AMERICAN GEM SOCIETY

Kimball's Jewelers is a charter member of the The American Gem Society (AGS), which was created in 1934 to protect the consumer during the jewelry buying process. This not-for-profit trade association is comprised of fine jewelers, jewelry designers, and suppliers in the United States and Canada. Members adhere to the highest standards of business practices and ethics so that you can buy with confidence from jewelers you can trust.

Jewelers in the American Gem Society agree to:

Disclose all facts pertaining to a sale.

Never intentionally deceive their employees, consumers, vendors, or business partners.
Compete fairly and never speak unprofessionally about their competitors and encourage these principals with others.
Resolve any customer complaints.
Never sell conflict diamonds.
Continuing education—always improving their knowledge and keeping up with trends in jewelry and ethical business practices.

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Only 5% of all jewelers, designers, appraisers, and jewelry suppliers in the U.S. and Canada have met the standards necessary for membership in the American Gem Society. For a firm to become a member of the American Gem Society, it must meet a list of rigid requirements:

Owners, principals, or employees must have completed an accredited or graduate program from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or Gem-A (the Gemological Association of Great Britain).
Must hold a reputation for unquestioned integrity in the business community and must be operated in a way that will enhance the confidence of the public in the jewelry industry.
Owners and principals must demonstrate their genuine interest in operating their business in accordance with the highest ethical standards.
Must have been in the retail, supplier, or independent appraisal business for at least two years and be able to demonstrate financial stability.

For more information, please visit: www.americangemsociety.org

Conflict Diamonds
A conflict diamond (also called a blood diamond or war diamond) is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold to finance an insurgency, invading army's war efforts, or a warlord's activity. These terms are particularly used in the context of diamond trading to indicate the negative effects of their sale. These diamonds are predominately mined in Africa, where nearly 2/3 of the world's diamonds are extracted.

A conflict free diamond is just the opposite. Conflict free diamonds come with additional guarantees authenticating a diamond's origin and value on the world market. These diamonds come from countries who keep record of each diamond, from mine to refinery to the open market. Buying CONFLICT FREE DIAMONDS is just one of many ways the jewelry industry can continue to improve the industry and provide additional transparency for the consumer and diamond dealers in general.

Kimball's is firmly committed to providing jewelry that is conflict free, and we hope you'll join us in only supporting businesses who support sustainability and transparency.