{"id":3169,"date":"2024-10-24T12:42:47","date_gmt":"2024-10-24T12:42:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp.luxyverse.com\/guide\/?p=3169"},"modified":"2025-03-27T11:06:35","modified_gmt":"2025-03-27T11:06:35","slug":"what-are-blood-diamonds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wp.luxyverse.com\/guide\/what-are-blood-diamonds\/","title":{"rendered":"The Dark History of Blood Diamonds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Diamonds are a gem long associated with wedding bells, celebration, and warm fuzzy feelings. So it\u2019s unsurprising that hearing the term \u201cblood diamonds\u201d in the same breath can be a bit jarring. It doesn\u2019t feel good to think that the same stones that bring us so much joy are associated with the dark reality of forced labour and inhumane working conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whether this is the first time you\u2019re hearing about conflict diamonds or if you\u2019re looking to avoid purchasing a blood diamond for your forever adornment, we\u2019re here to help. In this article, we\u2019ll discuss the history of blood diamonds and the state of the situation today. We\u2019ll also help you determine if a diamond or a diamond alternative is the right choice for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Is a Blood Diamond?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The term, \u201cblood diamond\u201d was established by the United Nations in the 1990s to address devastating civil wars taking place in western and central Africa. Regions such as Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Sierra Leone were heavily impacted by rebel groups looking to exploit these diamond-rich African countries, wreaking havoc on both people and natural resources in the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a blood diamond was mined, it was sold directly to merchants or smuggled into a nearby country where it would be combined with stocks of legally mined diamonds and then sold on the open market. Profits from the blood diamond trade went back into the illegal operation and funds were used to purchase weapons and war materiel for violent rebel groups. The blood diamond meaning is simply that it was sold from and to fund violent insurrection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The History of Blood Diamonds<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Once a conflict diamond enters the supply chain, it is cut and polished to appear identical to any other stone. This concerned people in the West as retailers were unable to verify the source of these inhumane gems. As more and more shoppers began to question the origin of their engagement ring\u2019s center stone, Diamond traders feared that a worldwide boycott was around the corner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Africa Countries Associated With Conflict & Smuggling of Blood Diamonds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the year 2000, the UN Security Council released a report that exposed the existence of blood diamonds in the world diamond market. The Anglo-South African company De Beers came out looking especially bad as it controlled nearly 60% of the rough diamond global trade. As the world\u2019s largest market at the time, Antwerp, Belgium, also took some heat for not confirming the source of the diamonds that they traded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Conflict Free Diamonds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

These upsetting revelations inspired the UN to create the Kimberley Process, a certification system used to determine whether an exporting country\u2019s diamonds are truly conflict free. Today, the Kimberley Process certification scheme is credited with significantly reducing the number of armed conflict diamonds on the international gem market. And according to The World Diamond Council, 99% of all diamonds are now conflict free as each legitimate diamond is tracked from mine to store.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Are There Still Blood Diamonds?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While the number of blood diamonds available on the U.S. market has dropped significantly, that doesn\u2019t mean that the problem of conflict diamonds has been eliminated. Unfortunately, diamonds originating from some regions such as Zimbabwe are still considered suspect. They have been banned from a handful of diamond trading networks due to international concern over forced labor and human rights abuses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Alluvial mining in Africa<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Additionally, some human rights groups argue that our understanding of how many blood diamonds are in circulation could be skewed. The figures that we see are only based on the UN\u2019s definition of conflict diamonds as precious stones that fund rebel movements against a country\u2019s government. Citing Zimbabwe\u2019s abuse of the legitimate diamond trade, activists are calling to redefine the meaning of blood diamonds as stones whose trade is based on violence or aggression of any kind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Is My Diamond a Blood Diamond?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Currently, diamond exports are dominated by mines in Canada, Russia, and South Africa, where diamond miners are required to treat employees well. If you\u2019ve purchased an engagement ring<\/a> or diamond jewelry <\/a>of any kind in recent years or are planning to do so, it\u2019s unlikely that your piece features a blood diamond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What Can You Do?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned above, significant steps have been taken to ensure that diamond producers provide consumers with conflict free stones. The world\u2019s most popular jewelers set their pieces with ethical diamonds and gemstones, meaning that modern consumers don\u2019t need to worry about purchasing a new piece of jewelry that uses blood diamonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, looking at diamond mining process<\/a> destruction as a whole, some consumers might feel that simply avoiding blood diamonds isn\u2019t enough. This precious stone still poses a conflict in some areas. So <\/a>why are diamonds unethical still? The truth is, negative human impact isn\u2019t the diamond industry\u2019s only crime; diamond mines are terrible for the earth, too. For these reasons, many shoppers are turning to diamond alternatives such as synthetic or lab grown diamond rings instead. When you choose a lab diamond, you\u2019re choosing <\/a>sustainable engagement rings, sustainable wedding bands, and sustainable jewelry <\/a>altogether.<\/p>\n\n\n\n