Kimberly Certificate?

[Newbie333]

Anyone familiar with the new Kimberly Process, and ''where'' to obtain a certificate while in a foreign country, in order to bring back your diamond?

 

[niceice]

That's the really funny thing... At the moment, all the U.S. Dealers have been required to do is obtain a written statement from their overseas suppliers that the diamonds being purchased have been produced in compliance with the Kimberly process. Every time we ship a diamond into Canada we have to issue a letter stating that "to the best of our knowledge this diamond has been sourced from a conflict-free source and has been manufactured in compliance with the Kimberly Act of 2003" and that seems to do the trick. Canadian Customs was requiring a Kimberly Certificate until we asked them where to get one because to the best of our knowledge the Kimberly Act is a five year plan which is not quite implemented yet and China is the only country producing actual certificates.

 

[mdx]

Hi Newbie 333

Kimberly Process certificates apply only to rough diamonds and are administered in most producing countries by agencies of the local Ministry of Mines.
Polished diamonds crossing borders will require a warranty on the shipping invoice this is a follow on warranty.

Wayne
Melbourne Diamond Exchange ltd

 

[niceice]

MDX is correct that the Kimberly Act only applies to diamond rough for the moment, but try getting the various international customs departments to understand that. We now ship all international shipments with packets of papers compiled from the JVC and a few other sources with the statements referring to the act applying to rough diamonds highlighted with yellow marker because if we don't the packages get held up by customs while they try to determine whether the contents of the package fall under the coverage of the Kimberly Diamond Act. It's absurd and it is unlikely to have any real affect on the trafficking of conflict diamonds, no more so anyway than laws against drug trafficking have reduced that problem.

 

[Paul-Antwerp]

The Kimberley Process started in the beginning of 2003. After one year of its operation, I have not experienced any problem with it. The whole thing is quite simple: all problems are for the exporter.

If you are exporting polished (cut) diamonds, and even if you are selling in your local market, each and every invoice should carry the 'Kimberley clause': "The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased from legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. The seller hereby guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by the supplier of these diamonds." Also, your invoice should carry an authorised signature from the seller, to turn this clause into a written guarantee for the next person in the chain.

If you are exporting rough diamonds, it differs from country to country. Basically, you either have an export license, or you can prove that you imported the rough with a valid KP-certificate, or you can prove that you dug it up yourself, according to the law of your country. Each country has set up a specialised office, issuing the certificates, and you should refer to that office. A second test comes when the authorities will check your accounts in a few years time.

At this point in time, almost all countries producing rough diamonds and the most important importers of rough diamonds are members of the Kimberley Process. Because of this, it is now theoretically impossible to import rough diamonds from a non-member-country, or to even export rough diamonds to a non-member-country.

I hope that this was informational,

Paul

 

[mdx]

Hey NiceIce

Here is a tip that will speed up your customs process and reduce Red lining.

Use the term “polished carbonized crystal” with the correct harmonized code for content. This combination makes your manifest legal and also does not broadcast the fact your package contains valuables. Always included the KP warranty statements on the invoice.

Regards
Johan
Melbourne Diamond Exchange Ltd

 

[pqcollectibles]

Great Q, Newbie! Thanks for all the info, pros!