Conflict Free Diamonds are the Ethical Choice
Consumers Can Help Stop the Sale of Blood Diamonds
Jul 28, 2009
Most women aspire to own a diamond ring or other piece of diamond jewelery, but many of the world’s diamonds are mined under unethical and horrifying conditions. They are referred to as conflict diamonds, and no matter how beautiful these diamonds may be, they should not be purchased. Instead choose a conflict-free diamond.
In an attempt to stop the trade of conflict diamonds from known conflict areas, South African countries with a legitimate diamond trade initiated a scheme in 2003 to track the origins of all rough diamonds. This international effort is known as the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, and aims to rid the world of conflict diamonds.
What are Conflict Free Diamonds?
Conflict-free diamonds are mined in an environmentally responsible fashion and are free of all violence and human-rights abuses. By comparison, a diamond is a conflict diamond if its profit is used to fund war, or it is mined or produced under unethical conditions. Conflict diamonds are also sometimes referred to as blood diamonds.
Blood diamonds originate from areas that are controlled by forces who are opposed to the officially recognized government. These diamonds have been sold to fund the unlawful and illegal operations of rebel, military and terrorist groups. These diamonds are sold on the black market and the funds used to propagate a bloody war, where in many cases, children are victims.
Where do Conflict Diamonds Come From?
Countries that have been most affected by conflict diamonds are Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia and Angola. Citizens in these places have been mutilated, terrorized and have lost their lives at the hands of the groups who control the local diamond trade. Child labour is often used.
The civil war in Sierra Leone that lasted from 1991 to 2002 used diamonds to buy guns for the Revolutionary United Front that aimed to overthrow the government. Although the wars in most of those areas have ceased, or decreased in intensity, conflict diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire and Liberia are still reaching the market labeled as conflict-free diamonds by being smuggled across borders.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme
The Kimberley Process aims to document and track all rough diamonds entering a participating country. The shippers are expected to place the stones in tamper proof crates and provide sufficient details about their origin to prove the diamonds did not originate from a conflict zone.
As the process involves the co-operation of dozens of governments and non-governmental agencies it is not fully operational and will take time to achieve its goals.
How Can Consumers Help Stop the Sale of Blood Diamonds?
No one buying a diamond would want to know that their purchase was helping and encouraging brutal and violent acts. Retailers cannot always guarantee that the diamond they sell is conflict-free, but if consumers begin to demand proof that the diamond is conflict-free, this will send a powerful message to the world wide industry.
Certificates of origin are now supplied with many of the diamonds that come from the Yukon in Canada. This certificate lets the buyer know that there is no possibility of their purchase being a conflict diamond. Igloo Diamonds from Canada are an ethical choice as they forward a portion of money from sales towards landmine clearing in Mozambique. Kimberley diamonds from Australia are also conflict free.
Always ask the retailer about their blood diamond policy and if they are not clear on the source of their stones, it's best to purchase a diamond elsewhere. Change will not happen overnight, but it will eventually happen if consumers are persistent in efforts to make the ethical choice and only buy ethically-mined, conflict-free diamonds.
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