How to Choose the Conflict-Free Diamonds

Quite often diamonds refer to the wars, revolutions and illegal criminal activities and these precious stones are called the conflict diamonds. The conflict diamonds used to come from the war-torn countries of the African continent including Angola, Ivory Coast and Liberia and under the African Diamond Council nearly 50 percent of all the diamonds in the world originate from Africa.

So, you might find it difficult finding the conflict-free diamonds for your wedding, however the process became much easier with the increased global awareness about the conflict and blood diamonds.

How to select the ethical diamonds

Self-educate yourself about the blood diamonds in order to know why to avoid buying them. The book “Blood Diamonds” by Greg Campbell or “The Heartless Stone” by Tom Zoellner will give you a lot of useful information concerning the blood diamonds. If you don’t like reading books, simply watch the movie version entitled “Blood Diamond”.

Ask the retailer whether he participates in the certification or endorsement programs. For instance, the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) found back in 2003 by the United Nations is aimed to keep the conflict diamonds from the jewellery market. Quite often the retailers don’t participate in any of such programs since it is voluntary.

Require the certificates and ask about programs the retailer participates in. Even in case the vendor doesn’t take part in the Kimberly Certification Scheme, he might still have the Certificate of Origin, which was issued by the government and confirms that the diamond was purchased in compliance with the standards established by the World Diamond Council.

Tips on selecting the conflict-free diamonds

The skillful retailer will easily answer all the questions regarding the origins of the stone. Try to stay away from the retailers that underestimate the importance of the ethical diamonds or avoid answering on your questions directly.

Figure whether the retailer has the certificates for the diamond, which will state the stone is conflict-free.

Once you pick the ethical diamond, consider going for the recycled metal, which is an environment-friendly option.