One Voice

My attitude and lust for diamonds has indeed changed. To be honest, at first I was a little bitter about the fact that I was pushed out of my bubble and had to look at diamonds in a completely different way than i used to. I will never be able to look at a diamond again without thinking of the people of Africa and wondering where that stone came from. But thank goodness I am no longer ignorant of this problem. I can still enjoy the beauty of diamonds. I still will make my way by the Cartier window every time I'm at South Coast. Only now I will not have my rose colored glasses on when I admire the stones.

There is so much information about the torment and torture of the African people who are suffering from diamond fueled civil wars. The trauma that they face far exceeds anything I can express through words. I can't even begin to touch upon the horrendous damage done to millions of people and what it's like for them. I 'm not in that situation. I can't possibly even begin to imagine how they feel. But what I do know is that blood diamonds is a real, sobering, and pertinent issue that CANNOT be ignored. I think it is extremely important to know about the heartless company of De Beers and its history. And I can put the blame on De Beers, on the U.N., on the soulless people of the R.U.F. But that won't solve anything. I said to myself when I first started this blog that my main goal of writing about this issue was to educate people. I can't bring De Beers down. I can't stop the killing, raping, torture or the brain washing of children that transforms their innocence into a nightmare of evil. But I can be a voice. I can educate myself and others on how not to feed the enemy by knowing how to purchase conflict free diamonds. I can spread the word about blood diamonds.

Be a Smart Consumer

I promised that I would post information about how to buy clean diamonds. I think it is incredibly important for a consumer to be knowledgeable about how to purchase diamonds so that they are not unwittingly supporting an institution that deals with blood diamonds. There are several ways to go about ensuring that the diamond retailer sells conflict free stones. For starters, here are four questions you should ask the company:

1. Do you know where your diamonds come from?
   
2. May I see a copy of your company's policy on conflict diamonds?


3. Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers stating that your diamonds are conflict free?


4. How can I be sure that none of your jewelry contains conflict diamonds?
   

The retailer should be more than willing to answer these questions and give you all the documentation necessary. At the top is a sample of a System of Warranties statement that they should have on hand for customer warranties. It should be updated on a yearly basis. DiamondFacts.org is the web site that has a copy of this document in case you want a closer look at it.

I cannot express how important it is for consumers to make sure they are buying conflict free stones. If no one checks, and no one holds the company responsible for proving they don't deal with conflict diamonds, then they are just as guilty as the dealer. We as consumers hold the power. It's up to us to demand that our diamonds are clean.

BLOWING OFF SOME STEAM

Here’s a quote from Israeli diamond writer Chaim Even-Zohar, published in the Blood Diamonds book:

"The brave man would write that the whole issue of war diamonds can only benefit De Beers."

I’m going to go off on this issue again. Guess I need to blow off some steam. Look at these pictures. They are heart wrenching. And De Beers is taking this abominable issue and smugly using it as leverage above other diamond companies as a way to increase their profits. They are in a sense portraying to the public, “look everyone, we do not deal with conflict diamonds and we are the ONLY company that can guarantee that our stones are clean. You should buy from us. We are a squeaky clean corporation.” Too bad some of the public is ignorant (just like I was) to the dark history of De Beers and to the fact that they are taking this issue and spinning it in their favor. It is despicable. I loath the ethics of this diamond giant.

Yuck

Ok so now I’m really mad. I discovered that De Beers is selling off its stockpile of diamonds. I’m not sure if it has all been sold off, but it’s in the process. Remember how I said that diamond prices would go down and their profits would decress if this happened? Well to make up for that, De Beers in 2001 joined with French luxury retailer LVMH in a business deal that would enter De Beers into the retail market for the first time ever. That’s when De Beers began selling both its rough and polished diamonds, and was the sole company to sell both. And that’s when De Beers began selling as a brand. Now, De Beers has stopped buying on the open market because of the conflict diamond issue. This means that once the stockpile is sold off in completion, De Beers will be the only company whose stones will have been in its possession from when it was obtained in private mines in Africa to when the diamonds are sold to consumers. Because De Beers owns its own diamond mines, they will be the only, the only company able to guarantee that the jewelry it sells is clean.

