Throughout the world, the “Kimberley Process Certified” stamp of approval has been seen as a guarantee of a conflict-free past, offering consumers a standard with which to judge the ethical credentials of a diamond prior to purchase. However, in late 2011, Global Witness pulled out of scheme, branding it “an accomplice to diamond laundering”. One of the key reasons for Global Witness’s departure has been activity around the Marange diamond fields in Zimbabwe over the past few years, where an explosion of diamond production has been accompanied by increased levels of violence and intimidation orchestrated by a corrupt political and military elite . Since this conflict does not involve warring rebel militias, the KPCS considers Zimbabwe diamonds to be conflict-free.