{"id":1160804,"date":"2020-01-20T07:44:50","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T13:44:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/?p=1011720"},"modified":"2020-01-20T07:44:50","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T13:44:50","slug":"de-beers-mulls-expanding-pilot-scheme-to-sell-ethically-sourced-diamonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/?p=1160804","title":{"rendered":"De Beers mulls expanding pilot scheme to sell ethically sourced diamonds"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Anglo American\u2019s De Beers could<br \/>\nsoon expand a pilot program launched two years ago that aims to remove conflict<br \/>\ndiamonds from the market by tracing the route of precious stones dug up by<br \/>\nsmall miners in Sierra Leone.<\/p>\n<div class='d-flex justify-content-center d-xs-block d-sm-block d-md-none'>\n<div id='div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0'><script>googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1561499308230-0');});<\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>In its first <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/gemfair.com\/static\/files\/The_GemFair_Way_2019.pdf\" >formal progress report<\/a> on its \u201cGemFair Way\u201d, the world\u2019s largest rough diamond producer by value says there are now 92 sites participating in the initiative, up from the 16 sites <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/de-beers-launches-sierra-leone-based-pilot-remove-conflict-diamonds-market\/\" >at launch, in April 2018<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Feriel Zerouki, industry relations and ethical initiatives at De Beers Group, as well as GemFair\u2019s general manager, says that while these are still early days and the company continues to refine its approach, he\u2019s seen significant progress.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote alignright\">\n<blockquote>\n<p>&#8220;Ultimately, GemFair is focused on improving the standards \u2014 and thereby the reputation \u2014 of the ASM sector&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><cite><br \/> Feriel Zerouki, industry relations and ethical initiatives at De Beers Group. |GemFair\u2019s general manager <\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n<p>Together with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/de-beers-expands-pilot-scheme-sierra-leone-sell-ethically-sourced-diamonds\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">recruiting new mine sites<\/a>, the program has opened offices in both Koidu and Freetown, and developed a set of publicly available ASM standards to ensure a best practice approach for responsible sourcing.<\/p>\n<p>He attributes the success partly to<br \/>\nthe fact that GemFair is the first program of its kind to work directly<br \/>\nwith&nbsp;artisanal and small-scale miners (ASM).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUltimately, GemFair is focused on<br \/>\nimproving the standards \u2013 and thereby the reputation \u2013 of the ASM sector, and<br \/>\nenhancing prospects for those who work in it,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<p>The scheme is based on a digital solution to ensure the traceability of all diamonds mined by members. The toolkit contains an application and dedicated tablet that creates a digital record of each diamond found using GPS locations and QR-codes.<\/p>\n<p>Artisanal mining accounts for only<br \/>\n20% of global diamond production, but carries a tainted reputation that has<br \/>\ndamaged consumer confidence for almost 20 years.<\/p>\n<p>Between 1991 and 2002, the<br \/>\ndistrict&nbsp;of Kono, in Sierra Leone, was at the centre of the \u201cblood<br \/>\ndiamond\u201d trade that funded the country\u2019s brutal civil war as rebel groups<br \/>\nexchanged gems for weapons.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter\">\n<figure><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GemFair_Way_steps-608x1024.jpg\" alt=\"De Beers mulls expanding pilot scheme to sell ethically sourced diamonds\" class=\"wp-image-1011722\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GemFair_Way_steps-608x1024.jpg 608w, https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GemFair_Way_steps-178x300.jpg 178w, https:\/\/www.mining.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/GemFair_Way_steps.jpg 701w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 608px) 100vw, 608px\" \/><\/figure><figcaption>GemFair Way&#8217;s steps. (Taken from <a href=\"https:\/\/gemfair.com\/static\/files\/The_GemFair_Way_2019.pdf\"  rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The GemFair Way 2019.<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>Despite the establishment of the<br \/>\nKimberley Process in 2003, aimed at removing from the supply chain the conflict<br \/>\ndiamonds (those mined in an area of armed conflict and traded illicitly to<br \/>\nfinance the fighting), experts say&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mining.com\/cameroon-involved-in-central-african-conflict-diamonds-trade-report\/\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">trafficking of precious rocks is still ongoing<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>According to Canada-based Centre<br \/>\nfor Research on Globalization (CRG)&nbsp;<a href=\"http:\/\/www.globalresearch.ca\/blood-diamonds-more-than-one-fifth-of-diamonds-sold-worldwide-are-funding-bloodshed-and-violence\/5561214\"  rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">about one-fifth of diamonds<\/a>&nbsp;on the global market in<br \/>\nvalue terms are still a significant source of funding for regimes accused of<br \/>\ncommitting crimes and human rights violations.<\/p>\n<p>De Beers sells its diamonds mostly<br \/>\nto authorized buyers at a series of so-called \u201csights\u201d in Botswana, Namibia and<br \/>\nSouth Africa. Then, they are usually sent to be polished or cut before ending<br \/>\nup with retailers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Program in Sierra Leone traces the route of diamonds dug up by small miners in the country.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[369,2640],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160804"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1160804"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160804\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1160877,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1160804\/revisions\/1160877"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1160804"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1160804"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/juniorminingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1160804"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}