Buying Diamonds

I’m very excited to announce my next talk on the topic of buying diamonds; a gemstone close to my heart.

Here’s a small excerpt from the book Buying Gemstones & Jewellery Worldwide:

Even if you are not a diamond
connoisseur, you will probably have heard the term ‘conflict’ or ‘blood’
diamonds and are aware that diamonds have been fuelling civil wars. Sierra
Leone, Liberia, Angola, the Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, the Central
African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo have all been embroiled
in violent civil discord over recent years, driven by diamonds.

A conflict diamond is defined as an
illegally traded diamond mined at some point within the last 50 years.

Established by the United Nations in
the year 2003, The Kimberly Process was designed to prevent conflict diamonds
from entering the mainstream diamond market.
It enables legitimate traders to certify their diamonds as ‘conflict
free’. Even so, these illegal diamonds
still slip through the net, with some estimating that up to 15% of diamonds
sold in mainstream markets are conflict diamonds. It’s also important to note that the Kimberly
Process doesn’t exclude diamonds mined in a way that damages communities, the
environment or the miners themselves.

How to buy an ethical diamond

1. Find
out the source. Ask your jeweller where the diamonds were mined.

2. Ask
for details about the diamonds.

3. Don’t
buy diamonds that come from countries notorious for human rights abuses in
their mining industry. Check Amnesty
International and Human Rights Watch if you’re not sure.

4. You
might end up paying a bit more, but buy diamonds in countries where standards
are rigorously enforced – Canada, for example.

5. Support
the miners in Namibia and Botswana, and other countries where miner’s rights
and environmental standards are strictly enforced. Income from mining creates jobs and will help
these developing countries.

6. Buy
from a reputable dealer who will guarantee that each diamond one was mined with
stringent criteria on responsible and ethical sourcing.

7. Buy
from jewellers who make a commitment to ethical sourcing.

Guest Speaker, Kim Rix, GG (GIA) to talk about Buying Diamonds.

Follow the link to get more information about the evening event, being hosted by The Network.

See you there!

Kim Rix GG (GIA)

Gemstone Detective

Be sure. Be smart. Buy with confidence

#TheBeginnersGuide #Conflictfreediamonds #Diamonds #diamondeducation #Certifieddiamonds #Buyingdiamonds