Blood Not Bling

After reading Greg Campbell's book "Blood Diamonds," I must urge people: DO NOT BUY DIAMONDS unless they are GUARANTEED conflict-free. It is probably best not to purchase natural diamonds at all. Especially knowing that innocent people die every day because of conflict diamonds.

Conflict diamonds or "blood diamonds" are mined in war zones, particularly in Africa, funded by a warlord or for war efforts. Children are often used to excavate the gems, and generations are raised to fight in the conflicts. As a result, it is not uncommon to see children as young as eight wielding AK-47s and defending the warlords.

Diamond engagement rings are an "idea" that has been marketed to the public for the last 100 years at the cost of thousands of brutal amputations and innocent human lives.

"De Beer's founder Cecil Rhodes said that the future of his empire was guaranteed as long as 'men and women continued to fall in love'. . . . There's nothing that can ruin a carefully crafted mystique better than the stink of reality." (Campbell)

Unlike the early 1990s, the diamond market is monitored, and new regulations may be in place to prevent blood diamonds from reaching the consumer. The civil wars in Sierra Leone are over (for the most part).  However, this does not ensure that every diamond on the market is conflict-free.

"Diamonds are so portable---and their value so enticing---that no system of certificates will ever be able to answer, for certain, whether or not the diamonds in an engagement ring came from perfectly legitimate sources in South Africa or from under the tongue of a rebel called Colonel Poison." (Campbell)

And if that isn't enough, there are links to diamonds funding the terrorists who attacked the United States on 9/11. Think about it:  Highly portable, untraceable, and easily liquidated.

"'I now believe that to cut off Al Qaeda funds and the laundering activities you have to cut off the diamond pipeline,' said a European investigator quoted in the Washington Post. Whether the diamonds are in a Hamburg safe-deposit box or a cave in the Tora Bora mountains, they are now the terrorists' ace in the hole.  As long as some cells of leadership can survive the American military assault, they will have the means to continue their war well into the future."  (Campbell)

 There should be bumper stickers, hats, and t-shirts that say: "Fight terrorism. Don't buy diamonds."

But if you still want to buy diamonds, please don't be afraid to ask your jeweler if the diamond you are purchasing is guaranteed conflict-free (not just if they are following the Kimberly Process). The Kimberly Process is a certification program started in 2000 to block the sale of conflict diamonds.

"The Kimberley Process attempted to curtail the flow of conflict diamonds, help stabilize fragile countries and support their development. As the Kimberley Process has made life harder for criminals, it has brought large volumes of diamonds onto the legal market that would not otherwise have made it there. This has increased the revenues of poor governments and helped them to address their countries’ development challenges." (Wikipedia)

We need to take a hard look at this symbol of love.  It is time we all start looking at diamonds and start seeing blood instead of bling.

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Some excellent links to explore:

"Man-Made Diamonds Are The New Engagement Ring Trend"

Greg Campbell is awesome.

"What Are Conflict Diamonds"?

Blood Diamond is a really good movie about this subject.

So is Lord of War.  It's about arms dealing in South Africa.