Diamonds, to my mind, need to be one of two things:
- Natural and TRACEABLE
or
- Recycled (and old)
Lab diamonds, if they’re traceable (and most aren’t) are another option – there’s another post on the blog about lab diamonds.
CONFLICT FREE means very little. A Kimberly process certificate means not a whole lot, unless you also know the mine of origin. Russia is using proceeds of diamond sales (it owns Alrosa) to wage war against Ukraine… China, Venezuela, the UAE, the USA, India and many more are participants in the Kimberly Process. The definition of a conflict diamond is “rough diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments”. Which unfortunately means that if a legitimate government uses proceeds from diamonds to wage war on another country, then they aren’t conflict diamonds. Not what you’d expect right? Honestly, if you want a properly conflict free diamond, you need to know where it came from.
Recycled diamonds need to have come from old jewellery. The jewellery industry mass produces jewellery, and recycles everything that doesn’t sell. A diamond recycled today, might have been new a few months ago. Old diamonds come in different cuts to modern brilliants – another way to know your stone is old (and not new last week).
Old stones offer huge savings in terms of emissions and energy use and are a much more sustainable option. But back in the day, their ethics would have been dubious.
Lab created stones don’t need mining, but they do use large amounts of energy (heat) to make. And they can have many of the problems of diamonds – many are made in India and China, so think human rights abuses, dodgy H & S, child labour.
New stones, if you know where they come from can be an option. Canadian diamonds are traceable and produced under pretty rigorous standards of H & S, environment etc, but it’s still a huge hole in the ground in the Canadian arctic, not to mention the amount of energy used and subsequent emissions caused in their mining.
Ocean diamonds are hovered off the sea bed off the coast of Namibia. Divers work in the water where the waves break, in small boats (not the huge ships you see on the Discovery Chanel). I don’t have emissions figures to compare, but common sense would say it’s more sustainable and lower impact.
As usual, I’d love to hear your thoughts
Lisa