Ethical concerns over mining practices have grown immensely over the years, and if you’re wondering if Blue Nile diamonds are conflict-free before buying one, you’re not alone.
Blue Nile is one of the biggest and world-leading online diamond resellers. They offer a wide range of luxury engagement and wedding rings at prices that the masses can afford. The brand prides itself as a leading online jeweler and diamond retailer that takes the quality of its products first and foremost.
But besides ensuring that their diamonds are of high quality, Blue Nile also guarantees that their diamonds are conflict-free. The brand markets its engagement rings and jewelry products as ethically sourced and has put forth a conflict-free diamond policy.
With consumers becoming increasingly aware of various issues caused by diamond mining, including human rights and environmental conflicts, more people ate seeking out conflict-free diamonds. There are many reasons to look for and purchase conflict-free diamonds. For instance, ethically sourced diamonds ensure fair pay and safe working conditions for miners. It also guarantees sound practices that wouldn’t hurt the environment nor abuse human rights.
Fortunately, many diamond resellers and jewelry stores offer ethical, conflict-free diamonds and rings, and Blue Nile is one of them.
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What Is a Conflict-Free Diamond?
Before anything else, understand what makes a diamond ethical and conflict-free. The Blood Diamond movie in 2016 opened up a lot of concerns surrounding conflict diamonds. It made tons of people aware of the repercussions and problems caused by unethical sourcing and diamond mining. Since then, ethical diamond sourcing became the forefront of people buying new jewelry and engagement rings.
However, there’s a lack of clarity on what conflict-free means in the diamond industry. So, what defines a conflict-free diamond?
For a diamond to be conflict-free, its mining and shipment process shouldn’t connect with the rebels or terror groups. There are agreements and procedures to ensure that they are mined and shipped based on the highest ethical standards.
Diamonds that don’t follow the set standard, like The Kimberley Process, get considered blood diamonds. These unethically sourced precious gems usually come from war-torn areas and get illegally traded. Often, rebel groups use brutal tactics to smuggle and sell these diamonds, hence its name.
Cruelty-free or conflict-free diamonds, on the other hand, were sourced through safe mining processes. It ensures that the process doesn’t harm both the environment and society.
What Does the Kimberley Process Have to Do With It?
With the continued conflict around many parts of Africa, the diamond industry joined forces with the United Nations to establish the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The process created and implemented a list of requirements to ensure the humane mining and shipping processes of diamonds. It guarantees that the industry doesn’t further support any criminal activity involved in the diamond trade.
Through the Kimberley Process, over 70 countries, including the United States, closely track incoming diamonds, from the mining process to the final purchase. Each diamond comes with a Kimberly Process certificate to confirm that it is conflict-free.
Does Blue Nile Source Conflict-Free Diamonds?
With the extensive implementation of The Kimberley Process and many countries making trades of blood diamonds illegal, jewelers and diamond resellers make efforts to ensure that their products are mined and shipped ethically.
Most diamond resellers and jewelers, whether online or in physical brick-and-mortar shops, publicly state that they only sell conflict-free diamonds. Blue Nile is among the top diamond and ring brands that guarantee ethical processes for all its products.
Blue Nile diamonds come with a conflict-free policy based on the brand’s Ethical Sourcing page on its website. In addition, Blue Nile has zero tolerance towards conflict diamonds and through measures and agreements like the Kimberley Process.
Blue Nile claims to purchase only diamonds from the most respected suppliers and adhere to the established standards enforced by the Kimberley Process. In addition, blue Nile diamonds come with a conflict-free warranty. It means that if any diamond from a particular supplier ever found to violate the standards of the Kimberley Process, Blue Nile will automatically sever its business ties with the said supplier.
Where Does Blue Nile Source Their Diamonds?
It’s important to ensure that it’s from a conflict-free diamond provider like Blue Nile before purchasing your diamond ring. It’s a remarkable thing that the brand declares that its products are cruelty-free and ethical. Another way to research if the diamond you want to purchase from a jeweler was indeed ethically sourced, you can look at where the diamond reseller sources their diamond products.
For instance, Blue Nile sources its top-quality diamonds from equally high-quality global suppliers that adhered to the set standard by the Kimberley Process as mandated by the United Nations.
Most of the diamonds available at Blue Nile were sourced from mines in Canada, Australia, Russia, and Africa. The latter was popular for its blood diamond mines, but while there remain some unethical diamond mining processes in Africa, not all areas are the same. For example, African countries like Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea Bissau, Angola, and Ivory Coast have produced massive blood diamonds, particularly during civil wars in their respective areas. However, many reputable mines all over Africa support their people, communities, and other worthwhile causes. Blue Nile supports these kinds of ethical mines in the continent.
The brand sourced many of its Blue Nile diamonds, particularly from Canada, which enforces incredibly strict environmental regulations towards the diamond industry. Canada’s conflict-free diamond guidelines also involve providing employees fair and favorable working conditions.
Previously, the brand also sourced some of its diamond products from Zimbabwe but ended it after the alerts received about the country’s Marange district. After reported human rights abuses in the diamond district and as part of its conflict-free Blue Nile diamond warranty, the company severed its business ties to its suppliers from that region.
How to Check If Blue Nile Jewelry Is Conflict-Free?
If you are shopping for a diamond engagement ring, it’s important only to purchase it from a trusted and reputable brand. With Blue Nile diamonds, you receive a guarantee that your diamond jewelry doesn’t abuse the environment or society.
But there are several ways to ensure that you’re getting a 100% ethical, conflict-free Blue Nile diamond.
Check if the company obeys the standards of the Kimberley Process.
The UN’s imposed Kimberley Process for the entire diamond industry is one of the best ways to tell whether a diamond ring is conflict-free or not. The process is quite extensive, tracking each diamond from the mine to the market.
Check if it has a conflict-free Blue Nile diamond warranty.
The conflict-free diamond warranty is Blue Nile’s way of building trust with its consumers. The brand guarantees 100% cruelty-free and ethically sourced products, and if suppliers fail to follow the standards, it will automatically end ties with them.
Check the paper trail.
If you want to check if your Blue Nile diamond is truly conflict-free, ask for documentation. As part of the Kimberley Process, a diamond must have the proper paperwork and license from suppliers. So, you can expect an extensive paper trail from verified diamonds.
Many retailers, like Blue Nile, also ensure that customers understand that they only sell ethically sourced engagement rings and jewelry. You can ask jewelers, and they would be happy to discuss how they ensure their products are all conflict-free. In addition, they will gladly share with you their suppliers and mines that they work with, and sometimes even the travel routes of their diamond collections.
With the brand’s zero tolerance towards blood diamonds, you can expect to purchase only Blue Nile diamonds that are ethical and conflict-free.
