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We would like you to give some thought to the origin
of the diamonds in the ring or jewellery of your dreams.
Why?....
Because of "Conflict" and illicit diamonds.
In the past, diamonds have been a contributing factor
to some very nasty wars in Africa, particularly in
Sierras Leone. These diamonds became known as "Conflict"
or "Blood" diamonds as they were used to
fund the purchasing of arms. Due to concern within
the diamond industry and civil society campaigning,
the industry committed itself to wipe out the trade
that amounted to 2-3% of diamonds traded in those
years.
Illicit diamonds are diamonds that have been smuggled
and therefore, no revenue or taxes have been paid
to governments in some of the most deprived areas
of the world.
The system adopted by the diamond industry, governments
and non-governmental organisations and backed by the
United Nations to counter these problems is called
The Kimberley Process.
The Kimberley Process Certificate is a passport for
rough (i.e. uncut) diamonds from the mines. It accompanies
all official shipments of rough diamonds to and from
participating countries.
To support this, the international diamond industry
agreed to a voluntary system of warranties to ensure
diamonds continued to be tracked right up to the point
of sale.
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