Diamonds are a Girl’s Bestfriend

Giving a woman diamond jewelry “… profess a message of love and fidelity … (Winfrey).”

DeLeary wrote, “Diamond … capture the eye and heart of its beholder … as a symbol of love … for its timeless  beauty … (2008).”  Basically, diamonds carry a message of bravery, strength and everlasting love for a person; right?

Diamond

I think it’s in our nature, as women, to adore things that are shiny and pretty!  You might say and think, “You are stereotyping,” but come on ladies let’s be honest – I think diamond rings are so PRETTY (even today)!!

I used to have pretty one carat (well little bit over) diamond engagement ring, and I had it over four years before my husband and I decided to get rid of it.

You might be wondering why I got rid of it and let me assure you that I didn’t see the ring to pay our bills, but political and humane reason — “Blood Diamonds” or “Conflict Diamonds.”

It was a late evening when we watched a documentary on Blood Diamonds, and it changed our lives forever. 

Symbol of diamonds are simple – wealth, elegance and love; however, “… several African nations … means to power, reasons to terrorize millions of innocent civilians, and may have been helped finance some of the world’s most brutal terrorists (Blood Diamonds).”

In many instance, “Rebel armies have forced tens of thousands of people to mine diamonds in brutal, dangerous conditions under the threat of death, their pay as paltry as a cup of rice per day (Blood Diamonds).”

The worst things about this extortion of human lives are that many of these workers are children (especially young girls – no older than 8 years old) where many families sell their daughters to these mining companies.

Before I go on a personal journey to boycott diamonds, there has been legitimate diamonds (e.g. diamonds recovered in Canada ensuring human rights issues and not exploiting children, and etc) readily available in the market.

However, like anything else diamonds are exchanged and changed from one hand to other hand – it’s like illegal drugs; they’ll find ways.

With that said, “Certificate of Origin” regime ensures only legitimate diamonds reaches the market, and additional controls by Member States and the diamond industry (and online directories) to better ensure such process – BUT, I have my doubts. 

Sierra Leone

Alright, back to Conflict Diamonds in Sierra Leone (a atrocity of RUF)  – Intentional Mutilation of Non-Combatant Civilians of more than 20,000 people. 

The hands and legs were severed by axes and machete for the purpose of military strategies – to induce tectonic plate shift of population shift flow away from the diamond mines.

It’s heartbreaking to see men, women, and especially children walking (sometimes hobbling) about with one leg, or seeing a young girl with a missing hand(s) or an arm, and etc – it makes me stick.

My family and I try to incorporate and practice our religious beliefs with humanistic philosophy  — i.e. affectionate to other human beings, value human lives, make right and meaningful choices, threat others the way you wanted to be treated, and etc – basically, being a good person.

Thankfully, with global awareness of these conflict diamonds or blood diamonds, many men and women are boycotting against diamonds.

If you didn’t know, many are opting towards diamond alternatives such as man-made diamonds (Cubic Zirconia, Russian Diamonds, Moissanite, White Sapphire, and Gemisis Culture Diamond) because of price and social/political reasons.

Cecil Adams, award winning newspaper columnist, said “Diamonds are a con, pure and simple (Man-Made Diamonds, A Buyer’s Guide),” and many who can afford the real things are opting towards man-made or synthetic diamonds. 

Even today, diamonds are largely controlled by DeBeers, and they artificially inflate and control diamond scarcity; which in turn influences the cost of the diamonds.

Furthermore, studies show that 1 out of 3 diamonds sold in US are artificially inflated in value, or average couple paying 40% or more for their engagement rings – funny, huh?

Well there it is.  Sorry if I bummed you out, but it is important to know the truth – after you know the truth than you can make up your mind; whatever it maybe.

For me – I rather have a fake stone than a real stone – I rather sleep well at night, and hoping I saved a kid’s hand or arms or legs.

"NO" to Diamonds

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Blood Diamonds.  History.com  Retrieved from http://www.history.com/minisites/blooddiamonds (1/26/09).
DeLeary, K.  Choose Romantic Diamond Jewelry.  http://gemstones.suite101.com/article.cfm/choose_romantic_diamond_jewelry (1/29/09).
Man-Made Diamonds, A Buyer’s Guide.  (2005)  Retrieved from http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com/newsdesk_info.php?newsPath=1&newsdesk_id=3 (1/26/09).
Winfrey, M. With Diamond Engagement Rings the Message Could Not Be Clearer.  Retrieved from http://searchwarp.com/swa413846.htm (1/26/09).