The history of diamonds would not be complete without understanding the blood diamond era, which led to The Kimberly Process in the early 2000s. The blood diamond was a diamond war issue that happened in Angola and Sierra Leone in the late 1990s. A civil war for the control of diamond mining in these two African countries.
To resolve and eradicate the conflict which was ongoing in the diamond mining industry, a forum was established in 2000 called Kimberly Process Forum. This forum derived its name from the location in which the summit was held in Kimberly, South Africa. During this forum, countries that were concerned with diamond mining came together to discuss how to end the violence and conflict surrounding diamond mining and the future of the diamond industry.
The United Nations stepped in to form a peaceful and simple resolution. The resolution led the establishment of certification for diamond trading in 2003. This certification scheme is called "The Kimberly Process". The Kimberly Process started went into effect on January 1st, 2003, when Israel issued the first certificate.
The essence of this initiative, called The Kimberly Process, is to create an organized import and export control system for rough diamonds by member countries. Ever since the first Kimberly Process Forum, diamond-producing states have been meeting every year in different countries to discuss issues concerning diamond trade, managing human rights, and to strengthen the industry.
For members and intending members of the diamond trade, the Kimberly Process has its requirements, which are compulsory for all member countries to adhere to. Members of the Kimberly Process have the highest production and own a high percentage of all the rough diamonds in the world. Currently, a member team consisting of 81 countries.
The Kimberly Process has been fulfilling its obligation because its members are compelled to follow the requirements given. The process makes sure that its members are into a legal diamond trade so as to prevent the occurrence of conflicts. It makes sure that the shipment of rough diamonds all over the world is free from conflicts. All diamonds must be ethically sourced and adequately handled, without greed, in a fair setting. The activities of members are always properly governed, to make the diamond trade legitimate, a certificate of the exporting country must be attached to any shipment of rough diamonds.
Notably, the Kimberly Process does not have a permanent head. Since its establishment, different countries who are members of the process have headed it. The leading countries range from African countries like DR Congo and Botswana, Asian countries such as India and China to American countries like the USA, Canada, etc.
The Kimberly Process does follow strict guidelines and makes sure that a sanction is given to any erring member of the group. In most cases, when a member fails to comply with the requirements and conditions, a suspension is given. In some situations, a trading prohibition is given with the wrongdoing country.
Challenges to Kimberly Process
The effort of the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is targeted at making sure that conflicts are far away from the diamond trade. Nevertheless, it is important to note that the scheme has been facing some challenges, too, in achieving its objective. One major challenge to KPCS is that all its rules and laws are limited to rough diamonds. In other words, it does not cover polished and cut stones. Once a diamond has been worked on, it is no longer under the law of the scheme.
The good news is that a lot of efforts have been placed, and concerns addressed ethical mining and human rights. Going forward, The Kimberly Process has done better for our world and communities, to ensure a safe and practical diamond industry to track diamonds from the manufacturing process to our hands. Artisancarat.com is 100% supportive and follows all guidelines in the gem mining and encourages strict and fair business practices.