So why does this piss me off? Well because in essence, De Beers was able to take the horror of blood diamonds and use it as a marketing tool. Apparently people being slaughtered, amputated, rapped, forced to flee their county is a good marketing tool. And that’s exactly how the company is treating the issue. De Beers isn't cleaning up its act because they want to, they are doing it because one, they have to, and two because it creates a beneficial marketing plan. Yuck. F that. God forbid De Beers takes a human approach and doesn't look at the issue of conflict diamonds as a PR tactic but rather as an issue that needs to be taken on for the well being of the African race.

A Scary Thought

Trying to dig up dirt on De Beers is like pulling teeth. It’s painful. Well painful in the sense that there’s little to no information that currently condemns the company. Most of the research that I’ve done and the facts that I have are all after 2001 or so. Granted there’s enough about the history and senseless dealings of De Beers that makes me want to vomit, but recent news all praises De Beers for becoming a conflict free company and not tolerating blood diamonds in any way. I happen to believe that the reason why they are so adamant now about proclaiming their stance against conflict diamonds is because it gives them a greater marketing tool. That’s a whole issue in itself. But back to my point on digging up recent dirt on the slimy company. While reading more into my Blood Diamonds book, I discovered something which was a little bit scary. Here’s what I found:

“On June 8, 2001, De Beers officially disappeared from the radar. All publicly owned shares of the company and its subsidiaries were purchased by a consortium of buyers collectively called DB Investments. The absorption of the company from the South African and London stock exchanges into private hands means that De Beers no longer has to make detailed public financial reports to securities organizations or shareholders.” - Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds

How is this possible? Apparently it is, and I guess that gives reason to why I can find little damning evidence against De Beers. What a scary thought.

The Bushmen Video

There's a video that's posted on the boycott De Beers web site that is really moving. It's a bit long, but so worth watching. I had no idea about this issue... I really despise The De Beers Group.

Bushmen Video

A Boycott

I came across an interesting web site today that shed more bad light on De Beers. It’s a web site promoting a boycott of De Beers. It focuses on another issue besides that of the company’s dealings with conflict diamonds. The site talks about how De Beers in collaboration with the Botswana government has forced the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert (located in the southern African country of Botswana) out of their land and into camps. These people are called the Bushmen. Unfortunately for them, they happen to inhabit a land that is one of the “richest diamond producing areas in the world.” De Beers owns all of the diamond mines in that area of Africa, and operates hand in hand with the Botswana government. Together they have forced The Bushman off their land and into camps outside the diamond reserves.

I am mortified by this accusation. I can’t believe that De Beers would be involved in forcing people off their own territory. Well, actually I can believe that they would do such a thing. I guess if De Beers has no problem with dealing in blood diamonds, then it's no surprise that the company with such an immoral soul would push an entire indigenous population off their land.

De Beers and its Stockpile

The more and more I read about the inter workings of the De Beers Group, the more and more I am appalled by them. I discussed previously that De Beers is the largest buyer and seller in the world of diamonds, and controls how many stones make it to the market so they can control prices. According to Blood Diamonds, around 2000 De Beers had a stockpile of diamonds procured from all over the world, including warring regions in Africa, which totaled about $4 billion. Of course this hefty sum in actuality is a lot less than that because if the company ever decided to sell all of these diamonds, the price for rough stones would fall dramatically. Now taking into account this large amount of stones that was in the possession of De Beers since before 2000, there is no possible way that every single stone is conflict free. Granted in 2000 De Beers stopped its open market buying, but that means for a good ten years De Beers did business in a market with no restrictions on how stones were acquired. I posted a while back about a 1996 report that De Beers put out saying that their purchases reached “record highs” because of the production in Angola. Well that right there proves that undoubtedly somewhere in the $4 billion stockpile of diamonds, there are bound to be conflict stones. So not only is the company controlling the market price of diamonds, but who knows if the stones that they do put out on the market are really clean. Some food for thought perhaps. DON”T BUY FROM DE BEERS!

