Non-Conflict Diamonds

The release of the Hollywood blockbuster movie "Blood Diamond" in December 2006 brought the issue of conflict diamonds into the public spotlight. Conflict diamonds are an issue which always has been of the utmost importance to us here at DeJoria. We hope that you, the customer, will share our stance on this.

WHAT EXACTLY ARE "CONFLICT DIAMONDS"?
In 1998, Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) Global Witness brought to the world's attention that UNITA, a rebel group in Angola, was funding its war against the legitimate Government by the control and sale of rough diamonds. These have since become known as conflict diamonds. We also now know that rebel groups in Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa were also funding conflicts in this way.

Although peace has since been restored in Angola and Sierra Leone, and a cease fire in the DRC, the diamond industry is determined to work with Governments through the United Nations to ensure that future conflicts cannot be funded in this way. At its peak, the trade in conflict diamonds was estimated to be less than 4% of annual rough diamond production but the industry has declared that even one single diamond traded in this way is one too many.

WHAT HAS AND IS BEING DONE TO STOP THIS TRADE?
In 1998, UN economic and political sanctions were announced on Angolan rebels mining diamonds in central Angola. In May 2000, the South African government convened a meeting of interested parties in Kimberley to look for a solution. The rounds of meetings and consultations which followed became known as the Kimberley Process. Over the next two years, agreement was reached on an International Certification Scheme to control the exportation and importation of rough diamonds. This scheme, coupled with industry self regulation, is designed to give assurance to consumers and to protect the reputation and integrity of the diamond industry.

SO HOW DOES THE KIMBERLEY PROCESS WORK?
40 governments are participating in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme which provides that each shipment of rough diamonds being exported and crossing an international border must be sealed in a tamper proof container accompanied by a government validated Kimberley Process certificate.

This certificate is resistant to forgery, uniquely numbered and includes a description of the contents of the container. The shipment can be sent only to a country who is a Kimberley Process participant and rough diamonds which are re-exported must also have a Kimberley Process certificate and can only be sent to a particpating country.

THE DEJORIA PHILOSOPHY
www.dejoria.com strives to assure that we only sell non-conflict diamonds. Indeed, John Paul DeJoria's highly ethical stance towards business insists that we operate this way, and this way only. After all, diamonds embody love and love must never be tarnished.

For more information on non-conflict diamonds, please visit www.diamondfacts.org or www.kimberleyprocess.com

DEJORIA'S POLICY & PROCEDURES
www.dejoria.com supports the initiative of the United Nations and the World Diamond Council (The Kimberley Process) to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate supply chains of the diamond industry. To ensure that that only these legitimate diamonds, when cut and polished, pass into the jewelry manufacturing process and, therefore, into the diamond jewelry which we sell to our customers, we adhere to the following principles. We will;

- Not buy diamonds from firms who will not put a conflict diamonds warranty on their invoices
- Not buy diamonds from suspect or unknown sources or from countries not participating in the Kimberley Process
- Not buy diamonds from a source found to have violated Government regulations on conflict diamonds
- Not buy diamonds from regions where Government advice indicates that conflict diamonds are emanating or on sale unless they have been exported under the Kimberley Process
- Not knowingly buy or sell or assist others to buy or sell conflict diamonds
- Ensure that all company employees who buy and sell diamonds are well informed about the Kimberley Process and industry self-regulation

Our suppliers provide us with the following assurance;

"The Seller will not knowingly sell conflict diamonds and to the best of our ability we will undertake reasonable measures to help prevent the sale of conflict diamonds in this country."

Our suppliers also adhere to the "Clean Diamond Trade Act" which became US Public Law No: 108-19 on April 25, 2003, passed by President Bush. This requires all US diamond retailers to buy diamonds from manufacturers who have documentation warranting that their merchandise was obtained through legitimate channels. For more information, please visit;

http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d108:HR01584:@@@L&summ2=m#amendments