Loophole in Kimberley Process fails to ensure availability of ethical diamonds in the market

The Kimberley Process was introduced in 2003 to ban the trade of “conflict diamonds”. However, the world – and consumers’ expectations – have changed since then, and the process’ role has not. Nowadays, many critics say the process’ definition has not evolved, and is now too narrow. It only covers a specific type of diamonds: “rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments”, as stated on its website.

This definition has allowed many other diamonds – cut or polished – mined while violating human rights or other illegal means, to be labelled as ethical, clean diamonds adorning our necks and fingers.

“It was a huge step in the right direction at the time,” says Nathalie Melville-Geary, founder and creative director of Melville Fine Jewellery, a Hong Kong company specialising in ethical jewellery. “It needed to evolve and it’s not done that.”

It has led to big names in the industry, such as Global Witness and Martin Rapaport, to withdraw their support.

“The diamond industry is inherently archaic,” Melville-Geary says. “People don’t want to change. There are special-interest groups that don’t want it to change because it suits them to have it the way it is.”

But with consumers no wiser and demanding more social responsibility, more ethical options have started to crop up. From synthetic diamonds to diamonds mined in developed countries where there is more accountability, transparency and better labour laws, some diamonds enter the market with provenance more in sync with the demands of today’s customers.

Take Amazon’s new line of lab-grown diamonds that you can buy from its online store. Another example is Rio Tinto, which owns white diamond mines in Canada and pink diamond mines in Australia – two developed countries with stringent labour laws in place. And, with both types of diamonds being on par with traditionally mined diamonds in terms of clarity, colour and carat, there is little wonder eco-conscious and human-rights conscious customers are shifting towards these new options.

“Today’s consumer wants to be able to hold their diamond up to the light and know that the diamond they are buying is not just rare and beautiful, but has an honourable pedigree,” says Bruno Sane, the general manager of marketing for Rio Tinto Diamonds.

“The value of the diamond is tied to where and how the diamond was mined, how it was cut and polished and the process of bringing it to sale,” he adds. “This means that retailers are asking for diamonds tracked to the mine of origin.”

Rio Tinto, which built a wind farm in order to use clean energy to fuel the mine, has a history of consulting with indigenous communities about the mine’s potential impact and future environmental consequences.