De Beers and the Mafia

In my last post I talked about “the syndicate” and how De Beers is a major player, if not the largest one in the game. I said how it was similar to some characteristics of the Mafia. Well here’s one more similarity, and one that deals directly with the ugly hidden side of De Beers. Here’s an excerpt from Campbell’s book:

“De Beers itself is treated almost like an organized crime operation in the United States; it’s barred from doing any business in America because it’s considered to be in violation of U.S. antitrust laws, which seek to prevent price fixing.” Controlling the number of diamonds that are released into the market from an enormous supply (mostly obtained from rebels in Africa…I will go into that later) is exactly like price fixing. In 2000, it was actually illegal for more than three executives from De Beers to be in America at once. Now that to me sounds like it is a trust worthy and admirable company. Ha ha. Too bad this doesn’t keep De Beers from doing business.

The Syndicate

I always thought the reason diamonds are so expensive was because they are rare, gorgeous stones that attract the human eye with their glittering facets. However, after reading more from Greg Campell’s book Blood Diamonds (which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to educate themselves about this topic) I learned there’s this little thing called “the syndicate”. It has been said that “the syndicate” holds some similarities to the Mafia. Oh how endearing. Basically, “the syndicate” is made up of diamond traders, brokers, smugglers, and sellers, all operating in a world that is set far apart from the consumers of diamonds. Lawyers are rare and hardly involved in this scene at all. Then there are the diamond houses that are owned, operated, and passed down by family members or tightly knit business partners. My favorite diamond company (insert sarcasm here), De Beers, is, and I quote Mr. Campbell on this, “the world’s largest diamond buyer and seller…[with] the monopolistic perk of both buying a commodity and placing a value on it.” So basically, De Beers is the largest operator of this so called “syndicate” and controls the amount of diamonds that are released into the market place, thus allowing the price of diamonds to remain high, and for De Beers to continue to regulate and hold control over the prices of their diamonds. Interesting…….

Cut Short

Last weekend I was at South Coast Plaza shopping for a formal dress. I was walking on the upper level and took my usual route that goes right by Cartier. I stopped for my usual five-minuet period to ogle over the latest diamond displays. This was the first time that I have done that since seeing the film Blood Diamond and learning about the issues behind conflict stones. As I stood there imagining myself wearing each set of fabulously large and flawless diamonds, my fantasy was cut short. That little voice that follows me around now every time I think about or look at diamonds shook me from my trance. It’s the voice that reminds me how 4% of imported diamonds came from conflict regions in Africa. Everything sure changes when you break out of those little bubbles of ignorance.

Getting Personal

As I was doing homework the other night, sitting at my desk, I glanced over at my bulletin board. Right in front of me was a magazine clipping that my mom had cut out and sent to me of a De Beers ad. It read:

Mountains have crumbled
Glaciers have melted
Continents have drifted
Diamonds have remained the same.
Clearly, Mother Nature is a romantic.

I love this ad – it’s the romantic in me. Yet as I sat there looking at it that night I felt an overwhelming compulsion to take it down and throw it away. I couldn’t help but think that this company, while capitalizing on the image of diamonds created by marketers is also at the same time capitalizing on the fact that few people realize the company’s intense and deep involvement with conflict stones. I looked back at the brilliant copy and then at the diamond ring that was shown at the bottom of the ad. Staring at the ring I suddenly realized that my entire passion and infatuation with diamonds had been tainted. I can no longer look at a ring, a necklace, earrings, anything made from the precious stone without wondering if it came illegally from some war torn area in Africa. I also began to realize that my anger towards The De Beers Group was intensifying. I can no longer respect their advertising, let alone the company. If I never would have researched this topic more, that ad would have still been posted on my wall, and I wouldn’t have thought twice about being skeptical of the company’s stance against selling conflict diamonds. Looking at that ad I also realized that I want the purpose of this blog to not only to educate about the issue, but to expose The De Beers Group. Even if only my classmates read this blog, that’s at least 20 people I can hope to convince not to buy from the company. (And I think everyone knows how strong word of mouth is….)
It’s on now De Beers. Are you ready to be cracked open and have all your skeletons in the closet revealed?

