The release of The Blood Diamond film will heighten awareness of the real issues of 'conflict diamonds'

The term conflict or ‘blood’ diamonds, as they are sometimes called, refers to alluvial diamonds found in various parts of Africa which were illegally exploited to fund rebel militias in a series of wars during the 1990s in which many hundreds of thousands of people died. The countries in which conflict diamonds have been a problem are Angola, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Guinea.

In 2002, the World’s Governments concluded their agreement on how to control the flow of rough diamonds through a certification scheme known as the Kimberley Process.  From 1 January 2003, all shipments of rough diamonds have been documented, tracked by customs services and imports and exports reconciled between governments.  The aim is to halt the trade in illicit diamonds.

The situation has been dramatically improved by the introduction in 2003 of the Kimberley Process. This is a global system backed by governments, the UN and various NGOs for managing and certifying the international trade in ‘rough’ diamonds. ‘Rough’ is the term used to describe diamonds as they come out of the ground before they have been cut and polished. 

The Kimberley Process is now law in all EU countries and in around 40 other countries worldwide and is undoubtedly working to regulate the flow of diamonds and to exclude conflict diamonds from the supply chain.

Although the percentage of such diamonds is small, the world’s jewellery industry is determined to stamp them out to preserve the diamond as a symbol of love, rather than a  symbol of suffering.  Government action is supported by a system of industry self regulation through which the international jewellery trade from retailer to manufacturer to importer/gem dealer will warrant that cut and polished diamonds and those already set in diamond jewellery have been sourced from reliable traders not linked to “conflict sources”.

Members of the British Jeweller's Association who sell diamonds in rough or polished form or made into jewellery adhere to the following statement:

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

The guidance for purchasers of diamonds all the way down the chain is now clear, and if you are looking to purchase a piece of diamond jewellery you can have a clear conscience if you buy from a reputable source where the seller guarantees 'conflict free diamonds'.

In the UK the two trade bodies who's members support this issue are the British Jeweller's association and the National Association of Goldsmiths.

Welded Bliss are members of the British Jeweller's Association and are pleased to offer 'conflict free diamonds'

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THE BLOOD DIAMOND -  FILM SET FOR 2007 RELEASE.

Set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990's Sierra Leone, Blood Diamond is the story of Danny Archer (Leonardo DiCaprio) - a South African mercenary - and Solomon Vandy (Djimon Hounsou) - a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. While in prison for smuggling, Archer learns that Solomon - who was taken from his family and forced to work in the diamond fields - has found and hidden the extraordinary rough stone. With the help of Maddy Bowen (Jennifer Connelly), an American journalist whose idealism is tempered by a deepening connection with Archer, the two men embark on a trek through rebel territory, a journey that could save Solomon's family and give Archer the second chance he thought he would never have.

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Some diamond ditties.....

• All diamonds are immensely old and were formed long before dinosaurs roamed the earth. The youngest diamond is 900 million years old and the oldest is 3.2 billion years old.
• Every diamond is unique; no two are alike.
• Diamonds exist in many colours not simply ‘white’.
• The most rare diamonds are red.
• Each diamond loses, on average, more than half its original weight during the cutting and polishing process.
• The word ‘carat’ – in measurement used to describe the size of the diamond – comes from the carob tree, whose seed was used as the standard in weighing precious stones.
• Less than 5% of all the diamonds made into jewellery are larger than one carat.

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