Jewelry: Brightness, Redeemed

Updated December 11, 2006

Images of bloodshed and war aren't reflected in the sparkles of a diamond's cut, and gold rings don't exactly bring to mind an ecological wasteland. But lives and environments have been ruined in their extraction and trade.

Diamonds have become a currency of sorts in Africa's bloody conflicts, used to fund civil wars like those in Angola, Sierra Leone and the Republic of Congo, as well as recent conflicts in Liberia and the Ivory Coast. And despite recent rosy reports about the elimination of so-called "conflict diamonds," they are still being traded. In 2002, a group of diamond-producing and -trading countries formed the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), establishing standards to stop trade in conflict diamonds. Member countries assign certificates that follow exported diamonds from extraction to sale, ensuring the diamonds are legitimate. Not specifically designed for jewelry diamonds, KPCS certificates should accompany all diamond shipments imported into or exported out of KPCS participants, no matter what their end use may be. While this process has reduced the amount of conflict diamonds to an estimated one percent of the world's rough diamond supply in 2006, problems abound with this largely self-regulated process. Despite a U.N. embargo on diamond exports, conflict diamonds from the Ivory Coast have found their way to Ghana, a KPCS member, and have been sold with KPCS certificates. And a September 2006 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that current systems for controlling imports of rough diamonds to the U.S. are "vulnerable to illicit trade," given that they are not periodically inspected to ensure that the contents of imported parcels match Kimberley Process certificates.

Even "conflict-free" Canadian diamonds have come under scrutiny. In a December editorial published in the diamond industry publication Rapaport News, Alvin Fiddler, deputy grand chief of Canada's indigenous Nishnawbe Aski Nation, charged that diamond supplier DeBeers' plans to open diamond mines in the old-growth Boreal Forests would seriously jeopardize the area's ecosystems.

Gold mining has long been considered the world's most polluting industry. WorldWatch Institute estimates that the gold produced for a single .33-ounce, 18-karat gold ring generates 18 tons of mine waste, including arsenic, cyanide and mercury, which pollute groundwater and kill wildlife. The potential for this devastation is illustrated in a year-long case brought against Newmont Mining Corporation. According to a September 2005 article in Forbes, Indonesian government's filed a lawsuit against the company, charging that Newmont Minahasa Raya "illegally and intentionally caused pollution" in Buyat Bay. The trial is still ongoing.

What to Buy: Choose antique or recycled. Gold and diamonds look as good in vintage pieces as in new. Try eBay (www.ebay.com), Antique Jewelry Exchange (www.antiquejewelryexch.com, 520-881-6525) or Antique Jewelry Mall (www.antiquejewelrymall.com, 800-292-4900). When buying new, ask about origins. Canadian diamonds from the Diavik and Ekati mines near the Arctic Circle pose little threat to native ecosystems, and both are monitored by independent government environmental agencies to ensure they are following strict environmental and land rights regulations. Conscious consumers can support African economies by purchasing legitimate African diamonds. Although KPCS is not entirely fail-safe, diamonds from member countries should be shipped with a certificate of origin, and participants, like the U.S., are supposed to only trade with other KPCS members. For a list of KPCS participants, see www.kimberleyprocess.com:8080/site/?name=participants. If a jeweler can't give you assurances as to origin, purchase your jewels from someone who can. A member of 1% For The Planet, GreenKarat makes wedding and engagement rings, earrings and necklaces using certified recycled yellow and white gold, recycled silver, recycled titanium and synthetic gemstones (www.greenkarat.com, 800-330-4605). Sumiche Jewelry Co. sells gold and platinum rings mined in a socially responsible manner and made in a variety of styles (www.sumiche.com, 541-896-9841). The Earthwise Jewelry Collection by Chicago-based Leber Jeweler Inc. utilizes reclaimed metals, fair-trade gemstones and Canadian diamonds in its rings and pendants (www.leberjeweler.com, 708-246-1455). Brilliant Earth manufactures rings, earrings and necklaces from recycled gold and Canadian diamonds (www.brilliantearth.com, 800-691-0952). Both companies get their diamonds from the Diavik and Ekati mines.