Conflict Diamonds Are Paid For With Blood

As more and more people become aware of the blood diamond trade, they are seeking to be part of causing its demise. If you are going to be purchasing a new piece of diamond jewelry for yourself or someone close to you, it is crucial that you take a moment to consider what the origin of the diamond was. Although admired for centuries, it is only now that people are finding out where some of the gems are from and why they are known as blood diamonds. Your commitment to finding out the answer is required, because it is often a lot more difficult as many consumers have discovered.

Blood diamonds are also known as conflict diamonds; essentially, they are stones that have been sold in order to fund wars, either through purchasing guns or paying soldiers. In many cases, they are funding illegal and unlawful operations run by rebel and terrorist groups, and they have played a significant role in the way that wars are run in some African countries. There are several countries that have been strongly impacted by the trade of blood diamonds and this has resulted in civilian casualties across the board, where people have suffered terror, mutilation and murder at the hands of groups who were funded in large part by the diamond trade.

In the mid 1970′s Angola obtained its independence from Portugal. It was during this period that a number of different groups were fighting with each other over which one would become the ruling group of the country. It is known that the National Union for the Total Control of Angola (UNITA) was able to fund themselves because they were involved with the sale of blood diamonds. Conflict diamonds that come from countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone, follow a route through Cote d’Ivoire. And even those countries that do no mining for diamonds themselves are somehow finding enough to keep up a steady export, such as The Republic of Congo. However, their governments refuse to provide answers whenever their origins come up.

In order to curb the sale of conflict diamonds in the world’s diamond market, countries are looking for effective means to accomplish that objective. So far, the most thorough idea is the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme. The Kimberley Process is seeking a way to completely irradicate blood diamonds in the market place. In doing so the rebel groups would not receive their much needed funding and countless thousands of innocent people will be spared as a result. The process, the uncut diamonds that come from peaceful zones must go through, determines their country of origin. Due to its effectiveness it is quite understandable why it received approval by the United Nations.

Currently, there are 48 parties that actively participate in the Kimberley Process, with 74 countries represented. These participants include all major countries who have a hand in producing, importing and exporting diamonds. This is certainly an important step when it comes to banning the presence of blood diamonds in the market, but the truth of the matter is that the process still has a long way to go. There is a great deal of debate when it comes to ascertaining how diamonds are sourced and even how to track them.

If you are in a place where you are considering the purchase of a diamond, what are your choices going to be? Making it a priority to purchase only conflict-free diamonds is one thing, but how do you follow through? More than one conscientious consumer has run into a brick wall when searching out conflict free diamonds. They may be told that there is no way of telling where the diamonds are from, or they may be pushed off in other ways.

You need to be persistent and insistent if you want to avoid purchasing a conflict diamond, thereby funding terrorists who perform horrendous crimes against innocent civilians, as well as causing many, many deaths. Make sure that you ask the jeweler if the gem you are interested in is a blood diamond, but do not just take his or her word for it. Ask them to show you proof of the diamond’s origins. Also, you have the right to read the company’s policy on the issue of conflict diamonds so request a written copy. You can also ask to see the statements of their particular suppliers. If any or all of this is denied to you, for whatever reason, you can be sure that something is definitely not right.

Make sure that you can purchase your diamond with a clear conscience. It might take some work, but it is certainly possible and extremely important. Always remember: when you buy a blood diamond you may pay with dollars or pounds, but by doing that you make innocent people pay with their blood.