Fighting Conflict Diamonds

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

[/u]

 

[wallace]

Thank you very much for posting this! Buying conflict-free diamonds is very important to me as a consumer. I will not purchase any stone that cannot be "certified" conflict-free. In the past, I have purchased stones that automatically came with a document stating that the stones are conflict-free. In a recent purchase, I had to make a special request for this "certification".

I found that disppointing because I feel that information on provenance is just as important as the lab certification. When one buys valuable antiques of any kind, even jewlery, a provenance should be provided - why not for new stones? Any information about that stone that stone that helps protect the value and the industry standards should accompany that stone.

Are there any efforts to block/prevent/discourage by devaluation the resale of stones that have uncertain origin? That might be one way to help diminish the trade... I heard some talk laser inscriptions as way of marking stones that are c-f.

How does one purchasing on the internet, aside from using a dealer with a good reputation, know that the stones are conflict-free? How does that dealer know his stones are conflict-free?

Thanks for answering these questions! This is a vitally inportant issue as lives are literally at stake!

 

[Nicrez]

I believe it is up to the mine to have them ensured through the Kimberly Process, and thus communicate that through the process of cutting to eventually retail sellers.

Or...you could buy from Canada. SO far Cadaian stones have been the closest to conflict free, even more than Russian.

OR, if you have tons of money and time, you can always test the stone and compare it to lab results of conflict free stones to match it in water and trace element compositions within the impurities of the stone that determine where the stones where mined...

 

[CaptAubrey]

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On 4/14/2004 12:19:28 PM Nicrez wrote:





Or...you could buy from Canada. SO far Cadaian stones have been the closest to conflict free, even more than Russian.

OR, if you have tons of money and time, you can always test the stone and compare it to lab results of conflict free stones to match it in water and trace element compositions within the impurities of the stone that determine where the stones where mined...

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even canada is not 100% certain. some unscrupulous groups have gotten caught smuggling "bad" diamonds into canada in hopes of getting them into the canadian pipeline as "clean" diamonds.

currently it is not possible to determine the source of a diamond by examining its inclusions. there has been research on the subject, but it is a long way from being usable. also, most conflict diamonds are alluvial (river/ocean), which means the geological origin might be hundreds or thousands of miles away from where they were mined.

 

[purduephotog]

I know this will get me flamed, but...

... I really really really wish there was a source for a synthetic diamond that could match the quality of a 'real' one. I'd know it was conflict free and I'd also hold in my hand a wonder of technology.

Of course I worked with organic crystals for some time (including some surprises that twinned like diamond), so I'm already fascinated with growing them.

Anyways, thats my take. I'd even pay the same price

http://cdac.ciw.edu/

 

[valeria101]

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On 4/14/2004 12:12:25 PM wallace wrote:



I will not purchase any stone that cannot be 'certified' conflict-free.

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....

I found the article linked below quite dead on... according to my jaded economists' taste.

LINK

If one favors orange/yellow diamonds, artificial ones are not all that bad - quite the opposite