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In today’s market consumers are sensitive about where their products come from. It doesn’t come as a surprise that jewelry buyers are concerned about possibly buying a conflict diamond, especially as the trade has been rife with controversy. According to this article, “About 65 percent of diamonds are mined in Africa, where warlords and rebels in countries such as Angola, Côte d’Ivoire, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone have used profits to fund bloody wars.”

Consumers have a lot of buying power these days. And jewelers are taking notice of this need to ensure they avoid selling conflict diamonds. Since 2003, jewelers have adhered to the Kimberley Process (KP), the international initiative to increase transparency and oversight in the diamond industry.

One company, Brilliant Earth, advertises and sells ethically produced jewelry that does not “come at a high human or environmental cost,” according to its mission statement.

“Many consumers today are more interested in understanding where their purchases come from and the practices behind them,” Kathryn Edison Money, Brilliant Earth’s vice president of strategy and merchandising, said in an email. “We’ve found this is especially true for a purchase as significant as a diamond ring.”

Sources: http://www.washdiplomat.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=15410:jewelers-weed-out-conflict-diamonds-so-consumers-can-buy-bling-in-good-conscience&catid=1558&Itemid=428

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