» Conflict-free diamonds
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend, but if you make sure yours have been ethically sourced you can show off your sparklers with a clear conscience
Conflict diamonds, which are also known as blood diamonds, are stones that have been mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance civil wars. They have been responsible for funding recent conflicts in Africa, resulting in the death and displacement of millions of people. During these conflicts, profits from the illegal trade in diamonds, worth billions of dollars, were used by warlords and rebels to buy arms. Diamonds have also been used by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda to finance their activities and to launder money.
Consumers can play an important role in combating trade in conflict diamonds. When purchasing a diamond, you should ask for a guarantee that the diamond you are buying is conflict-free.
In 1998, Global Witness began a campaign to expose the role of diamonds in funding conflict.
Baroque Jewellery, situated in the heart of Brighton’s famous Lanes, is full of ideas for a special gift for your loved one, or if a proposal is on your mind.
We have a varied selection of engagement rings to suit both taste and budget but our speciality is creating bespoke pieces to suit the individual.
We often work with customer’s own heirlooms passed down from generation to generation – our own version of jewellery recycling. This can be as simple as transforming your grandmother’s Victorian engagement ring into something a touch more modern and wearable: either by re-mounting the stones or melting the metal down and making your very own wedding rings.
The beauty of gold, silver and platinum is that they can be recycled – this is apparent throughout the industry. Geoff Field from the BJA (The British Jewellers Association)recently stated that “with very few exceptions, we draw our gold from a ‘bullion reservoir’ into which gold is continually recycled – sometimes many years after manufacture.”
Since the release of the film Blood Diamond we find that more and more of our customers are aware of the historical conflict associated with diamonds and need reassurance. At Baroque you can be sure the diamonds we use are conflict-free and comply with the Kimberley Process. We trust our suppliers to check the origins of each stone they provide us with and so this works from its original source, through to cutting and polishing. It is through this important certification process that the jewellery trade, the UN and governments have put in place that the consumer can be assured they will own a conflict free diamond.
Baroque reinforces its own commitment to ethical methods by proudly introducing Fifi Bijoux to its ever-growing list of award-winning designers.
Fifi Bijoux was founded as a luxury jewellery label which believes in promoting positive ethics and which offers an alternative to exploitation, human rights abuses and irresponsible damage to the environment. Customers with a conscience benefit from knowing that their luxury product has not been involved in forced labour or the appalling working conditions which can be seen in many mining operations and jewellery production workshops around the world.
Using raw materials sourced from ethical operations and then made by British goldsmiths, these collections are the new wave of ‘green’ jewellery to hit the our shops, and about time too we say.
Baroque Jewellery, 9 Union Street, Brighton | Map
Tel: 01273 777003
