponds with their accompanying grading certificate. In the case of Australian Star, you can even see how big the rough was before cutting and what mine it came from in Canada.

The diamond industry is also working with conflict nations to further minimise the black market threat. In Angola for example, a commission has been set up to protect the sanctioned mines and stop illegal miners from other countries stealing the rough and taking it across the border for illegal trade. The Commission is also working with farmers to convert illegal miners to farm work through retraining and farm co-operatives.

Just to prove that the system works there is an interesting case in Africa at the moment. The world’s largest diamond has reportedly been discovered weighing in excess of 7000 carats in northwest South Africa. A European Commission spokesperson of the Kimberly Process, interviewed by The Guardian online, clarified that “The Kimberly Certificate can be requested only if the stone is exported. Up to that point, only the national authorities are responsible for the authentication of the stone and the confirmation of all the requirements necessary to respect the Kimberly Process”. In this case the stone will need to possess a DNA comparable with the mine it is claimed to have come from. If that happens and the mine is registered as a fair trade mine under the Kimberly Process then it will get its certificate and can be exported for sale.

By shopping with trusted jewellers who are members of respected organisations such as the Diamond Guild of Australia and who possess relevant diamond qualifications, you can be sure that the diamond you buy today will provide years of untainted pleasure. In fact, you can be sure that the diamond that is smiling and sparkling on your finger is happy because it may have actually funded development, progress and economic benefits to a poor nation and helped to improve the standard of living in that country.