TrainingGuide_v5

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EMPLOYEE TRAINING MANUALHOW TO TRAIN YOUR EMPLOYEES ABOUT CONFLICT DIAMONDS


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EMPLOYEE TRAINING MANUALONCE YOU HAVE ENSURED COMPLIANCE

If you feel that you have not completed the necessary

action to ensure that you are compliant, refer to the

Managers Action Guide. Complete each detailed

section, and do not commence this manual until you

are confident that each step has been fulfilled.

Bullet points indicate important concepts to be discussed.

Italics indicate suggested words or phrases you can use when

delivering the concepts.

As a manager, you play a crucial part in communicating the

industrys position to your staff and eventually to the general

public. Misinformed or uninformed employees will only hinder

our cause and may result in lost sales. That is why you must

make learning about conflict diamonds a priorityfor both you,

and your staff. The key, though, is for you to learn first and learn

well. You will be considered the store expert, and, as such you

must be prepared for their questions and concerns.

Use any or all of these points to help educate your staff.

Introduce the meeting topic and assure your employees

that they will be able to answer customer questionswith confidence at the end of this meeting.

Example meeting script:

This morning we will be discussing a very important emerging

issue, our customers concerns on conflict diamonds. New

media attention will bring renewed awareness to this topic,

especially with the release of The Blood Diamond. Consumers

are more socially aware so we need to let them know we do

not support or sell conflict diamonds. They also need to know

that for years the industry has been actively working to eliminate

conflict diamonds from the marketplace.

First, let me remind you that diamonds are one of the ways

that people celebrate their deepest emotions. But diamonds

also employ people and deliver hope all over the world.

I want to assure you that every diamond we sell is warranted

by our suppliers to be from sources that are free from conflict

We are part of an industry-wide, global effort to eradicate

illegal diamonds. We will be discussing how you can speak

confidently to your customers and assure them that the

diamonds they are buying come from legitimate sources.

Diamonds are a lifeline and provide a livelihood for many

people in Africa and across the globe, so we also need to

do our part to ensure that our customers understand that

diamonds are vital to the stable societies of Africa and to

the growth and future of many nations.


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Using the Mini Guide: Understanding the Processes

in Place that Ban Conflict Diamonds, explain the

history and background of the Conflict Diamond

issue and the creation of the Kimberley Process.

In 1998, our industry became aware that rebel movements

in Africa were selling, among other things, illegally obtained

rough diamonds to pay for their wars. As awareness grew,

it became apparent that this illegal trade and the rebel wars

it supported were causing a lot of human suffering. The

diamond industry realized that this trade had to be stopped.

It took four years to create, ratify and adopt a process that

prohibits conflict diamonds from entering the legitimate rough

diamond supply. On November 5, 2002, there were 52

governments who ratified the process. This process is called

the Kimberley Process.

The Kimberley Process sets rules for the import and export

of rough diamonds. Every shipment of diamonds that crosses

an international border must be certified, numbered and

sealed. It is a system that includes tamper-resistant containers

and forgery-resistant certificates. The United States

Government has a law that enforces the Kimberley Process,

called the Clean Diamond Trade Act. It requires annual

reviews of the standards, practices and procedures of the

systems in place in the United States, which imports, trades

or exports rough diamonds.

The Kimberley Process is helping put an end to the problem

of conflict diamonds. When the problem was at its height,

conflict diamonds accounted for no more than 4% of the

worlds diamond supply. Now, they represent considerably

less than 1%. And the industry is committed to totally

eliminating them. The Kimberley Process guarantees that only

diamonds from legitimate sources are used in our jewelry.

While we may not know exactly where a diamond originated,

you can guarantee that every diamond we sell was handled

within the Kimberley Process and therefore is certified to be

from sources that are free from conflict.

EMPLOYEE TRAINING MANUAL(CONTINUED)

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Explain the System of Warranties and how it

assures consumers.

The diamond industry adopted a System of Warranties to

further assure consumers of the origin of their diamonds.

This system requires every buyer and seller of polished

diamonds and diamond jewelry to make the following

statement on all invoices:

The diamonds herein invoiced have been purchased fromlegitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in

compliance with United Nations resolutions. The seller hereby

guarantees that these diamonds are conflict free, based on

personal knowledge and/or written guarantees provided by

the supplier of these diamonds.

The System of Warranties Assurance Statement

In addition to putting this statement on every invoice,

businesses are required to keep records of their invoices

and to have them audited. Government agencies can

also request proof of compliance.

Explain how your business reinforces the Kimberley

Process and the System of Warranties (once you

have ensured compliance).

We are in full compliance with this process, and we require

every one of our vendors to provide us with written assurances

that every diamond we buy has been sourced legitimately.

(If appropriate say,Vendors who could not fully meet our

standards are no longer doing business with us.)

We are totally committed to being able to assure our

customers that their diamonds are certified to be from

sources that are free from conflict.

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ENSURING A CONFLICT-FREE DIAMOND INDUSTRY

MINING EXPORT RETAILIMPORT MANUFACTURING

KIMBERLEY PROCESS (KP) CERTIFICATION

Rough diamonds traded between KP countries are

transported in a tamper-resistant container and

accompanied by a government-validated KP Certificate.

SYSTEM OF WARRANTIES (SoW) ASSURANCE

Once imported and ready to be traded, a written statement

must accompany all invoices guaranteeing that the diamonds

or diamond jewelry being sold are from legitimate sources.


