WHAT IS AN ETHICAL DIAMOND?

Purchasing a diamond engagement ring is surely considered one of the most guileless acts one can perform, a moment charged with sentiment and, of course, very much love, but it is perfectly possible for even the most well-wishing customer to become embroiled in the dark past of an unethically sourced diamond.

Child labour, war crimes, abuse of human rights and environmental damage are all factors that can blight the process of mine-to-ring your newly purchased diamond has endured, and ultimately result in it being far removed from ethical engagement rings.

CONFLICT FREE DIAMONDS

The term “blood diamond” and a string of high-profile cases have helped bring the issue of ethical jewellery to the fore of public consciousness, and make people suitably aware of proper, moral diamond purchasing.

“Blood Diamonds” refer to those stones which have been mined in warzones and sold in order to fund the activities of invading armies or warlords. The entry of these diamonds into mainstream markets is buffered by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme which ensures that each shipment is directly traceable to an ethical source, however, as with many less-than-moral goods, black market trade allows these barriers to be negated and an unethical diamond may still appear in your local jewellers.

ETHICAL JEWELLERY

Ethically sourced, made, and sold jewellery will all be free from the previously outlined factors of human and environmental abuse. Diamonds aside, the gold itself should be traceable to a well-run mine which benefits the community and is operated using environmentally-aware methods. As gold mining requires large amount of cyanide, ethical mines should have measures in place for these practises to be carried out safely and not to the detriment of the local community or environment.

UK ETHICAL ENGAGEMENT RINGS

As there are no diamond mines in the UK, it is imperative that the imported stones featured in your jewellery can be fully traced to their point of origin. Any respectable jeweller will be able to confirm where your diamond and the gold it is set in was mined and the ethical methods by which it was made, as well as provide proof that the stone has passed the Kimberly Process.

Winsor Bishop is proud to say that all our jewellery is ethically made and adheres to Kimberly process guidelines. We work closely with the DTC (The Diamond Cutting Company) to ensure we offer our customers only fully ethical jewellery, traceable to its source.