Diamond business is about four C’s : carat, colour, cut and clarity. Those elements determine the value of a diamond.
From an economic point of view, it is more important to buy two diamonds with the same colour, than two diamonds with the same origin. Origin has never been an issue in diamond business until 1998, when the United Nations launched an embargo against diamonds coming from UNITA rebels in Angola.
From one day to another, the industry had to find a solution to determine origin. Experts agree that today it is scientifically not possible to determine the exact origin of an individual diamond. Although projects are in development, it will take several years before a technique will be operational for commercial purposes.
The difficulties are even bigger as Angola, Sierra Leone and the Congo have an important alluvial production. The nature of alluvial production makes the production fields hard to secure.
Finally, diamonds are mixed in commercial assortments following the four C’s in more then 14.000 categories. That practice is vital to create additional value in diamond business. Mixture is done in producing countries and in trading centres depending on the market’s demand.
In order to respect the embargo and end the conflicts, workable and immediately applicable solutions had to be found. That was done through a system of certifications, established by the legitimate governments.
As it appeared that certificates could also be forged and diamonds could be commercialised through third countries, a more global solution had to be found.
Measures taken by governments and industry have to be seen against this background. Then, it will appear that diamonds are a prisoner of war of the conflicts. The diamond industry world-wide wants to contribute in ending the conflict. Because the only difference between a diamond and a conflict diamond is the conflict. End the conflict and there are only diamonds, diamonds that bring prosperity for producing countries.