- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
For those with diamond rings, did you ensure you got a conflict-free diamond? (as opposed to a blood diamond)
I'm not sure I can say that I have, as mine was an antique, but it wasn't a new blood diamond if it was.
No. I didn't even think of it until I joined WB.
P.S. You may want to add a poll.
my diamond was "used" (per my request) so I have no way of knowing.
I had no input into my ring, and I know that this isn't the sort of think that the Mr would think of. From what I hear it can be quite complicated to trace the source of a diamond anyway, so the not knowing doesn't bother me. Although I know that it should...
i would assume my diamond is actually a conflict diamond just because nothing told me otherwise like a certificate or anything but that wasn't a concern of mine anyway.
The jeweler that made my custom ring also owns another business where he sells diamonds in wholesale to other jewelry stores and they are all conflict-free. It is guaranteed and stated on my diamond certificate.
Yes my diamonds are conflict free and I would NOT feel comfortable at all if I they were not, or if I didn't know.
I specifically went through a store that only has ethically sourced stones and recycled metals. However, they had a line of antique engagement rings. I have no way of knowing the source of the diamond I have, but because it is antique no new blood was shed at least.
I didn't know about the conflict vs conflict free diamonds before getting engaged. If I had it to do over, I would likely go with moissanite instead of diamonds, but that's a whole other issue. :)
Mine is very old (belonged to FI's great grandmother, its actually a civil war heirloom) so I would guess its confilct.
I don't know about the diamonds, but I do know that the gold was recycled (i.e. not mined) so I suspect the diamonds were ethical too.
Mine came from Canada so it was conflict free.
Yes it was a priority for us. I used a company that guaranteed it was conflict-free. if I couldnt have found a company that guaranteed it, i would have gone with a moissanite. OK they could SAY it was C/F when it really isnt, but we did all we could possibly do to ensure it was C/F. I do have a printed certificate stating it is conflict- free, so that makes me feel a bit easier.
I never heard the term until I joined Wedding bee.
I'm just curious though how many concerned with blood diamonds are just as concerned about the clothes, shoes, handbags, ect. they buy/wear? Are they made by slave children in some third world country?
Not to mention other things we buy that we have no idea where they come from.
If anything I buy or have bought came from unsavory or horrific circumstances that sucks but I don't research everything I buy. Does that mean I don't care? No.
I never really thought about it until seeing bee's here mention it. I voted No, didnt know.
Well... mine came from my gem dealer uncle from a former contact in the industry... that may or may not have had mob ties. So I don't know. I think it is a big deal, yes. But as PP said, there are many, many other things that are made in sweatshops and unethical conditions too and people don't jump on that boat nearly as much. I would never judge a woman for having a diamond, because I have no idea if mine is conflict free or not. But then again, I wouldn't ever activly support a specific store if I knew they were "blood diamonds".
it is important but we didn't buy my ring, it was an heirloom from the 40s.
It was my #1 priority. That's one of the reason why we didn't feel comfortable getting our diamond from non-major jewerly store.
I heard horrible stories about falsifying documents and things... along with using young children labor to get metal and diamonds.
I asked FI to make sure he got me a conflict free diamond so when FI went he made sure to ask and got one certified from Canada. The movie Blood Diamond still haunts me...
Mine are conflict free (from Robbins Brothers). They are stated to be conflict-free as they are apart of the Kimberley Process.
http://www.kimberleyprocess.com/ (you might have to translate it, the original language for this website is French, I believe)
Mine are Canadian diamonds. I didn't feel comfortable with anything else.
Yay! I'm happy to see the positive responses! I think it's a great thing, and should certainly be a priority. (Same with other things you buy, as mentioned in PP.)
Yes, mine was from Tiffany & Co.
From their Responsible Diamond Sourcing page:
"Tiffany & Co. purchases diamonds only from those countries that are full participants in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS). Further, in Fiscal Year 2010, over 80% of serialized diamonds in Tiffany & Co.’s inventory were purchased directly either from a mine or a supplier that only sources from known mines."
