Strange Bedfellows: Diamonds, Blockchain and ESG

(luxuo.com) - You have visited a jewellery store online and a diamond ring caught your attention, curious as to how it will look on your hand, you make your way to the store to have a look at the piece. The diamond ring is of the highest quality: in terms of cut, colour and fire and brilliance; but when you ask about the origins of the diamond, the salesperson can’t give you a proper answer of where these gemstones were sourced from. They could very well be blood diamonds — mined in an area where there is war or fighting, and are sold to fund armed conflicts. To curb the proliferation of blood diamonds and its associated impact, a certification process was introduced in 2003: The Kimberley Process (KP). It is a multilateral trade regime put into commitment by governments, civil society and the wider industry, with the goal of preventing the flow of conflict diamonds. At the core of the process is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), under which countries implement safeguards on shipments of rough diamonds and certify them as “conflict free”.