Waldman Diamond Company

WDC: trade continue its fight against conflict diamonds, should sell polished diamonds only with proper documentation
October 2002

At Antwerp Diamond Conference, held in past September in Antwerp, Belgium, industry leaders declared that the diamond business had now arrived into the "post-conflict diamond era." The conference's keynote speaker, t he former U.S. vice president Al Gore, praised the industry at large for its efforts to eradicate the trade in illicit diamonds.

However, says Simeon Lee Loon, a senior sales manager at Waldman Diamond Company (WDC) Group, in Ramat Gan, Israel, many polished diamond manufacturers and dealers feel that down the diamond distribution pipeline, retailers and consumers, it is necessary to continue to reassure these parties that they are not purchasing any diamonds that come from illicit sources.

"To continue our fight against conflict diamonds and to ensure that none of our diamonds are traded without the proper documentation, we have drawn up declarations that are annexed to each invoice of polished diamonds sales as well as to all purchases, sales and shipment documents of rough diamonds, " Loon stated.

The statements are based on materials prepared by the office of the Diamond Controller's of the diamond, precious stone and jewelry administration at Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade and read as follows:

For its invoices, WDC has drawn up a statement, declaring that "..none of the diamonds in this shipment were purchased in breach of UN resolutions nos. 1173, 1176 and 1306. In other words, none of the diamonds in this shipment was purchased from unrecognized or unofficial sources operating in Angola, Sierra Leone, or Liberia. None of the diamonds in this package/shipment purchased by us and being sold into the market include any diamonds which come from any area in Africa controlled by forces rebelling against the legitimate internationally recognized government in which it is located. In addition, we declare that these diamonds have not been treated or enhanced in any way."

For rough diamonds shipments, the company uses an additional statement.

The statement says that "according to the best of our knowledge, the rough diamond shipment/package no._ , from: (country)_ at a value of: US$_ at a total weight of _ carats comply with the following conditions: No diamonds in this box/shipment/sale were purchased in breach of UN Resolutions No.1173, 1306 and 1343. In other words, none of the diamonds in this shipment was purchased from unrecognized or unofficial sources operating in Angola, Sierra Leone, and Liberia. None of the diamonds in this shipment originated from any area in Africa controlled by forces rebelling against the legitimate internationally recognized government in which it is located."

At the same time, Loon noted, WDC also inserted a reference to the fact that the company does not handle or trade in treated and or enhanced diamonds.

"By adding these statements to all our documentation, we hope to serve as an example to the trade, and encourage our colleague diamond manufacturers and dealers to follow it." Loon said.

"I am sure that our clients will appreciate our efforts for full transparency in our diamond trading business," he concluded.