When Doesn't It Count?

According to the De Beers website, this is the definition they give for conflict diamonds:

“Conflict diamonds are rough, uncut diamonds used by rebel movements or their allies to finance armed conflict aimed at undermining legitimate governments. In 1998 the Non-government Organisation (NGO) Global Witness brought to the world’s attention the fact that rebel groups were funding their war against the legitimate government in this way.”

This is all fine and dandy, but it implies that De Beers then had no involvement in dealing with rebel trading of diamonds from 1990 to 1998 in Angola.
Here, I’ll let Mr. Campbell explain in a exert from his Blood Diamonds book:

“According to that definition, De Beers didn’t buy rebel diamonds from Angola at all from 1990 to 1998 since a UN-brokered peace process was in effect and UNITA was technically part of the government as a recognized political party under the agreement, even though it engaged in diamond-funded combat almost the entire time” (pg 127).

I guess when De Beers was writing the definition, they conveniently left out the near ten year span of 1990-1998 when conflict diamond trading was in fact going on between the diamond giant and the UNITA of Angola. So De Beers, are you just not counting those years? And incase anyone in the De Beers organization forgot about buying from Angola during the year the RUF began on its amputation rampage and controlled along with UNITA about 70% of the country’s diamonds, let me refresh your memory:

In a 1996 annual report for De Beers published in the book Blood Diamonds, De Beers states that:

“’Purchases in 1996 reached record levels largely owning to the increased Angolan production. Angolan diamonds tend to be in the categories that are in demand, although in the main these buying activities are a mechanism to support the market.’”

Now that’s something to boast about -- Obtaining record levels of diamond purchases in an area where rebels controlled more than half of the diamond production. And I bet not one of the stones purchased from Angola during that time was a conflict diamond. Yeah right.

Morality is Bad for Business

Since 2003 and 2004, diamonds have been becoming linked with death, torture and all the rest of the non-glamorous images associated with conflict stones. I suppose it took that long for the knowledge about the death and havoc that was going on to filter into some diamond circles. Yet what bothers me is not only the fact that some diamond companies, namely De Beers, waited a good ten years before implementing any sort of strategy to combat the issue along with the bad press conflict diamonds would bring to their industry, but the fact that they saw the issue as just that; bad press that would hurt profits.

In Greg Campbell’s book, Blood Diamonds, he talks about De Beers’ attitude regarding the conflict diamond issue. Campbell wrote that De Beers “noted, the potential financial impacts were ‘enormous’ and therefore everyone involved was sincere about ending the trade” (pg 116). He goes on to add that “the potential commercial loss is ‘enormous’, but the moral dimension is merely ‘big’, as if it were an afterthought….Very little, if anything, has been done in the company’s lifetime that didn’t further its commercial potential, even if it meant funding warfare to do it” (pg 116).

So I guess as soon as it becomes an issue of bad press in conjuncture with the loss of monetary gain should De Beers worry about the implications of conflict diamonds. The immoral action of funding war and death doesn’t seam to be of great concern. The morality comes only second to the threat of a declining economic growth for De Beers. And this is the company that wants consumers to believe that the diamonds they sell are symbols of eternal love and devotion? Well De Beers’ devotion is obvious: money first and foremost. Not the welfare of human life.

