What do you think of when you think of diamonds?
Diamonds are iconic. Diamonds are a natural wonder. Diamonds have contributed to a tremendous amount of suffering. All of these are true.
Diamonds are April’s birthstone, and we want to share everything we love about diamonds with you, but we can’t ignore the major problems in the diamond industry today.
This is such a complex issue.
There are some jewelers who are tempted not to use diamonds at all, or to only use lab grown diamonds. But neither of these solutions fully address the human rights issues that continue today.
Changing standards in the diamond industry requires a multi-faceted approach. This includes divesting from “conflict” diamonds, monitoring the industry on an ongoing basis, AND working to create demand for truly conflict-free diamonds.
We know this is a lot for you to track. That’s why we’re here to handle that for you.
Our commitment to you is that we will be transparent, make the best possible choices available, work towards improving inequities, and adjust our model as changes occur.
I want to share with you what this means in terms of the diamonds we DO work with right now:
Certified Post-Consumer Recycled or Estate Diamonds - That’s a long way of saying that these are stones that came out of old jewelry. Right now, these are our number one choice in diamonds. Sometimes we obtain these ourselves from jewelry that our clients bring in to have remade, and sometimes we buy them from dealers who specialize in selling recycled stones.
Newly Mined Diamonds - We buy a limited number of salt & pepper or rough diamonds for custom projects. The market for these non-traditional stones is different and we work with dealers who can trace these stones to countries such as Canada, Russia, Botswana and Australia, which have better oversight and regulation.
Lab-Grown Stones - This relatively new innovation in the industry is a step in the right direction. We buy these upon request for custom projects. Though these circumvent human rights issues, but have a large carbon footprint due to the manufacturing process.
I recommend this video if you want to learn more about what’s happening in the diamond industry.