Conflict-Free - Does it Mean What you Think It Means? Great Question
Conflict-free. It sounds so nice, doesn’t it?
“This diamond is free of conflict” “these minerals are free of conflict” “this ring is free of conflict”. They sound like peaceful, tranquil ephemera; drifting along, never encountering conflict. Just free as a bird or a hot air balloon - floating away from and above all of the conflicts. Totally free of conflict. Nope. No conflict, nothing to see here *whistles and strolls away*
It would be so nice if this were true, or even verifiable.
Conflict-free is often used as a generic term, one that will appear by some users to cover their diamonds for a whole host of attributes that the diamonds do not have - you may even read that a “conflict-free” diamond is the same as an “ethical” diamond.
This is…not quite correct.
What you need to know about the term conflict-free
I grant some leeway and grace to smaller designers who may not yet know the specific definition of conflict-free. I get it and I used to use conflict-free and ethical interchangeably in my descriptions. This is dense and important information, there is a lot to know, and it is falling, rather unfairly, on smaller makers and also on consumers to figure all of this out for themselves.
Strictly speaking, the term conflict-free means something, and it has oversight in the form of the Kimberley Process Scheme, which, according to their own definition of conflict diamonds covers the transport of rough diamonds across borders and defines conflict diamonds as “rough diamonds used to finance wars against governments’ - around the world.”
Rough diamonds only. That’s it. It regulates the transport of a rough diamond across the border from one member country to another member country. Also, according to their own FAQ:
“Although the Kimberley Process does not certify individual jewellers, reputable businesses should only buy from suppliers that can guarantee that their diamonds are conflict-free.”
Translation:
Each jeweler is responsible for asking this question of their suppliers. In turn, our suppliers are responsible for asking this question of their suppliers. This is mostly based on self-reported data and no one is double checking.
What conflict free does NOT mean
The Kimberley Process does not regulate finished jewelry or cut and polished diamonds - it only offers certification to rough diamonds at the point that they are crossing one particular border. The border from a supposed non-conflict country to another supposed non-conflict country.
According to their own FAQ, at the moment it is not possible to trace which country a rough diamond comes from. I’m gonna let that one sink in for a while because this was one of the questions that I asked within the industry early on and never got an answer. I am still not getting an answer.
Perhaps you can begin to understand why the Kimberley Process brings up more questions for me than it answers.
Why I don’t use newly-mined diamonds
My journey of deciding not to use newly-mined diamonds started early on in my metalsmithing and jewelry-making career. Asking questions about the term conflict-free usually led me to ask even more questions, and I often felt like I was flying blind, without support, and without enough like-minded people. It took time to find a community within the industry that was more devoted to holding organizations like the Kimberley Process to their own standards.
I didn’t know much at the time that I started in the jewelry industry, but I knew just enough to ask where everything comes from and to ask about who is doing the labor. I knew just enough to know that I SHOULD ask about the origin of stones, but not enough to know where to find the answers.
Asking more questions about conflict-free and the Kimberley Process
I wanted to know if it was possible to acquire diamonds that were free of conflict and that had any other ethical standards, like say workers’ rights? Environmental standards? Traceability? I started asking questions to find out what the Kimberley Process does to guarantee that diamonds are conflict-free, only to find out more about what it doesn’t do. Here was my list of findings from asking my questions:
Does the Kimberley Process certificate travel with each individual diamond and can you get one from your jeweler?
Next question.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that land use for mining was approved legally by the country of origin?
No.
Does the Kimberley Process guarantee workers’ rights and that miners can work with dignity, free from abuse?
Eh, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that miners working for any of the major diamond extractors are treated fairly and paid a living wage?
Nope.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that the land was mined responsibly, with minimal impact?
Also, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that the land must be restored after a mine has run out?
Again, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that a diamond is cut and polished under decent and safe working conditions?
Still, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that a diamond is cut by people earning a living wage?
I think you already know, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that diamonds are distributed fairly with all companies having fair and equal access?
You oughta know, no.
Does the Kimberley Process certify that a loose, rough diamond crosses a border legally and that it was not used to fund conflict between regions or countries?
Technically, yes. This is what it is supposed to do.
Does the Kimberley Process do a good job of certifying with any certainty that said diamonds are not used to fund conflict?
Maybe? They have their own way of quantifying it, but there is a lot of self-reporting. Let’s leave this one as a toss-up, though I have listed some articles for your reference below.
If you are someone who is steeped in the jewelry industry, a lot of these answers might be “Well, of course, I knew that”, but for anyone not consumed with jewelry industry news and not up to date on all of the complicated ins and outs of the term conflict-free, this information might be new.
And to be completely fair, there are more initiatives underway to create more fairness and equity in the industry, and the promotion of more artisanal and small-scale mining which has potential to create equity in smaller communities.
But my core issue is that some of these larger companies have it within their power to create more equity and responsibility and oversight and that they should invite it.
Why we need to pay more attention
My experience of selling jewelry to the public has taught me that many, many consumers have only a surface understanding of what the Kimberley Process does and only a surface understanding of what conflict-free means - understandable since this is a geopolitically complex problem in need of geopolitically complex solutions and the knowledge and process to fix it are not easy.
It is a subject that requires more than a cursory glance and understanding in order to understand it, and those of us selling jewelry have a short amount of time to grab attention. So “conflict-free” becomes a default term that consumers can latch onto.
Describing diamonds as conflict-free seeks to grant absolution and provide cover rather than owning what change would look like, what justice and equity would look like in the diamond industry. I desperately want this system to be better, which is why I continue to needle the industry about the use of terms like conflict-free.
Do you have questions about what you can do with this information? Use the comment section to ask your questions - I answer them myself!
Want to learn more? I volunteer with The Jewelry Glossary Project, and we work to create better, clearer definitions for terms used to sell jewelry. Check out the work that we do!
Curious about what sources I used to answer my questions? These are a good start:
https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/faq
https://www.kimberleyprocess.com/en/what-kp
https://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/diamonds-blood-kimberley-process-mines-ethical
Business Human Rights - Tanzania news
Impact Transform on lack of consumer confidence
Two books have also been hugely influential on my thought process - The Heartless Stone by Tom Zoellner and The Rise and Fall of Diamonds by Edward Jay Epstein