Conflict diamonds are diamonds illegally traded to fund conflict in war-torn areas, particularly in central and western Africa. The United Nations (UN) defines conflict diamonds as.... "...diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the Security Council." These diamonds are sometimes referred to as "Blood Diamonds." In 2000, a coalition of governments, non-governmental organizations and the diamond industry worked together to address this issue. In 2002, they established the Kimberley Process Certification System, a UN-backed process that has virtually eliminated the trade in conflict diamonds. The Kimberley Process is an International process to track and certify every diamond. In April 2003, Congress and President Bush passed a law requiring all US diamond retailers be Kimberley Process compliant by only purchasing diamonds from manufacturers who have documentation certifying that the merchandise was obtained through legitimate channels. At 1a-jewelry.com we only purchase diamonds through suppliers who, like us, proudly adhere to and enforce the standards established by the Kimberley Process. If one of our suppliers was ever found to be in violation of that process, we would immediately sever that relationship. We will always support and adhere to any process that works to uphold legitimacy in the diamond trade. For further information, please read the White House Statement on the passage of this law. |
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