Bling Over Life

When reading an article about blood diamonds on Amnesty.org, I came across this quote:

“A diamond trader in Antwerp, Belgium, admitted to Amnesty International in October 2000, more than three months after the UN Security Council banned the export of non-certified diamonds from Sierra Leone, that: ‘If someone offers me a diamond at 30 per cent discount, will I suspect something? Of course. It is probably a conflict diamond. Will I buy it? Of course. I'm here to do business. Have I done it? I can't tell you that.’ “

For Full Article: Amnesty Article

If this is the attitude of one diamond trader, it can’t be far off from others. Granted there has been the instillation of the Kimberly Process, which was put in place to stop the buying and trading of rough diamonds to sell to consumers, and the promises of many major diamond retailers that they abide by it, but that does not mean that the market is 100% clean from dirty diamonds. The consumer market is still being infiltrated with conflict diamonds.

“conflict diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire are finding their way through Ghana into the legitimate diamond market. As the brutal conflict in Sierra Leone has shown, even a small amount of conflict diamonds can wreak enormous havoc in a country.”

For Full Article: Amnesty Article

This attitude of money matters more than the lives and rights of human beings is not only repulsive, but it’s allowing the profit from blood diamonds to still exist.

Theme Song

Everyone has a theme song. So while searching for a video to try and convey the horror of this issue, I found this song that I would like to be my theme song for this blog. Haha yes yes I know, I can be a bit corny.... But, if you are so inclined, please watch it. The video is quite good, and the words are perfect for this issue.


THEME SONG

Here is the link again to the video I posted previously that I want to post once again for anyone who missed it. It’s a strong video that really gives an idea about the severity of this issue, much more than my mere words can convey.

WARNING: the link takes you to a video that while I think needs to be seen, is graphic and disturbing. So I need to say it: viewer discretion is advised.

Blood Diamonds

The Tainted Company

I came across this article on CNNmoney.com and it made me furious for several reasons. It dished a little more dirt on the diamond giant De Beers, adding to the distain I’m beginning to hold for the company. Here’s a snippet of what the article said about De Beers and its diamond-trading practices:

“For generations De Beers bought diamonds from virtually any supplier without asking many questions about their provenance. That policy, critics charge, helped fuel bloody conflicts in Sierra Leone, Angola, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where millions have died in civil wars fought largely over diamonds and other mineral resources… More recently the company has drawn fire for allegedly driving Botswanan Bushmen off their ancestral homelands in the Kalahari Desert to make way for future diamond mining.”

I understand that De Beers isn’t single handedly fueling the conflict diamond industry. And I also take into account the opinions that I’ve heard from some people that fighting De Beers isn’t going to stop the killing in Africa. However, saying that we can’t hold De Beers, as well as all other diamond traders and retailers, responsible for ensuring that the diamonds consumers buy are conflict free is simply irresponsible as well as crass. Ignoring the FACT that buying dirty diamonds and not certifying to the consumers that a company’s diamonds are conflict free is to ignore the fact that people’s lives are being ripped apart and snuffed out. Granted De Beers has claimed to clean up their act and that they sell only conflict free diamonds, but that doesn’t change the fact that they have a dark history rooted deep in the finance of blood diamonds. Not to mention their attitude on the matter makes me wonder if the company has a soul.

Resource: http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fsb/fsb_archive/2006/04/01/8373093/index.htm

P.S. I received a suggestion that I should include ways in which consumers can certify that the diamonds they buy are conflict free....I will be addressing that as thoroughly as possible in upcoming blogs. Thanks!!

Better Late than Never?

The murder, mutilation, and displacement of millions of people in parts of Africa due to diamond fueled civil wars has been going on since the 1990’s. So I find it more than just a little disconcerting that only in 2000 did De Beers take a new stance against conflict diamonds.

According to Time.com, De Beers started in July of 2000 to "certify that its diamonds come from clean sources, forcing its suppliers to accept 'best practices' rules" (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,49841,00.html). And when asked about the pressures that are facing the diamond industry about being socially responsible in relation to dirty diamonds, De Beers spokesperson Andy Lamont in London responded with this comment, “Diamonds don’t kill people, people kill people.” So this is the stance that De Beers takes? I guess it never occurred to Mr. Lamont that yes, while people do kill people, people need money to buy the weapons that kill, and the money to purchase these weapons is coming from the sale of blood diamonds. Waiting until 2000 to take a greater concern about this issue and to “officially certify” that De Beers only sells clean diamonds seems to come a little late. Better late than never? Not when you are dealing with millions of people’s lives.

