Our Policy on
There is a growing consumer awareness about conflict diamonds as well as alternatives to natural diamonds such as laboratory grown diamonds.
Jeremy France Jewellers only sources its diamonds and gemstones from reputable companies who also comply with the Kimberley Process.
The
“Conflict diamonds” (also known as “blood diamonds”) are rough diamonds that have been mined in parts of the world where civil wars and conflicts are taking place. Rebel groups illegally sell these diamonds to fund wars against their governments.
In January 2003, a force comprising the United Nations, 52 world governments and the diamond industry decided to try and put an end to this illegal trade. They formed the Kimberley Process.
The Kimberley Process basically means that imported and exported diamonds are sealed and certified during their travels, so that conflict diamonds cannot enter the supply chain and means that any given parcel is traceable.
The introduction of the Kimberley Process has meant that conflict diamonds have decreased from 4% in 1990, to less than 1% of the world’s diamond supply today, and 82 international governments are signed up to the process.
We at Jeremy France Jewellers use well-established suppliers who have signed their confirmation that the diamonds they provide to us are from conflict free sources, so that our customers can shop with confidence.
Laboratory
We are seeing a growing interest in laboratory grown diamonds as an alternative to natural, mined diamonds.
Laboratory grown diamonds are chemically identical to their natural counterparts and have mostly identical properties, including the incredible lustre and brilliance and extreme hardness that natural diamonds are famous for. They don’t look or feel any different to natural diamonds and modern stones of fine quality are virtually impossible to distinguish from natural diamonds without advanced testing equipment.
The principal difference between natural and lab grown diamonds is in the way that they come into being. While natural diamonds occurred under natural forces deep within the earth millions of years ago, laboratory grown stones are created in weeks in factories, in machines using a seed crystal to initiate growth. People then cut and polish the crystal to produce a polished laboratory grown diamond.
A diamond simply referred to as “diamond” should always be a naturally created stone. All our diamonds stated as “diamond” on our receipts and online are natural diamonds and not laboratory grown.
We do everything within our power to make the origins of our diamonds clear to our customers, and prevent synthetic diamonds being mis-sold. We have an in-store diamond screening device which indicates if a stone presenting as a diamond is a laboratory grown or natural diamond.
We believe that both natural and laboratory grown diamonds are beautiful and encourage our customers to choose whatever type of stone is best for them.
Jewellery Valuation for Insurance
For more information on our jewellery insurance valuation service, please visit our jewellery valuation page.
For information about making an insurance claim, or using a gem card in store to repair or replace your jewellery, visit our services page.
