Synthetic diamonds and the Kimberley Process: fighting the last war

This research paper argues that the mined diamond industry faces an existential threat from synthetic diamonds, which are increasingly entering the gem market undetected. The author contends that the Kimberley Process (KP) must expand its mandate beyond conflict diamonds to include human rights and a robust traceability system for both rough and polished stones to preserve diamonds' status as a store of value.

• Synthetic diamonds, once dominated by De Beers, General Electric, and Sumitomo, have seen a shift in production leadership to China. China is currently the world's largest producer, with the US Geological Survey estimating its output at 6-10 billion carats, primarily for industrial use, which dwarfs the 2012 global mined diamond production of approximately 128 million carats.
• The penetration of synthetic diamonds into the mined diamond value chain is a significant risk because detection costs for small diamonds (below 0.2 carats) are prohibitively high relative to their price. Since 80-90% of mined diamonds are smaller than half a carat, a collapse in the market for these smaller stones would threaten the profits of the entire mined diamond sector and future exploration funding.
• The Kimberley Process (KP) is currently limited to a narrow mandate focusing on conflict diamonds, which has stifled reforms. NGOs like Global Witness and the US have pushed to expand this scope to include human rights abuses, such as child labour in India and abuses in Zimbabwe's Marange fields, but consensus-based decision-making among the 54 participant countries has blocked these changes.
• The author asserts that the only way for mined diamonds to survive as a store of value is through a global traceability system covering both rough and polished diamonds. Without such a system, government-issued Kimberley certificates are viewed as not credible in some cases, and the industry cannot guarantee to consumers that products are both ethical and rare.

APA

Grynberg (2014). Synthetic diamonds and the Kimberley Process: fighting the last war. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/research/synthetic-diamonds-and-the-kimberly-process-fighting-the-last-war/

Chicago

Grynberg. Synthetic diamonds and the Kimberley Process: fighting the last war. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2014. https://saiia.org.za/research/synthetic-diamonds-and-the-kimberly-process-fighting-the-last-war/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Grynberg |title=Synthetic diamonds and the Kimberley Process: fighting the last war |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=12 August 2014 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/synthetic-diamonds-and-the-kimberly-process-fighting-the-last-war/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{grynberg2014synthetic, author = {Grynberg}, title = {{Synthetic diamonds and the Kimberley Process: fighting the last war}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2014}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/synthetic-diamonds-and-the-kimberly-process-fighting-the-last-war/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }