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What is not mentioned in this story is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme that started in 2003. This was as a result of concern about 'conflict diamonds

What is not mentioned in this story is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme that started in 2003. This was as a result of concern about 'conflict diamonds'. Essentially, if you bought through De Beers then you had a 'conflict free' diamond, with a diamond from anyone else then you were taking your chances. Although the KPCS had noble intentions it also was a means of controlling the market. Maybe that is why we had concern about 'conflict diamonds' in the first place - De Beers needed a new way of controlling the market and it ties in with a lot of the narrative presented here.

iwwr 12y ago
> Although the KPCS had noble intentions it also was a means of controlling the market. De Beers used the film Blood Diamond with DiCaprio as a positive marketing tool (they bought advertising with it -- 'De Beers presents...'). It popularized the notion of 'conflict diamonds' and then they calm the fears of their customers with the certification mechanism. More importantly, it creates legal opening for countries to ban the trade in non-certified diamonds.
- judk 12y ago
  Are there reliable independent audits of DeBeers conflict-free claims, or are they just lying about it-- another facet of their monopolistic jewel of a business? Ah, found it: KPCS only covers diamonds traded for weapons, it doesn't cover slave/child labor, environmental abuse, or any other crimes committed during mining for DeBeers diamonds. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process_Certification_Scheme http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process_Certificati...
ZachPruckowski 12y ago
Wait, but most of the competing diamonds are from Canada, Russia, or Australia, right? Wouldn't those be conflict-free more or less automatically? If De Beers tried to set prices at which you could sell certified diamonds, couldn't those competitors make their own certification that the majority of the diamonds would use?

iwwr 12y ago

> Although the KPCS had noble intentions it also was a means of controlling the market. De Beers used the film Blood Diamond with DiCaprio as a positive marketing tool (they bought advertising with it -- 'De Beers presents...'). It popularized the notion of 'conflict diamonds' and then they calm the fears of their customers with the certification mechanism. More importantly, it creates legal opening for countries to ban the trade in non-certified diamonds.

judk 12y ago
Are there reliable independent audits of DeBeers conflict-free claims, or are they just lying about it-- another facet of their monopolistic jewel of a business? Ah, found it: KPCS only covers diamonds traded for weapons, it doesn't cover slave/child labor, environmental abuse, or any other crimes committed during mining for DeBeers diamonds. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process_Certification_Scheme http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process_Certificati...

ZachPruckowski 12y ago

Wait, but most of the competing diamonds are from Canada, Russia, or Australia, right? Wouldn't those be conflict-free more or less automatically? If De Beers tried to set prices at which you could sell certified diamonds, couldn't those competitors make their own certification that the majority of the diamonds would use?