Diamonds
Conflict diamonds: US jewelery retailers still not doing enough – summary of the US results of Global Witness and Amnesty International survey
Are US jewellery retailers doing enough to combat blood diamonds?
Authors:
; Amnesty International; Global Witness
Publisher:
Global Witness, 2007
This report presents summarises the results of a survey evaluating the regulation of “blood diamonds” in the US diamond jewellery retail sector. The report looks at the industry’s implementation of self-regulation to combat blood diamonds and its support of the Kimberley Process.
The study finds that:
- fifty six percent of the top US diamond jewellery retailers did not report having any type of auditing procedures in place to combat blood diamonds, despite the recommendation to do so by the trade association Jewelers of America
- fifty-seven of these top jewelers do not post information on their website about their policies on blood diamonds
- half of the top 37 retailers surveyed failed to respond to the survey to provide information about their policies on blood diamonds
- few industry leaders such as Helzberg Diamond Shops, Sterling (Signet) and Tiffany & Co. have taken stronger measures to combat conflict diamonds.
The report makes a number of overall recommendations:
- all sectors of the diamond industry, including the diamond jewelry retail sector, should implement third-party audit measures and responsible sourcing policies
- the United States (US) and other governments should carry out stricter oversight of the diamond industry, through strengthening and improving enforcement of the Kimberley Process and the Clean Diamond Trade Act
- jewelers should publicly post their policies against conflict diamonds on websites and provide copies of their policies to customers in stores upon request.
