India mixing Russian diamonds with others before selling them in the world market: International NGOs

Surat : NGOs in the United States have taken a critical stance on India, notably Surat—where an estimated 80 to 95 per cent of the world’s raw diamonds are polished and cut. While India does not have sanctions against Russian diamonds, the international NGOs fear the gems could get mixed in with diamonds from other places before they make it to the world market.

In an interview with CBC News, Joanne Lebert of IMPACT, a natural resources NGO, stated, “India is the country where an estimated 95 percent of the world’s rough diamonds are polished and cut and does not have sanctions against Russian diamonds, so they could easily be mixed with diamonds from other areas before entering the world market.”

According to Lebert, US jewellers should be able to monitor diamonds from mine to market to verify they are truly ethical.

IMPACT was a founding member of the Kimberley Process Certification System. According to Lebert, the organisation fought for years to broaden the meaning of “conflict-free” before withdrawing from the Kimberley Process in 2017.

“It’s deceiving consumers,” she added. “We didn’t want to be associated with that white washing anymore.”

According to Lebert, retailers cannot be certain that their diamonds are ethical unless they know where they are from. “It’s evident that the stores don’t have any knowledge,” Lebert said. “There is no evidence of where those diamonds came from, let alone the conditions under which they were mined,” she said, according to CBC News’ Marketplace.

Russian diamonds are another source of concern for Lebert. The Russian Federation is the world’s largest producer of diamonds by volume, and Alrosa, a firm partly owned by the Russian government, mines the majority of them.

“Those diamonds are very likely making their way into our supply chain,” Lebert added.

“We don’t know for sure whether the earnings from those diamonds are actually fueling the war and violence in Ukraine. “One can speculate,” she added.

Although all three companies stated that they do not import diamonds directly from Russia, Lebert is concerned that they may enter their supply chains untraced.