Education > Cut / Clarity / Color / Carat Weight / Certification / Conflict Diamonds

The C's : Conflict Diamonds

Our Commitment to Consumer Protection

Continental Diamond guarantees that every diamond we sell is conflict-free, from known legitimate sources and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions, the Kimberley Process and United States Clean Diamonds and Patriot Acts.

What are “Conflict Diamonds?”

Exploitation where natural resources are rich and people are poor is an ongoing problem in the world. Rogue elements have historically used oil, rubber, gold, diamonds, rubies and coltan to finance civil unrest, particularly on the African continent. In the late 1990s it was estimated that between 4 and 15% of the world’s rough diamond supply was touched by conflict. Those traded illicitly became known as “conflict diamonds” or “blood diamonds.”

What has been done about it?

In 2003 the United Nations adopted the Kimberley Process to combat this issue. Participating KPCS governments monitor and certify all rough diamonds before export and forbid any rough diamonds from entering their territory without sealed KPCS certification. According to Kimberley, and supported by Global Witness, 99.8% of the world’s rough diamond production is now Kimberley compliant.

Responsible centers of production such as Belgium, Israel and the Netherlands enact further federal regulations. Polished diamonds coming to America are additionally covered by the USA Patriot Act. Dealers must maintain Kimberley compliance or be subject to stiff penalties. Failure to comply with guarantees is not a simple FTC violation. Enforcement comes from the Treasury department (IRS), Homeland Security and the US Justice department.

Where are we now?

The work done by the United Nations, responsible governments, NGOs and our trade leaders has been successful. The Kimberley Process, in particular, has dramatically reduced the scope of the issue. However the global diamond industry is vast. Greed is not exclusive to Africa and rogue elements trade rough of dubious origin where they can. KPCS fraud has been uncovered outside of Africa so “conflict diamonds” are not limited to that continent. Countries as close to home as Venezuela have been censured for violations. Border controls are tighter in North America, especially post 9/11, but the possibility of corruption exists, even in Canada where “conflict-free” is used as a national marketing slogan. Unless you walked the diamond yourself from mine to sorting to trading house to cutting factory to parcel buyer to retail outlet, nothing can be 100 percent certain, but 99.8% is highly encouraging.