Ethical by design: why antique jewellery is the conflict-free, eco-friendly choice

At Parkin & Gerrish, we specialise in jewels with a past and that’s precisely what makes them ethical in the present. When you choose antique or vintage, you’re keeping beauty in circulation instead of funding new extraction. No new mines. No new pipelines. Just craftsmanship that’s already stood the test of time.

The circular choice (and why it matters)

• Conflict-free by nature: Buying antique doesn’t inject money into today’s rough-diamond supply chains, where traceability can be complex. Your purchase re-homes an existing jewel rather than creating demand for newly mined stones.

• Lower environmental impact: Reuse beats re-mine. Antique and vintage pieces avoid the land disturbance, water use and energy intensity associated with new extraction and large-scale refining.

• Conservator, not consumer: You’re preserving cultural heritage—supporting restoration, not resource depletion.

“Blood diamonds” in brief: a timeline you can trust

1990s: Civil wars in parts of Africa draw global attention to diamonds used by rebel movements to finance conflict—especially Sierra Leone (1991–2002), where alluvial diamond fields were captured and exploited. (Wikipedia)
1998–2000: The UN tightens sanctions on Angola’s UNITA and publishes the Fowler Report (March 2000), exposing how illicit diamonds were still reaching global markets. (Wikipedia, United Nations Documents, UN Press)
2000–2002: Governments, industry and civil society meet (initially in Kimberley, South Africa, then Interlaken, Switzerland) to draft a certification scheme for rough diamonds. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) is launched in November 2002. (kimberleyprocess.com)
2003: KPCS enters into force; the United States passes the Clean Diamond Trade Act to enforce Kimberley certificates on rough-diamond imports/exports. (kimberleyprocess.com, U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
2011 →: NGOs including Global Witness withdraw from the KP, arguing its scope is too narrow and enforcement uneven—useful context for why antique remains a uniquely robust ethical choice. (Global Witness, The Guardian, Reuters, Wikipedia)

The Kimberley Process was designed to keep rough conflict diamonds out of the mainstream market. It has value, but it does not cover every labour or human-rights issue across the entire jewellery supply chain—which is one reason we love antiques. (beyondintractability.org, Wikipedia)

Why antique diamonds are different

• They pre-date modern conflicts: Many of our stones are Old Mine or Old European cuts set long before the 1990s wars that popularised the term “blood diamonds”—so your purchase today doesn’t fund any current conflict.

• No new extraction required: Buying an antique engagement ring or chain never triggers a new stone to be mined, cut or shipped.

• Transparent in practice: Where pieces have later stones or restorations, we disclose what we know; for significant diamonds, we can arrange independent reports.

Our promise at Parkin & Gerrish

• Conflict-free & eco-friendly by choosing antique and vintage first.

• Restoration over remanufacture: We repair sensitively and, when metal is needed, we prioritise recycled precious metals.

• Clear descriptions: Period-correct cuts, original vs later components, and any material updates are spelled out plainly.

• No greenwash: If a jewel has uncertainties typical of its age, we’ll say so—and explain why those uncertainties don’t fund today’s harms.

FAQs we’re asked (often)

“Is antique jewellery really conflict-free?”
As a purchase today, yes: you’re not funding current mining or modern conflict networks. Antique stones were mined long ago; reselling them doesn’t create new demand for rough diamonds.

“What about the Kimberley Process—do you use it?”
KP certificates apply to rough diamonds moving through modern trade routes. Our focus is pre-existing jewels. Where we source later diamonds (e.g., for a repair), we seek trusted provenance and modern documentation, but our core stock avoids new extraction altogether. (kimberleyprocess.com)

“Isn’t new ‘ethical’ jewellery just as good?”
Many modern makers work hard on responsible sourcing, but independent, end-to-end verification can be difficult. Antique remains the simplest, most circular option: it avoids new mining and its associated risks while preserving craft.

Why this matters

Choosing antique or vintage jewellery is a small, beautiful act of responsibility. You reduce your carbon footprint, keep history alive, and step outside supply chains that—despite reforms—still face scrutiny. If you’d like suggestions, tell us the era and style you love; we’ll curate conflict-free treasures that reflect your values and your taste.

To learn how governments and industry attempt to curb conflict diamonds, see the official Kimberley Process overview—and then come back to us for jewels that were ethical before the word was invented. (kimberleyprocess.com)

Parkin & Gerrish—antiques first, always.