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Revised System of Warranties!   “We are reaching out to inform you about the Revised System of Warranties (SoW), which will require you to change the warranty declaration that all members of the trade add to invoices and memo documents” said the World Diamond Council (WDC).  The SoW was developed by the WDC in 2002 as an industry self-regulation system that would indicate that diamonds being sold comply with the requirements of the KPCS. The Revised SoW was launched in September of 2021 to meet consumer demand for enhanced supply chain integrity.  It is designed to help meet those expectations.    In view of this fact, the current warranty statements on your invoices and memo statements are soon to be outdated and are to be replaced with the broader statement that is in accordance with today's market demands. Therefore it is imperative that you update them as soon as possible.    Register on the SoW website and provide the required information. Upon successful registration, you

                                         WDC reasserted at the 2021 KP Plenary                                            in order to support long-term consumer confidence Speaking to the full assembly of delegates during the Opening Session of the 2021 Kimberley Process (KP) Plenary, World Diamond Council President Edward Asscher has reasserted the need for Kimberley Process members to agree to expand the conflict diamond definition in order to support long-term consumer confidence.   Asscher noted that the Plenary was taking place at a time when young consumers are increasingly expressing their demands for assurance about the social and environmental credentials of the products they buy, and highlighted that the diamond industry has the ability to deliver on these consumers’ expectations. But Kimberley Process members must act to expand the definition.   The five-day KP Plenary meeting began as a hybrid event, with in-person meetings taking place in Moscow, joined in videoconfe

The official launch scheduled during the 1Q 2021 The World Diamond Council (WDC) said the new System of Warranties (SoW) has entered the beta-testing phase, comprising a soft launch of the process, with the participation of a representative sample of companies from across the diamond supply chain. It is the ultimate stage of an extensive review that will conclude at the end of the calendar year. This will allow for final adjustments and fine-tuning taking place before the official launch, which is scheduled to occur during the first quarter of 2021.   200 large, medium and smaller sized companies were selected to participate in the soft launch, with care taken to ensure that the mining sector, rough and polished diamond trading sectors, diamond manufacturers, jewelry manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers were all represented. They were invited to introduce the new system into their own organizations and then review the user experience. Much of the attention is being focused

A year to forget or one to learn from   WDC at the year end! Edward Asscher, WDC President inks at the end & said, “As 2020 comes to an end, I am sure you are also asking yourselves-was it a year to forget as quickly as possible, or was it a year from which we have learned a lot?”   One should not underestimate the suffering that numerous people have been subject to. The Covid disease caused a general sense of depression, experienced by many, and especially those from younger generations. It also caused great financial burden imposed on companies and individuals, and above all the loss of life of so many, dear to us. This indeed makes it a period that one would prefer to forget. But 2020 was also characterized by industry’s enduring resilience. Retail sales did dip, but then rebounded, even in countries where infection and casualty rates were high. Never before have we seen such a fast fall in polished diamond inventories and such a rapid return in demand.   So, apart from

Consumers’ key words are, 1: Ethically sourced diamonds &  2: Proof of respect for human rights!   WDC President Edward Asscher lists seven essential principles of responsible sourcing, covering human rights, labor rights and the environment, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering, supporting grassroots development in the mining and production areas, and differentiating between natural and synthetic diamonds. Members of the World Diamond Council (WDC) assembled for the organization’s Annual General Meeting on October 19, 2020, joined by invited guests, among them representatives of the governments involved in the Kimberley Process and members of civil society. In contrast to previous WDC AGMs, this gathering was not held in person but rather by videoconference, a consequence of the many travel restrictions in place worldwide because of the Covid-19 health crisis.   The new format of the AGM allowed for an abbreviated 90-minute session, comprised of a keynote address by David

  Although false KP certificates are rare,  industry caution is still recommended: WDC   Recently Mark Van Bockstael, Chair, KP Working Group of Diamond Experts & Chairman, WDC Technical Committee said, “Although false KP certificates are rare, industry caution is still recommended!”  Several times a year, with uncanny regularity, the international diamond trade receives alerts from the Kimberley Process (KP) about yet another false certificate that has been encountered, and for which it is asked to practice enhanced vigilance.   Together with the mostly negative media coverage such news generates, many diamantaires wonder whether the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is still functional, remaining capable of delivering on the mandate that KP received from the United Nations in 2000, of breaking the link between armed conflict and the diamond trade.   How gloomy this all may seem. But the truth is that the KPCS is still very much alive and effective. The occasiona

Upgrades online support and information The World Diamond Council (WDC) has announced the launch of a newly designed website, upgrading the level of support provided both to its own members and the diamond and jewelry industries in general. It also reports on the organization's ongoing work within the Kimberley Process (KP), and its mission to protect the integrity of the diamond value chain. The new website is at the WDC's long time Internet address, www.worlddiamondcouncil.org . More reactive and news-oriented, the new website opens a window into the functioning and approach of the WDC, which for 19 years has represented the diamond and jewelry industries in the tripartite KP forum, alongside government and civil society, in the prevention and eradication of the trade in conflict diamonds. A key function of the new website is to support ongoing programs and projects being carried out by the WDC, including its Annual Meetings and participation in key KP even

SoW, an essential building block In the diamond supply chain!   Senior officials of the World Diamond Council (WDC) have provided an overview of the organization's revised System of Warranties (SoW), during two sessions on April 24 at the 13th Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris. During the briefings, WDC President Stephane Fischler described the revised SoW as an "essential building block" for participants in the diamond supply chain towards implementing the OECD's due diligence guidance for minerals from high-risk areas.                   WDC President, Stephane Fischler addressing the deep-dive session at the OECD Responsible Mineral Supply Chain forum on April 24, 2019. The first of the sessions was an early-morning side event organized together with the Responsible Jewellery Council (RJC), at which the WDC presented its revised SoW and RJC explained its new Code of P

WDC traveling to Paris with spotlight on Responsible Supply & KP reform Recently Stephane Fischler, WDC President informed, WDC starting on April 23, more than one thousand delegates will gather in Paris for an annually-held event that is fast becoming one of the most well-attended conferences in the mining sector. For the 13th time, the OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains is taking place, and the World Diamond Council (WDC) will be an active participant. The presence in the French capital of so many mining-industry representatives provides an ideal opportunity for associated side events. One of these will be a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee overseeing the review and reform of the Kimberley Process (KP). It too is an event that is high on the WDC's agenda. For the first few years the OECD forum was a low-key conference, focusing primarily on 3TG (meaning tin, tungsten, tantalum, as well as gold) being mined in the Great Lakes region of Africa, wh