Conflict-free diamond

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Conflict-free diamonds are diamonds of certified origin which are guaranteed not to be obtained through the use of violence, human rights abuses, child labor, or environmental destruction. These diamonds are individually tracked through their full chain of custody to ensure that ethical practices are used in mining, cutting, and polishing.^[1]

Conflict diamonds are often described by the United Nations definition as diamonds "that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments, or in contravention of the decisions of the UN Security Council". The U.N. sponsored Kimberley Process addresses only this narrow definition of conflict diamonds,i.e., they do not include governments or government forces that trade in diamonds to finance their conflicts.

Conflict-free diamonds address more than the U.N. definition and are free of all violence and human rights abuses,^[1] whether state-sanctioned or directed against a government. In addition, conflict-free diamonds are mined in an environmentally responsible fashion.^[2] Conflict-free diamonds must be independently tracked from their country and individual mine of origin. Almost all conflict-free diamonds today originate in Canada,^[3] and are verifiable through an independent auditing system,^[1] such as the [[[Canadian Diamond Code of Conduct]]],^[4] Canadamark,^[5] or the Government of the Northwest Territories.

Many people are choosing diamond alternatives to help avoid the potential risk of purchasing a Conflict diamond or Blood diamond, one of the most popular alternative stones in recent years is that of Moissanite