Jewelry Buyers and the Kimberly Process

The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), often known as the Kimberly Process or Kimberly Protocol, was established to certify specific diamonds sold internationally were not acquired as the result of West African conflict, particularly in Sierra Leone.

Introduced in 2003 by the UN General Assembly Resolution 55/56, the Kimberly Process was adopted as a result of the Fowler Report. The report noted that many blood diamonds were entering -- either knowingly or otherwise -- many Western countries, sold by jewelry buyers, and indirectly financing some of the worst and most brutal rebel movements in West Africa. As a result of this financing, many were forced into slavery to mine diamonds. Those accused of stealing any of the precious gems were subject to brutal limb severing by rebel commanders.

Since the adoption of the Kimberly Process, many jewelry buyers are now aware of the origin of the diamonds they purchase from third and fourth party retailers. As a result, the Kimberly certification scheme has made strides in preventing conflict diamonds, or "blood diamonds", from ending up on the international rough diamond market. Currently, there are 49 participants of the protocol that represents 75 countries.

Since its establishment in 2003, the effectiveness of the Kimberly scheme has been called into question by some human rights organizations and watchdog groups that have claimed that the protocol acts as a "honor system" and there is no assurance that diamonds today are not directly supporting dictatorships and rebel groups. Nevertheless, many jewelry buyers in Europe and the United States have actively sought certification systems that track the origins of their purchases. Still, more critique came from groups after the World Trade Organization successfully approved a waiver for the protocol just one year after it was passed.

This subject was covered in the 2006 movie Blood Diamond, which starred Leo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou. In the film, DiCaprio's character plays a former mercenary who is seeking to leave the African continent for good. He hears of a rather large blood diamond as a rumor, and begins a hunt for the valuable jewel in order to secure his freedom. Hounsou's character has hidden the diamond in question and is the only person who knows of its location. As a result, DiCaprio frees Hounsou's character from prison and holds him as his personal prisoner as they voyage to find the hidden diamond. Connelly plays a journalist who discovers this dubious partnership, going along for the adventure as she wishes to uncover the larger issues of the international blood diamond market.

Since the establishment of the protocol, many African countries have yet to join membership. While the Kimberly process did bring a large amount of exposure to this international blood diamond market, many continue to find blood diamonds entering Western markets by proxy. Fortunately, many jewelers in the Europe, Asia and North America continue to improve tracking standards of the diamonds that are purchased and sold on the global market.