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Merrick, NY—It now has been 10 years since the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was put into place. But is the issue really resolved, and the mainstream jewelry industry really free from conflict diamonds? And, while nobody likes to think about tough issues during the busy holiday season, are your sales associates up to date on the topic in case customers ask?

While most luxury jewelers say the subject comes up infrequently, those customers who do ask about conflict diamonds or other responsible sourcing issues really care about it, and in a high-end store they expect a knowledgeable, responsible answer. Millennials, in particular, tend to be very socially-conscious consumers, and in this season of engagements, your staff may find themselves tasked with reassuring these customers that your diamonds are conflict-free. Click here, here, and here to give associates a refresher in ethically sourced diamonds, and here to learn more about the economic good diamonds can do.

Recently, Al Jazeera television addressed the topic on a program called South2North, based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Journalist Redi Tihabi explored the issue with Rafael Marques de Morais, the author of Blood Diamonds: Torture and Corruption in Angola, Oladiran Bello, a specialist in African resource management at the South African Institute of International Relations, and Farai Maguwu, the director of the Center for Applied Research in Zimbabwe.

De Morais in particular believes the definition of “conflict diamonds” under the Kimberley Process is too narrow, focusing on diamonds used by rebels to obtain weapons rather than on general human rights violations. But the KP must also extend to governments behaving badly, he argues, as some in diamond-producing areas are as culpable as rebel forces for massive human rights violations.

He’s not alone in his assertion. KP Certification chair Gillian Milanovic said last year the definition needs to be broadened to ensure rough diamonds that fund any armed conflict or violence, not just rebel violence, don’t make it to market. And industry gadfly Martin Rapaport has for years been exhorting the jewelry industry to be proactive in asking where its diamonds come from and demanding stones that are fully free of any taint of violence, whether rebel or governmental.

Click here to see the Al Jazeera report.