The most important thing we can do to make sure diamonds don’t fuel civil wars or fund belligerents and instead help develop nations and improve their quality of lives is use our power as consumers. When you head to the jeweler to buy a diamond, think of the ‘Five Cs’: cut, color, clarity, carat, and conflict.
Global Witness and Amnesty International came up with four questions you should ask when purchasing a diamond. How can I be sure none of your jewelry contains conflict diamonds? Do you know where the diamonds you sell come from? Can I see a copy of your company’s policy on conflict diamonds? Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond supplier stating your diamonds are conflict free? Help get the message to the diamond industry that conflict free is the only kind of diamonds people want to buy. We also need to reach out to our politicians and impress on them the importance of the KPCS and how it can be fixed. Consumers got involved in the 1990s and provided the push that created the impossible – the KPCS. It’s now time for us to get involved again and demand that ‘conflict free’ mean much more than just ‘rebel group free.’
Here is a link to a buying guide that Global Witness and Amnesty International put together.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/diamonds/BuyersGuide.pdf
Here is a link to a buying guide that Global Witness and Amnesty International put together.
http://www.amnestyusa.org/diamonds/BuyersGuide.pdf
