https://www.miningweekly.com

Urgent action needed to end overstated diamond certification – World Federation

Ernie Blom

Ernie Blom

Photo by Duane Daws

21st November 2014

By: Martin Creamer

Creamer Media Editor

  

Font size: - +

JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – Urgent action was needed to stop diamonds being sold with overstated certification, World Federation of Diamond Bourses president Ernie Blom said on Friday.

Blom, who blamed a few laboratories for damaging the reputation of the entire diamond industry, urged stakeholders the world over to stand together to eliminate what represented a serious challenge to the integrity of the diamond business.

“Decisive and immediate action is required to eliminate this practice,” he said of the aberration, which surfaced after diamond standards watchdog Rapaport excluded overstated laboratory-issued certificates.

It would be discussed at a meeting of major laboratories and had to be resolved to retain the consumer confidence that sustained the international diamond trade.

“Ethical grading and certification are the most basic principles of the industry and these cannot be compromised,” Blom said, adding that, as part of sales transactions, diamond sellers provided guarantees of what was being sold, which formed binding contracts.

Sellers could not later hide behind an overstated grading report claiming ignorance.

Blatant cases of misrepresentation could amount to fraud, he warned in a media release to Mining Weekly Online.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

Article Enquiry

Email Article

Save Article

Feedback

To advertise email advertising@creamermedia.co.za or click here

Showroom

EKATO Africa
EKATO Africa

Established in 1933, EKATO is the world leader in agitation technology, supplying agitators for processes and applications such as chemicals and...

VISIT SHOWROOM 
The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy
The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy

The SAIMM started as a learned society in 1894 after the invention of the cyanide process that saved the South African gold mining industry of the...

VISIT SHOWROOM 

Latest Multimedia

sponsored by

Magazine round up | 14 August 2026
Magazine round up | 14 August 2026
14th August 2026

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION







sq:0.044 0.066s - 111pq - 2rq
Subscribe Now