Natural Diamonds: Celebrating Sustainable Luxury

Towards conscious luxury

With the world increasingly becoming a fast-paced environment, there has been a wave of change sweeping through the luxury industry. We have time to strengthen our relationship with the gifts of nature and divert our efforts towards re-evaluating our choices. The growing awareness towards ethical and sustainable lifestyle choices spills into many aspects of the everyday world. The impact is being witnessed in the form of 'conscious luxury' which has turned into a movement to create awareness about mindful consumption. It advocates switching to a sustainable, ethical, and natural alternative for all things that affect our planet daily. Consumers today are willing to invest in fewer things that hold a deeper meaning, have an emotional factor, and are eternal. Every luxury purchase has a personal essence embodied in it that reflects its values and morals.

Natural diamonds fit perfectly into this niche segment of loyalists of conscious luxury and now are an important part of a burgeoning consumer base. Known as precious heirlooms, they’ve been treasured and cherished for ages, whether by royalty or the well-heeled. Accentuating heritage, their tales are passed down generation after generation. Jewellery is deeply imbued with an emotional connect and the new heirloom represents the meaning we attach to it. With rich nuances of permanence and lustrous brilliance, ethical diamonds are also a great investment that can be altered with time.

A Cut Above the Rest

Fabled for being a class in themselves, every real diamond has a fiery history that goes back billions of years to depths beyond 150km under the earth, where temperatures reach 1000 degrees centigrade and pressures go up as high as 725,189 psi (50 kilobars). This is true for each diamond as it is a combination of their distinctiveness and rare physical qualities that make them so unique.

We all know about the 4 Cs that define the qualities of a natural diamond: colour, cut, clarity, and carat weight. But there’s a fifth – ‘Craving’.

The incredible sense of exclusivity of natural diamonds always captivates and makes us curious to know about their origin.

The first step in knowing this is also to establish that your diamond was mined responsibly and that it will positively impact the development of the local communities of the region from where it has been sustainably sourced.

Ethical Moves

The modern diamond mining industry operates with a high level of transparency and takes responsibility for its societal and environmental impact.

Across all members of the Natural Diamond Council, 80% of the value created by diamond mining is retained locally, benefiting communities. They actively work on programs and initiatives that help reduce the collective carbon footprint on Earth. Around US$6.8 billion is invested in surrounding communities through local sourcing, which in turn supports the growth of small and medium enterprises. The 7 members of the NDC have taken pledges to meet the UN sustainability guidelines which include:

• Delivering positive and long-lasting benefits to local communities and regions by putting people at the heart of its operations, investing in the livelihoods of residents through economic and structural development and creating value for future generations.

• Safeguarding the natural world and ensuring sustainable management of precious natural resources by implementing water and energy efficiency strategies, sound waste management, preserving the biodiversity of local land and ensuring that communities have sustained access to local resources.

• Creating a path to social and economic inclusion and equal opportunities by promoting female empowerment and investing in education and specialised training for local communities.

Every purchase of a real diamond supports an ethical diamond industry that values responsible and transparent business practices, while helping local communities to generate long-term sustainable development and a lasting positive legacy.

To know more about the story behind natural diamonds and the modern diamond industry visit www.onlynaturaldiamonds.in