More Behind the RUF

1991 was when the RUF (Revolutionary United Front) invaded Kono, the diamond capital of Sierra Leone. War broke out between the RUF and The National Provisional Ruling Council (N.P.R.C.) who was trying to regain democratic control and restore stability. By 1999 the violence caused by the RUF only increased, and they held control of the diamond mines in Kono and Tongo Field. A man named Charles Taylor was the head force of the RUF and immersed himself along with the RUF in illegal diamond trade, using the funds from the diamonds to buy arms in order to strengthen the rebels. Half of Sierra Leone’s people were displaced while millions were slaughtered. Nothing was done about this war, this conflict until 2001, TEN YEARS after it all started. Only then did the UN begin to respond to the conflict in the region.

Ten years?!?! It took ten years for someone to intervene. Ten years of slaughter, torture, people being forced from their homes; half the population was displaced!! And no one in the UN thought it was important enough to step in? That is just appalling. And I use the term intervene loosely. The sanctions that were imposed by the UN were easily violated and difficult to enforce, according to Worldpress.org. Sanctions were all that were brought about by the UN until 2002 when real live forces were actually, and finally sent into the region. I guess the lives of people being taken and blood being shed for control of diamond mines and illegal diamond trade wasn’t reason enough to intervene in the conflict war….. Absolutely atrocious.

Resource: http://www.worldpress.org/Africa/2193.cfm

Life in Exchange for Diamonds….Just the Beginning

I read the rest of Greg Campbell’s article Blood Diamond on Amnesty USA’s Website, and I became sickened as well as outraged. In 1991, Sierra Leone’s RUF (Revolutionary United Front) started it’s slaughter and torture of the African people in the name of diamonds. In order to gain control of the diamond mines in Sierra Leone, “the RUF have carried out one of the most brutal military campaigns in recent history, to enrich themselves as well as the genteel captains of the diamond industry living far removed from the killing fields” (Greg Campbell, http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/diamonds.html).

In 1996, Sierra Leone’s President, Ahmad Tejan Kabbah, begged for everyone to “join hands for peace.” To mock this, and to show and maintain their control over the diamond mines, the rebels decided that amputation would be their choice of mutilation and torment. Over 20,00 people including women, children and even babies, had their arms, legs, ears, lips, and legs sliced off while about 50,000 to 75,000 were murdered.

When I think about how I walked around oblivious to this sobering fact, it makes me utterly sick. Educating people about this issue is enormously important. And we must learn about it with blinders and sensors off. This is an issue where every gruesome, heart wrenching and horrific detail needs to be told. Filtering out the “bad news” about this issue only lessons and insults the severity of the ramifications of conflict diamonds.

Recource: (Greg Campbell, http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/diamonds.html).

The Children

Children are supposed to live carefree, imaginative lives with no threat of danger. The reality is however that in this world, that is not the case. And for some children, their fate heartbreakingly becomes one of torture, their lives drained of fairy tales, and learning how to murder their own people takes the place of playtime. This is the case for the over 300,000 child soldiers worldwide, and the 2 million that have died as a direct result of the conflict in areas in Africa. (http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_37219.html)

Greg Campbell, the author of the book Tracing the Deadly Path of the World’s Most Precious Stone, wrote an article published in the Amnesty International USA’s online magazine, Amnesty magazine. In summary, his article gave a name to one child solider who became a victim of the diamond-fueled conflict in Sierra Leone. The child’s name was 15-year-old Jusu Lahia. He lost one of his eyes and was slashed from the face down to his lower waist by a rocket-propelled grenade.
Here is the full article:
BLOOD DIAMOND ARTICLE

How someone can look at these photos, read this story, and not be crushed, enraged, and full of despair is beyond me. Children are stolen from their homes, their lives, and forced into killing, being killed, and stripped bare of their innocence all for the greed of diamonds. This is real. This is the reality for too many children. And if you think it is no longer occurring, you are sorely mistaken.

