Buy A Conflict Free Diamond
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by: ArseneBergkampe
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Word Count: 415
Buying a diamond is usually something that happens for the most exciting occasions - an anniversary, a wedding, or the big one: your engagement. Those diamonds can be blood diamonds, however, so it's best to think about buying your diamonds in the conflict free variety if you can find them.
Most of the world's diamonds come from Africa, where they are mined in countries like Angola, Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Republic of Congo. These diamonds are often called blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds, because they are involved in being sold for profits that will be used for war.
All of the world has known about the blood diamond problem for years, and the United Nations has instituted several policies to try to stop the proliferation of conflict diamonds, without success. The latest has been the Kimberley Process in 2002, which seeks to screen diamonds for the open market.
Unfortunately the Kimberley Process is not monitored as well as it should be, and it is believed that conflict diamonds still get through the screening and make it into jewelers' hands. In 2007, over 10 million dollars worth of diamonds let through were believed to be conflict diamonds.
These diamonds themselves are no different in appearance or quality than any other diamond, and you will not be able to tell if your diamond was mined in a conflict situation by just looking at it. However, you can make sure to buy a conflict free diamond by purchasing one from specific sources.
There are jewelers that specialize in conflict free diamonds that are not mined in Africa, as most diamonds are. They are usually mined in Canada, and only a select number of jewelers sell these conflict free diamonds to the public. Their relative rarity means that they are a bit more expensive.
You could also buy estate jewelry. While not guaranteed to be conflict free - most of the diamonds in these pieces were mined before these conflicts and wars started, meaning they were not part of the blood for money trade that diamonds today are involved in. This way can be more economical.
Choosing to buy conflict free diamond jewelry is one way to tell the world that you care, and that you aren't going to support the wars and conflicts in Africa. You can also tell the big diamond companies that you aren't going to support them in their corrupt ways by buying outside of their reaches.
About the Author
Arsne Bergkampe is with JewelryStoresforYou.com - a directory of jewelry stores around the country.