Diamonds are made of carbon that is present abundantly in the earth’s surface. Diamonds come to its glittery physical format by means of pressure and temperature that act over it continuously over millions of years- this is what gives rise to the hardest known substance on earth.
Miners need to sift through, on average, 250 tons of rocks so as to unearth 1 carat of diamond. There is no one set location where diamonds are unearthed or mined, and diamonds have been found in a variety of locations, climates and regions all over the globe. Africa was and is still considered, as the central hub or a treasure trove of these gemstones, where close to 90% of all the diamonds have been uncovered and mined. This was several years back. Now less than 50% of the world’s diamonds are from African mines.
What Are Conflict Diamonds?
There have been conflicts because of the value that these possess. This is not limited to only diamonds, even many of the metals and minerals that are present in modern day mobile phone chipsets have contributed to conflicts.
Diamonds, when used to fuel unrest and wars, are called as conflict diamonds. These conflict diamonds amount to less than 0.1% of the world supply. Diamonds that are mined from Angola, Sierra Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Zimbabwe are conflict diamonds. Other African nations produce high quality diamonds that are obtained by means of ethical practices. For generations, these diamonds have been the source of job creation and community building all over the globe. It is both the goal of you and me, to protect and preserve the ethical practices in order to ensure the sustainable building of communities and not to degrade them with conflict diamonds.
Break The Chain
To go the extra step, we need to look for fair trade suppliers and cruelty-free diamonds that don’t harm animals or the environment in the process.
Conflicts don’t only involve people but more important than ever we shouldn’t leave behind an ecological footprint that is riddled with pain and suffering, be it of fellow humans or other residents on the planet. The only way a beautiful diamond ring shines brighter is if that diamond ring is not stained with the blood of others.
Those who are buying conflict diamonds are part of the problem too, and it is the consumption of these diamonds that is fuelling the trade of conflict diamonds. Therefore, make a resolution not to buy conflict diamonds.
