When you purchase something as significant and eternal as a diamond, for any occasion, it makes common sense that you would like to know the times past of that valuable memento. In the late 1990's, the humankind became aware of the subsistence of 'conflict diamonds,' jewels that have been used to fund rebellious or invading army's war efforts.

At present, over 99% of the world's diamond supply has been verified to be completely inconsistency free, and honest retailers and suppliers of diamonds the world over have clinched a policy never to support the countries involved in the diamond trade that still engage in these practices. Still, retailers such as James Allen see the value in educating their customers and staff on the issue of conflict diamonds, to better understand the significance and the process of diamonds that are acquired through fair trade.

In 2000, a joint proposal supported by the United Nations General Assembly created the Kimberly Process, an international certification procedure that aims to put an end to unlawfully traded diamonds. At present, 69 countries are legally vaulted by the rules of this stringent and comprehensive process.

Any traffic of diamonds between these 69 countries must stick on to these guidelines:

•Each participating country must have laws in place that consent the Kimberly Process

•Any consignment of diamonds must be inspected to ensure that each consignment hold fast to the guidelines

•They must then be shipped in tinker-proof containers

•They must be accompanied by an inimitably numbered, Government validated Kimberly Process official document

•Consignments must only be made to participating countries in the Kimberly Process

Each diamond, when sold by a trader must be accompanied by the following warranty statement:

'The diamonds herein billed have been purchased from genuine sources not involved in funding divergence and in compliance with United Nations declarations. The undersigned hereby guarantees that these diamonds are divergence free, based on personal knowledge and printed guarantees provided by the purveyor of these diamonds.' In a very short time, the Kimberly Process has had an insightful effect. In the 6 years since its commencement, the Kimberly Process has reduced the trade of conflict diamonds, from 4% to less than 1% of the entire diamond diligence.

Retailers like James Allen have always maintained a strict policy about the origin of their diamonds. The diamonds in James Allen stores come from large, trustworthy diamond suppliers who ensure that the diamonds originated from Kimberly Process compliant countries such as Belgium and Canada. As a chief centre for the trade of diamonds, Belgium has always had a system for diamond authentication, even previous to the formation of the Kimberly Process. Today, Belgian diamond wholesalers utilize one of the strictest levels of precautions when it comes to the trade of diamonds, according to the U.N.