If you are looking for a pair of diamond earrings or your’re a curious diamond geek, then it will not come as a big surprise if you have heard of the term ‘Blood Diamonds.’ These diamonds, also known as conflict diamonds, are just normal diamonds like those that come with your exquisite diamond jewelry. But they are not colored bloody red. Truth be told, there is much more meaning to such kind of diamonds. And not a very pleasant meaning at that.
Blood diamond is a term used to refer to a diamond that is mined using forced labor. These gem stones are then used to supply armed groups with weapons and vehicles. These blood diamonds are also used to finance rebel groups’ operations that would involve the massacre of unarmed civilians and other crimes against humanity.
In effort to put a stop to these atrocities, many diamond miners, government agencies, and diamond distributors banded together to form a solid group that would hamper the distribution of blood diamonds in the market. This lead to the creation of the Kimberly Process. Through the collaborative efforts from the concerned parties, each diamond that enters the retail market will be certified by the Kimberly Process. This means the distributor must be able to trace the origin of the diamond, from where it was mined, the date it was mined, and when it arrived to the retailer.
Having said that, there are still blood diamonds who get past the Kimberly Process. But, the number of blood diamonds that enter the stream of diamond buying and selling has greatly decreased since the installation of the Kimberly Process. It may not be perfect, but at the very least, it is making a huge impact in stopping, or at least, slowing down the operations of armed conflict groups all over the world.
Another good thing is that you can do your part as citizen of the world to help in putting an end to the conflicts financed through blood diamonds. All you need to do is buy from reputable dealers who have the proper licenses and certification from the authorities. So when you shop for diamond earrings, diamond stud earrings, and other pieces of diamond jewelry, make sure you purchase from the right people. You’ll never know, such act can really promote world peace and bring end to the atrocities caused by greed and lust for power.
