How Compliance Became The ‘Fifth C’ In Diamonds

(gemkonnect.com) - The diamond industry has for decades, done business with a truly international pipeline — diamonds are mined in some continents, sorted and distributed through centres elsewhere, cut and polished in yet other places, set into jewellery in centres that could be in a fourth geographic location and finally consumed in bulk in places like the US, Japan and China — the first two having had nothing to do with the process pipeline whatsoever. Less than 20 years ago, a diamantaire could easily have bought diamonds from a supplier in one location, have them shipped to another location and perhaps a company that was distinct from his own firm, which was doing the ordering and paying. There were many variations to this.