How To Avoid Blood Diamonds 101:

A fellow Blogger of mine, the infamous "Caviar Moet" wrote an excellent piece of literature about Diamonds.
Check It Out Here : Diamond Life

I'm here to offer you a follow up on the reaction of Jewelry Companies along with a few suggestions on how to avoid wearing bloody jewelry and why.



"Conflict diamonds," also known as blood diamonds, are those sold to fund armed conflict and civil war. Human rights organizations link more than four million deaths, amputations and millions more displaced people to the trade in conflict diamonds.
The new Leondardo DiCaprio movie Blood Diamond has drawn a lot of attention to an issue that has been destroying parts of Africa for years. The movie highlights the role that the illicit diamond trade played in the chaotic 1990s civil war in the African nation of Sierra Leone . Similar situations have happened in Angola, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo and currently in the Ivory Coast.

For fear of losing business, the diamond industry has been quick to release a statement to its customers that 99.8% of it's jewels are clean. In 2003, a government-to-government certification plan was set up called the Kimberley Process that required all diamonds transported across borders to be accompanied by a certificate that they did not fund a conflict of any kind. This certificate follows the diamond through its entire trade route. Company's like DeBeers and Tiffany's have stood by this solution as effective.
However, many human rights organizations have addressed the flaws of the Kimberly Process that allow conflict diamonds into the international market. Recent United Nations and U.S. government reports have shown that over 23 million U.S. dollars' worth of diamonds from the Ivory Coast have been smuggled into neighboring countries such as Ghana and then certified there under false premise.

So how can we really be sure that our diamonds are conflict-free? Human Rights orgs have been suggesting that consumers ask their jewelers several questions before buying from them. Questions such as the company's policy on conflict diamonds and proof of a written guarantee. If the jeweler is unable to provide that information, try somewhere else. Furthermore, there is always the option of getting another stone.

This isn't the boycott of Starbucks by going to Coffee Bean. By being aware and making smarter choices, you are witholding hundred of thousands of dollars from these companies.

Check out this video by Amnesty: Video