What is the Kimberley Process certificate that comes with my diamond?

The Kimberley Process is the most successful certification scheme in any commodity sector measured by participation. It was implemented in January 2003, takes its name from the South African town where it was first articulated, and now covers eighty-five member jurisdictions representing approximately ninety-nine per cent of global rough diamond production.

What it requires of the dealer who sells you a stone in South Africa: a written warranty on the invoice declaring the diamond was sourced from a Kimberley Process participant and was not used to finance conflict, plus the underlying KP certificate of origin documenting the rough import. The warranty is the standard System of Warranties statement adopted by the World Diamond Council in 2002. Dealers who cannot produce both are operating outside the regulatory framework.

What the KP does not do: regulate environmental practice, labour conditions in cutting and polishing, or the lab-grown trade. It addresses one specific historical risk, conflict-financing, and does it well within that scope. The full set of obligations on a SA dealer is in What the Kimberley Process actually requires of an SA dealer.