Diamonds are beautiful but they haven’t always had a beautiful past. Conflict Diamonds, commonly known as blood diamonds, war diamonds, hot diamonds or red diamonds are those that are mined in war zones with the proceeds used to fund rebel movements or their allies, to finance armed conflicts aimed at undermining legitimate governments.

The term is used to highlight the negative consequences of the diamond trade in certain areas, or to label on individual diamond as coming from such an area.

In July 2000, the World diamond Congress at Antwerp, adopted a resolution to strengthen the diamond industry’s ability to block sales of conflict diamonds. The resolution called for an international certification system on import and export of all diamonds. Legislation provides that countries only accept officially sealed packages of diamonds. This is called the Kimberly Process Certification System

The industry as a whole has been working to put a stop to this and is an issue we take extremely seriously at Melanie’s Matthews Family Jewellers. We only work with suppliers that can prove their diamonds are conflict free and we are proud members of the Jewellers Association of Australia and adhere to their strict code of ethics.

People may not be aware that Australia is home to some of the rarest and beautiful white and coloured diamonds in the world. The Argyle diamond mine was located in a remote area of the East Kimberley.

The crystal structure of the Australian Argyle diamond is unique and they are mostly laser inscribed with Argyle on the girdle.

The pink diamonds unearthed at the Argyle mine were created more than 1.6 billion years ago, under conditions of extreme temperatures and pressure at more than 160km below the earth’s surface. Because of their molecular structure, pink diamonds typically take up to 3-4 times longer to polish than white diamonds.

From the Argyle Diamond Mine in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia, Dreamtime Australian Diamonds are naturally imbued with the unique warmth and beauty of the land.

Argyle Australian Diamonds display a striking array of colours, including Shades of Cognac.

This range is exclusive to Showcase Jewellers while stocks last.

Salt and Pepper Diamonds are naturally heavily flawed diamonds. The term comes from the appearance of scattered salt and pepper like inclusions throughout the stone. Inclusions are imperfections that are present inside the diamond and are created because of extreme heat and pressure.

We can source these diamonds for you and have your ring custom -made.