Way back in the late 1990’s was the first time “conflict diamonds” were brought to my attention. As I learned more about them, it became obvious to me how important it was for everyone in the world, even a locally owned jewelry store in Atlanta, to take a stand in order to make a difference.
Worthmore Jewelers was one of the first independent jewelers in the country to team up with Amnesty International to take a stand against what was happening across the globe. We let each of our suppliers know we need their written guarantee that they were sourcing their diamonds through legitimate sources. This partnership with Amnesty and other concerned people across the world lead to what we know today as The Kimberly Process. “The Kimberley Process (KP) unites administrations, civil societies, and industry in reducing the flow of conflict diamonds - ‘rough diamonds used to finance wars against governments’ - around the world”. This also opened our eyes to safer ways to mine for gold, recycle metals, ethically source gemstones and diamonds, while still producing beautiful pieces of timeless jewelry.
Fast forward to 2014, when Worthmore Jewelers first realized that the process General Electric invented in the 1960’s to grow diamonds had been perfected. Now, gem quality laboratory grown diamonds could be created. Worthmore Jewelers saw this as another great option for those of us that love diamonds but had questions about their origins. Worthmore became the first jeweler in Georgia to offer laboratory grown diamonds. We understand that we all only have one earth, and we all have the responsibility to take care of it, thus, making it better for generations to come.
Sustainability is a topic that is very dear to our hearts and truly cannot be described in a few paragraphs.
If you have any question on this topic, please feel free to reach out to me directly at harris@worthmorejewelers.com