Not in the Past

Just because some countries in Africa have reached peace, like Sierra Leone, doesn’t mean that blood diamonds are no longer a major issue. This is horribly untrue and dangerous to believe. According to Amnesty USA, there is still an issue with blood diamonds being imported globally from West Africa. About $23 million worth of blood diamonds “from the Ivory Coast are being smuggled into international diamond markets” (amnestyusa.org). Obviously this is still a grave and major issue, not to be taken lightly when people are being mutilated, murdered, and tortured for each penny of that $23 million…This problem obviously has NOT gone away.

Scratching the Surface

Simply hearing that conflict diamonds are used to fuel violence and civil wars in parts of Africa doesn’t strike hard enough, deep enough into the emotional core. At least for me it didn’t. I mean sure, it was difficult to hear that. When my dad first informed me about the issue, I was moved, but not to the extent I was when I saw the film Blood Diamonds and then researched the topic more. It’s one thing to scratch the surface of an issue, to hear about it once and then let the thought slip from your mind along with all the other bad news we hear on a daily basis. Yet it puts the issue on an entirely different level and creates a whole new intensity of emotion when you see the devastating outcomes and read about the brutal and horrific facts of blood diamonds.

Some quick facts that made me open my eyes to the atrocity of this issue:
•“Deaths from diamond fueled Democratic-Republic of the Congo Civil War = 3,300,000”
(http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/awareness/civil_war_deaths.html)

•“Deaths from diamond fueled civil wars in Angola, Liberia, and Sierra Leone alone exceed all U.S. military deaths in the last 70 years by 50%”
(http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/awareness/civil_war_deaths.html)

•In Angola alone the death toll reached 500,000 with most deaths caused by landmines and rebel groups (the UNITA) controlled 60-70% of the production of diamonds
(http://www.conflictfreediamonds.org/awareness/civil_war_deaths.html)

Still not moved? Then look at this:
VIDEO>


“’Diamonds are forever’” is has been said. But lives are not. We must spare people the ordeal of war, mutilations, and death for the sake of conflict diamonds.” – Martin Chungong Ayafor, Chairman of the Sierra Leone Panel of Experts

Conflict Diamonds?

I’m not going to lie. I get caught up in the superficiality of California, especially southern California. I look at and subscribe to fashion magazines, save my money to buy a new pair of way too expensive shoes, and yes, I am that pathetic girl who stands and drools over the obscenely huge diamonds displayed in Cartier’s windows at South Coast Plaza. I won’t deny any of that. Still, at the same time I realize that there is a world outside of California, outside of everything superficial. And I now know that there is more to diamonds than just their exterior beauty; they can come from blood…….

My dad asked me the other day if I was going to make sure the first diamond I purchase for my self is conflict free. I had no idea what he was talking about. Apparently I was not the only one who was clueless as to what a conflict diamond was, let alone a conflict free one. My dad suggested that since I love diamonds so much, I should go see the film Blood Diamonds and that seeing the movie would drastically change how I look at the precious stone. So I did. And he was right.

It was the scene where the boy looked right at his father, pointed a gun and was ready to shoot him. His eyes were vapid, void of recognition for his father, for his life before he learned how to kill babies, mothers and his own people. That was the scene that tore my heart out almost more than any other in the movie. That is what happens. That is reality. That is what conflict diamonds fuel. This is such a major and incredibly important issue, one that needs all the attention it can get....Especially in the United States, the world’s largest diamond importing country.

So to clarify, what are conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds? Conflict Diamonds: “Conflict diamonds are diamonds illegally traded to fund conflict in war-torn areas, particularly in central and western Africa.” (diamondfacts.org) But that’s just the surface of the definition.

To have the means to buy diamonds in this country or anywhere, and not know where it came from or not to care, or to sell diamonds in that manner is coldly cruel and shows blatant disregard for the lives of others.