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Review www.diamondfacts.org with your staff. Youwill also be able to download additional Confidence

Pack materials on this site, should you need to do so.

This website is an essential resource that we and our

customers can visit to learn more facts about conflict diamonds,

the measures in place to stop the trade in conflict diamonds,

and the positive impact that diamond and diamond revenues

have for producing nations.

Recount the Confidence Card points

to your employees.

Specifically, make a point of how the diamond industry,

directly and indirectly, employs 10 million people around the

world. Further, explain how diamonds are helping transform

the lives of Africans by providing jobs, building essential

infrastructure and funding education.

Its also extremely important that your employees convey the

fact that your establishment does not sell conflict diamonds.

Employees must also convey that every supplier to your store

has assured that their diamonds are from legitimate sources.

Finally, stress that today, over 99% of all diamonds are

certified to be from sources that are free from conflict.

So now you can tell your customers that the diamonds they

are buying are from legitimate sources and that the diamonds

sold by your store comply with the Kimberley Process and

System of Warranties. The Kimberley Process is an

international agreement that involves governments, human

rights organizations and the diamond industry. Under this

process, only legally-sourced diamonds can be made into

jewelry. The System of Warranties provides assurance thatpolished diamonds and jewelry are legitimately traded.

Introduce and discuss the Poster. Pose the questions

and take a few minutes to talk about the answers.

You may find it helpful to write down some of the

ideas and answers so people can refer to them during

the skill practices.

This poster will be posted in our back office to remind us

to be ready to answer the tough questions your customers

could ask you at any time.


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Review the Consumer Brochure with your employees.

If a customer has questions about conflict diamonds and wants

more information to take away and read, give them a copy

of the Consumer Brochure (available August 2006). It is

designed to reassure consumers that the trade in conflict

diamonds has been virtually eradicated. With an overview

of the Kimberley Process and System of Warranties, it

emphasizes that their support for the diamond industry will

help maintain the prosperity of diamond producing nations.

Discuss and practice conversations about

Conflict Diamonds.

We are going to practice how to answer questions about

conflict diamonds. When a customer says, How can I trust

that these diamonds are conflict free? you will say

I can assure you that all diamonds here at _______________

are from areas that are free of conflictbecause we only

source our diamonds from suppliers that are in compliance

with the Kimberly Process and we participate in the System

of Warranties. Plus it is illegal in the U.S. to sell conflict

diamondsand we follow the law.

Did you know that the U.S. is one of over 68 countries

that have laws to ensure that no conflict diamonds cross our

borders?

Before these laws were enacted, the amount of conflict

diamonds was estimated to be 4% of the worlds diamonds;

today that number is considerably less than 1%. Our industry

will not rest until it is 0%.

While there may be people who are engaged in illegal

diamond trading, it is important to deal with a jeweler you

know and trust. We have been in business for We have

been part of this community for We require official

statements of assurance from every single one of our

vendors.

We have written assurances from every vendor that our

diamonds are legally and legitimately sourced.

Encourage Employees to Practice

We must all be comfortable with these statements. Lets

practice.

Remember, you should all have these responses memorized

so that you can speak comfortably and naturallybut I would

rather you use your pocket card than say something incorrect

or not have an answer. So, lets practice using our card with

the customerin case you need it.

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Skill Practice Scenarios

1. A couple is looking at diamond engagement rings. She

is very excited, but he seems a little reserved. Finally, he

asks you if you have heard any of the buzz about conflict

diamonds lately

2. A woman is looking at gold earrings but doesnt seem to

like anything she sees. You suggest diamond stud earrings

and she responds that she wont buy conflict diamonds.

You answer

3. (For Manufacturers.)A retailer is examining your line of

diamond jewelry. The retailer asks: what steps are you taking

to make sure your business has no conflict diamonds?

Close the meeting and discuss next steps.

That concludes our meeting, but not our discussion. This

poster will be in the back office and I would like each of

you to carry your pocket card and refer to it daily until the

information is second nature to you.

Over the next few days, I will be working with each of you to

practice using what you have learned as part of your selling

conversations.

We need to be prepared to be supporters of diamonds and

our commitment to socially responsible business practices.

As new issues arise, I will bring them to your attention and

I hope you will do the same.

We are part of a global industry and we want to be sure

that our customers can buy from us with confidence. This

means not just selling the most desired gemstone in the

world. It means selling the ultimate gift of love, without any

reason for concern.

We are committed to keeping diamonds out of the hands of

those who would finance conflict. And we have a system in

place to make sure that happens.

Plus, it is illegal in the U.S. to sell or trade in conflict diamonds.

Diamonds give developing nations hopebecause they are

one of their most valued resources.

Thank you for your participation. Lets go sell the most

emotional and meaningful gifts anyone can give a loved

onediamonds.

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WORLD DIAMOND COUNCIL IN ALLIANCE WITH THE

FOLLOWING U.S. ORGANIZATIONS:

JEWELERS VIGILANCE COMMITTEE, JEWELERS OF

AMERICA, AMERICAN GEM SOCIETY, MANUFACTURING

JEWELERS & SUPPLIERS OF AMERICA, DIAMOND

DEALERS CLUB, DIAMOND MANUFACTURERS &

IMPORTERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, JEWELRY

INFORMATION CENTER

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TrainingGuide_v5