ENSURING A CONFLICT FREE DIAMOND ARIZONA JEWELERS ASSOCIATION ISSUES ADVISORY
With the Warner Bros. Picture movie “Blood Diamond” to be released this week (December 8), the Arizona Jewelers Association is advising the public about the safety of purchasing “conflict free” diamonds.
[USPRwire, Wed Dec 06 2006] With the Warner Bros. Picture movie “Blood Diamond” to be released this week (December 8), the Arizona Jewelers Association is advising the public about the safety of purchasing “conflict free” diamonds.
A conflict diamond, or blood diamond, is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold on the black market to fund a rebel group.
“The diamond industry has addressed the issue of conflict diamonds. Locally, nationally, and worldwide, we have been working for many years to put security measures in place. Today, over 99 percent of all diamonds are certified through a special process to be from “conflict-free” sources,” said Scott Bohall, president of the Arizona Jewelers Association.
Bohall said there are protections in place for the diamond trade.
The steps the industry and the World Diamond Council have taken include:
· Ensure that suppliers are in compliance with United Nations Resolutions. Every buyer and seller of polished diamonds and jewelry containing diamonds must indicate on their invoices to guarantee that these diamonds are conflict-free based on personal knowledge or written guarantees provided by the supplier.
· The Kimberley Process, a monitoring process, together with a System of Warrantees, to certify the diamond is from a conflict free source has been adopted by 69 countries. Rough diamonds traded between KP countries are transported in a tamper-resistant container and accompanied by a government-validated KP Certified document.
· Once imported and ready to be traded, a written statement must accompany all invoices that the diamonds or diamond jewelry being sold are from legitimate sources.
The movie “Blood Diamond” depicts a situation dating back to the1990’s when a brutal civil war gripped the African country of Sierra Leone. Even at the time of the war and the problem was at its height, conflict diamonds accounted for only 4 percent of the world’s diamond supply. Today, they account for less than one percent. The war is over and conditions have greatly improved. The diamond industry is working towards ending conflict diamond trade, including working directly with Sierra Leone to revitalize its economy and rejoin the 21st century. As one of its major resources, diamonds are helping transform Africa and the lives of its people. Diamonds and diamond revenues are today making a difference in Africa by providing jobs, building hospitals and roads, and funding education. The diamond industry, directly and indirectly, employs 10 million people globally.
“We want the public to know that members of the Arizona Jewelers Association do not sell conflict diamonds,” Bohall said. –30--
Interview sources: Scott Bohall, President, Arizona Jewelers Association 623-451-7769
Carolyn Baca, Executive Director, Arizona Jewelers Association, 623-521-3372.
Web Sources: Jewelers of America, www.jewelers.org
www.diamondfacts.org
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