Conflict Diamonds

In the world there are so many diamonds, mostly all of them are conflict diamonds; what are conflict diamonds? how to buy a conflict-free diamond? how to prevent them? And did anybody do something about conflict diamonds? As you read on I’ll explain all of these questions.

Conflict diamonds are diamonds which are solid in order to fund weapons and civil war. Profits are gained from the trade in conflict diamonds. They are worth billions of dollars. A lot of people were killed so, that warlords and rebels could buy weapons. They sell diamonds to buy weapons for the war, which have cost them an estimated 3.7 million lives. The war ended but conflict diamonds hasn’t gone away, as the rebels control the areas which have these diamonds, In order to smuggle them out of the country no matter how many people they kill or keep as slaves.

When you go shopping for diamond you should ask the salesperson four simple questions to see if they are conflict free diamonds, they should always be happy to help you answer the questions but if not leave and go somewhere else. The questions are;

1) How can I be sure none of your jewellery contains conflict diamonds?

2) Do you know were the diamonds came from?

3) Can I see a copy of your company’s policy on conflict diamonds?

4) Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond supplier stating your diamonds are conflict-free?

When you buy a diamond there are a lot things to think about. You may here that the color, cut, clarity and carrots weight are the main things. What about conflict diamonds that caused the war in Africa so, shouldn’t you think about that too? As a customer you can help to protect these innocent people by being used by the warlords, by making sure that the diamond industries are keeping their promises to end the trade in conflict diamonds. The diamonds may be expensive but people lives are priceless.

In 2003, an international certification scheme called Kimberley process was lunched, making conflict diamond trades illegal. This process guaranties that conflict free diamonds will be officially in all shipments of rough diamonds to different countries. The international industry agreed that the conflict free diamond will be tracked until they are sold. All who sells conflict free diamonds should include a written guarantee. The diamond industry agreed to include written garuntees to all invoices, to adopt a code of conduct to prevent buying and selling of conflict diamonds, to Train staff about company policies and government regulations and to Keep records of all invoices and have them audited every year.

In 2004, amnesty international and global witnesses conducted a survey of diamond jewelers to see if they are keeping their promises to stop conflict trade. Not all sellers were following the polices, 18% had warranties and 22% of them had no policy at all. Diamond jeweler sellers must guarantee to follow the system and to make sure that their suppliers are only dealing with conflict free diamonds.