Canadian diamond stakeholders are committed to ensure that diamonds
represented as Canadian can be authenticated to protect themselves against
deceptive practices that may erode consumer confidence and at the same
time ensure compliance with the Competition Act.
The Voluntary Code of Conduct for Authenticating Canadian Diamond Claims
("the Code") stems from the Competition Bureau's Enforcement
Policy on the Marketing of Canadian Diamonds in respect of when diamonds
can be represented as "Canadian" without violating the false
or misleading claims provisions of the Competition Act. This policy
states that a diamond, which was mined in Canada, qualifies for the
purposes of the Competition Act and may be cut and polished in Canada
or abroad.
The Code evolved from the collaborative efforts of a broad cross section
of the industry including the diamond mining sector, cutters and polishers,
retailers, the Canadian Jewellers Association and Jewellers Vigilance
Canada as well as the RCMP and other government stakeholders. This Code
establishes a minimum standard required to validate a Canadian Diamond
claim based on a papertrail and a chain of warranties, which was found
to be the most appropriate system to validate claims on the origin of
Canadian diamonds.
The Competition Bureau and the World Jewellery Confederation (CIBJO)
have endorsed this Code.
