Throughout history diamonds have been prized for their strength and inherent beauty. The world's love of diamond can be traced back to India where the trade in diamond started in the 4th century BC. By the 1400's diamonds had become more valuable as European women began wearing them to social events. By the 1800's the demand for diamonds surged across Western Europe and the United States. For centuries people have used diamonds to store and transport wealth not only through countries but generations as well.
In today’s world, many factors are at play with this one. In the last decade prices for natural diamonds have remained stable –which is why we offer a 100% trade up on natural diamonds. However, it doesn’t mean that diamond prices (especially smaller sized and lower qualities) won’t experience a decrease as lab diamonds gain popularity. Prices for larger natural diamonds (over 3 carats) and rare natural colored diamonds are likely to remain firm.
Through the years, people have believed that the diamond industry has caused forced labor and damage to our environment. Before the year 2000, there was really no system in place to assure the integrity of the supply chain for the natural diamond industry. As a result, a portion of diamonds fell into the wrong hands and were used to fund conflict by rebel forces in Africa.
Wherever there is conflict, there is suffering. The press and the movie industry recognized a story that needed to be told in order to be corrected. A couple years later, 37 countries signed to the
Kimberley process which aimed at stemming the flow of conflict diamonds. Today, the Kimberley process has participants from 82 countries and has worked to stem 99.8%of the global production of conflict diamonds, and there is still more work to be done.
Exciting things are happening in our industry to trace the origin of diamonds to their original source with blockchain and GIA origin reports.
In our opinion, this traceability will be invaluable not only to hold producers accountable for working conditions and integrity of the supply chain, but to also tell the story of
how diamonds can do good for those who live where diamonds are a natural resource.
Just like when you buy a car or a house, you also need documentation when buying diamonds. A certification from the
GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is without a doubt the most respected diamond documentation you can get, for many reasons.
This is a non-profit organization that is certain to provide the most impartial and accurate analysis of diamonds that are submitted for grading. The GIA invented the grading scale known as the 4 C’s (carat, cut, clarity, color) for diamond quality. They are also the world’s leading gemological education institution and have educated over 365,000 professionals worldwide.
A GIA certification gives a completely unbiased verification based on scientific evidence of the authenticity and quality of the natural diamond you are buying. A lot of the time, treatments to enhance a natural diamonds appearance are difficult for a jeweler to detect. This is why it’s important to make sure you get that certification when purchasing a diamond to ensure what you are buying is legit to protect your investment.