Wikipedia's definition of Corporate Social Responsibility is: "a concept whereby organizations consider the interests of society by taking responsibility for the impact of their activities on customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment. This obligation is seen to extend beyond the statutory obligation to comply with legislation and sees organizations voluntarily taking further steps to improve the quality of life for employees and their families as well as for the local community and society at large."
GCAL, through the years, has always had an awareness for what the implications of diamond mining would have on the local environment and its' people. Through its’ association with CIBJO, GCAL has sponsored initiatives to fund the education of children in the African nations where diamond mining occurs.
With the introduction of Source Veritas (Truth in Source), a patent pending process that utilizes Gemprint® identification technology, GCAL became the world's first grading lab to issue a diamond certificate that gives assurance of safe, legitimate sourcing, as well as distribution, of diamonds. Consumers purchasing a GCAL Source Veritas diamond can buy with the confidence of safe sourcing.
Consumers can buy the diamond of their dreams knowing the purchase is making a difference in someone's life half way around the world. While your diamond sparkles and signifies the hopes for your future, it also represents a ray of hope to those in under developed African nations where diamonds are a means to a better life. Enjoy your GCAL Certified Source Veritas diamond - knowing your purchase made a difference.
We have developed a reasonable, cost effective, and secure tracking and identification system for precious metals, diamonds, and gemstones.
The process encompasses patented technologies that both implement a DNA marking and tracking system and multi-level security protocols marking rough diamonds at the mines, and Gemprint Fingerprint Technology for identifying polished diamonds after the cutting process
The process will allow rough diamonds to be easily identifiable in the marketplace as coming from a specific country or mine.
Simply put, the Chain of Custody is the unbroken path a product takes from the first stage in the supply chain, through to the end customer as a finished product, including raw commodity materials, conversion, transformation, distribution/ logistics.
'Growth' in the industry of CoC is being driven by increasing consumer demand on product origin
Core Elements of the Program.
Assess vulnerabilities and key control points
Product Identification
Record Keeping
Responsibility and Accountability
Audit function
Integration within Supply Chain
The DNA Matrix
High security anti-counterfeiting mark, that cannot be reverse engineered or duplicated
Embedded in a transparent ink solution that can be printed on most tangible substrates
Covert or overt mark, detectable with specially calibrated readers for "in the field" verification
Forensic Detection
Extraction and matching of DNA sequence code n authorized lab facility
Irrefutable proof/ positive identification, admissible in a court of law
1 in 33 trillion chance of breaking the code
The downstream, diamond pipeline benefits are endless.
The manufacturer benefits are:
The diamond dealer benefits are:
The retail jeweler benefits are:
The consumer benefits are:
CONCLUSION
Source Veritas™, as described with UV/DNA liquid coatings for rough diamonds and Gemprint® for polished diamonds, integrated into elements of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme can create "an auditable chain of custody" from mine to market at minimal cost and effort throughout the pipeline. This system can work for gemstones, diamonds, and precious metals.