An engagement ring is a symbol that exemplifies the essence of a
timeless and lasting union, something that most people strive towards,
and this timeless essence should be present in the lyrical structure of
the ring's design, making the aesthetic a source of truth and wonder.
Consequently, getting diamond engagement rings is a priority for those
looking to ask the most important question of their lives, and the
process by which they choose their engagement ring is typically fraught
with pressure. At the same time for the retailers, the demand for these
rings is often so tempting that they may rely on dubious sources for
obtaining the gems they require, a fact that has led to the
establishment of an at times thriving conflict-diamond industry.
The
prevalence of blood diamonds is not something centralized to one
country, and its effects have rippled throughout the entire world, with
many people looking for a perfect engagement ring, feeling conflicted
about the origin of their purchase and how the diamond was procured.
This is why there are so many people in the jeweling industry looking
for alternatives for acquiring diamonds, and in some cases these
alternatives are even moissanites. This means that people mining
diamonds are facing heavy scrutiny, forcing them to either abandon such
practices or conceivably lie about the origins of the gems to avoid
losing profits. Still, in terms of the integrity of the jeweling
industry, the damage of the blood diamond trade has been done.
Otherwise
known as blood diamonds, these gems are tainted by the fact that they
are typically taken from countries embroiled in conflicts and civil
wars, wars which run on diamonds, which warlords and generals collect in
order to generate revenue, revenue which pays for weapons and men.
Sometimes these diamonds are used to undermine already installed
governments and begin civil wars, leading to avoidable bloodshed. Of
course, in some situations the diamond miners are not in cahoots with
the military or political bodies, in these cases the warlords simply
conquer the diamond mines and use them for their own purposes. The
warlords run these mining camps like prisons, and conscript citizens
into slave labour.
Ultimately, this sort of shady diamond trade
put a black mark on the whole industry, changing how and with what
countries, jewellers did business as they sought to avoid contributing
to the problem. Still, problems persisted and several countries still
supported the blood diamond trade with a renewed effort. One of the
countries that started the trade and kept it going was Angola. Once a
Portuguese colony that earned its independence in the year 1975, Angola
instantly dipped into civil war, a war that lasted until 2001. During
this time one of the groups that were vying for power in the country
sold about $3.72 billion in diamonds to finance their war and increased
the violence in the area substantially. When all was said and done, the
UN discovered that several groups in the country had used conflict
diamonds to fund their war and consequently the UN established
legislation making the sale of diamonds to fund wars in countries like
Angola illegal.
The story of Angola exemplifies why retailers
choose their diamonds carefully and how the diamond engagement ring was
viewed by consumers, at the time. Ultimately, this affected the market
quite intensely, with people asking specific questions regarding the
origin of each diamond. Consequently, it is difficult to find a diamond
retailer, which has not had some sort of reaction or connection to this
movement away from the blood diamond trade. To combat this sort of
negative press many prominent engagement ring
retailers had begun to offer moissanite rings, which are equal in
beauty and in sheen as their authentic counter parts. This has helped to
make the industry more sustainable as an awareness of the people that
are still suffering in certain eras working the minds and collecting
diamonds.
To help further slow the prevalence and distribution of
so-called blood diamonds, the UN commenced a thorough investigation into
the effects of the blood diamond trade on countries in Africa stuck in
zones of conflict. An example of this type of conflict was found in
Liberia and Sierra Leone where, after the civil war started in 1989,
several warlords were locked in vicious fighting, looking for a way to
pay for their armies in the field and recruit more soldiers. Near the
end of the conflict in 2000 the UN brought charges against the leaders
of the Liberian Revolutionary United Front for trafficking in blood
diamonds and as a result they were exiled. This set a precedent for
going after the leaders directly, and prosecuting them to extent of the
UN's ability.
Another place where the fight against the
trafficking blood diamonds has helped to rid the market of tainted gems
can be found in Côte d'Ivoire and the way the diamond mines were
appropriated violently. A simple diamond mining operation In Côte
d'Ivoire started in the 90s, but after a coup, which toppled the
government sparked a civil war Côte d'Ivoire became the place where some
of the diamonds sold in Sierra Leon were trafficked and these diamonds
became the core of one of the main blood diamond trafficking systems.
Later, the UN imposed severe sanctions that reduced the level of
diamonds exported out of the country, but one of the consequences of
pushing back against this trade was the withdrawal of much of the
foreign investment in these countries.
Still, even with all of the
effort put into ridding the industry of blood diamonds, more needs to
be done. This is why many forward thinking jewellers have begun to offer
moissanite options, and why many customers have asked for alternatives.
These alternatives can involve paying a bit more for diamonds that are
guaranteed to have been extracted from more responsible mining
operations. This can be the more expensive choice but ultimately a good
way to mitigate the prevalence of conflict diamonds on the engagement
ring market.
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