I looked up Gordons (Zales) diamond policy after seeing PP's. It says:
Our Conflict Diamonds Policy
We take the issue of conflict diamonds very seriously.
Zale is making every effort to bar conflict diamonds from its inventory and provide assurances to our customers that the diamonds we sell are from legitimate sources.
Conflict diamonds are diamonds mined in certain African combat zones that have fueled and funded civil war and gross abuses against the civilian population. Such diamonds are estimated to currently account for less than 1% of the world diamond production.
All of the nations with significant involvement in the diamond trade and the leading industry associations cooperated in creating a global certification system aimed at preventing criminals from placing these conflict diamonds into the legitimate diamond supply chain. To supplement this government effort, leading organizations in the jewelry industry have created a voluntary program of self-regulation.
We fully support this program and will do everything we can to make the new system work. Diamonds are a symbol of love and we want our customers to have confidence that we are using our best efforts to both bar conflict diamonds from our inventory and sell diamonds and diamond jewelry that are "conflict-free."
This information will assist you in understanding the conflict diamond issue and the global certification system of warranties.
I still did not know this before hand and like i said before I wasn't concerned with confict free or not diamonds... but I did learn something new today. Way to go Gordons/Zales.
I'm 99.9% sure I'm getting a moissanite, but if I wasn't, it would definitely be a priority for me for it NOT to be a conflict diamond!
That is about 50% of the reason I chose a moissanite instead of a diamond. The other 50% of my reason is the terrible environmental destruction as a result of mining. You can't guarantee a non-conflict diamond but you sure can for a moissanite.
I voted other. I asked my jeweler about their policy and the Kimberly Process. He said they were one of the first to begin adhering to it. However, I'm still not 100 percent certain.
I specifically requested no diamonds because of this very issue. I couldn't look at it knowing that someone was harmed so that I could watch something sparkle on my finger.
It probably is a conflict one but I didn't look into it and it wasn't an interest of my fiance. I understand why people wouldn't want one but it never entered my head.
I didn't purchase a diamond, rather a fair trade sapphire. I felt good about it, but unless you're using recycled gold and heirloom/fair trade stones -in which the miners are making a decent wage and they are not using children for labor- most jewelry has a negative impact on the environment, earth and humans both. Next time I'll be having my old gold melted down into a new setting and going for moissanite.
@KatyElle Your engagement ring was beautiful, do you still have it?
@mrs_moden_to_be: Sadly no. My daughter was diagnosed with autism a month after I received it so I sold it and put the money towards her treatment. That helped tide us over until her much better insurance came through.
I would have liked it to be conflict free.
I did a lot of research on the Kimberly process and it's pretty flawed. Just because something says that it's certified conflict free doesn't really mean a whole lot. There are still ways around it like crossing borders with the diamond before it's certified and claiming that it originated from a mine that is deemed conflict free.
My ring is a canadian diamond which I really wanted for a number of reasons:
1. 100% conflict free
2. We are both canadian
3. They are excellent quality
4. they sparkle like crazy!
5. they have a lassered polar bear and serial number on them
6. I like that we are supporting Canadian industry!
But The #1 reason is def b/c it's 100% conflict free :)
Yes, I insisted on a diamond that was mined and cut in Canada. Nothing else would do. Being ethically sourced was a huge deal for me, and I have 0 trust in the Kimberly process. It's a self-attestation with no real enforcement. It's utter BS.
I also insisted that my ring be made of recycled metal for the same ethical reasons. I wanted to feel good about what I was wearing.
You must log in to post.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| Brielle | 29 |
 vorpalette |
29 |
| caseyleigh10 | 24 |
| ellisrobertson | 24 |
| les105 | 23 |
| fishbone | 23 |
| lionskitty | 22 |
| SouthernGirl | 21 |
| mypinkshoes | 21 |
| kat2014 | 19 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| lionskitty | 13 |
| GelaMac | 11 |
| Brielle | 10 |
| jcent | 10 |
| MrsBlueSeptember | 8 |
| mylittleviolett | 8 |
| JustLove25 | 8 |
| blkqueen | 8 |
| Mrs.danish | 7 |
| starla |
5 |
