While the issues of labor and human rights violations remain at the fore of the global diamond market, one Chicago jeweler is doing his part to change the industry from the inside.

Brian Leber, owner of Leber Jeweler in River North, offers a “conflict free” alternative for his diamond-hunting customers.

Leber, a third-generation jeweler, purchases the diamonds sold at his store from Canada — a source which ensures that the stones are clean, he said.

“The major advantage to Canadian diamonds is that you have an established government that’s providing scrutiny,” he said. “You’re able guarantee that there were no human rights abuses caused by the mining of the stone.”

Leber said the decision to buy diamonds from the country’s Northwest Territories, where the industry is still relatively new, stems from what he sees as a growing problem in the jewelry market.

Despite nearly a decade of international regulation within the industry, some diamond-rich countries still employ slave labor practices in the procurement and production of the precious stones.

In Africa, where an estimated 65 percent of the world’s diamonds originate, policies such as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, which is aimed at verifying the origin of rough diamonds, have been largely ineffective in reining in slave labor and violence in mining regions. In spite of these ongoing atrocities, some of the world’s largest diamond cartels continue to buy from these areas, Leber said.

In addition to his jewelry business, Leber is also an activist in the diamond and gem market, advocating for stricter regulation on labor and trade practices within the industry.

The jeweler’s vocation in diamond activism started in the mid-1990s, when he and his wife began working with Amnesty International to combat the violations present in the diamond industries of Angola and Sierra Leone, where rebel groups were selling slave-procured diamonds to international buyers to their fund military actions.

“We thought what we saw was wrong, and that the industry needed to move in a better direction,” he said.

After taking over the family business, Leber went on to advocate both independently and alongside activist groups for boycotts and human rights sanctions in the Burmese gem market, where the ruling junta has long been accused of implementing unsuitable work conditions in the countries mines. Leber has since published papers and petitioned the U.S. and Burmese governments to take action on the issue.

“Our business has become just as much about advocacy as it is about selling jewelry,” he said.

Leber recently helped launch the “Ask Before You Buy” campaign, spurred by the advocacy group Human Rights Watch. The initiative calls for a ban on the sale of diamonds tied to forced labor in eastern Zimbabwe. In his work with the group, Leber has helped pen recommendations for studies on multi-national corporations in the diamond and gem industries.

Stephen Steim, a manager with the Human Rights Watch, said that Leber offers a unique perspective on the diamond trade.

“He is essentially acting as a personal advocate to reform the industry,” he said.

When asked why the diamond industry continues to perpetuate these violations, Leber said that the market has always been motivated by greed. Change, he said, must come from the voice of consumers.

“By requiring a guarantee that diamonds are not coming from conflict areas, you’re really sending a signal that these issues are important,” said Leber.

Located at 303 W. Erie in River, Leber Jeweler also features a selection of fair trade gemstones and jewelry produced from recycled gold and platinum.