Blood Diamonds are basically diamonds that are used to Fund Conflicts & wars.
These diamonds mainly come from African Countries like the DRC, Sierra Leone and Mali. The Rebel groups opposed to the Governments in the Diamond producing countries use this precious resource to buy weapons, food and medicine to further their cause.
The Kimberley Process which is a certification process was set implemented in November of 2003 to curb the trade in illicit Diamonds. It was set up by players in the Diamond industry and NGOs' who lobbied for Diamond producing countries to join it.
Has the process worked thus far, mostly yes!! There is still a flourishing Industry in Blood Diamonds with Countries like Sierra Leone reporting up to 20% of their Diamonds are smuggled out of their country. Diamonds are small & have extremely high value making it easier for Greedy dealers to use gaps in the system & abuse it.
The main issue has been that the industry has been unable to police itself very effectively. In Africa, there are issues of Corruption & coercion between dealers and government officials that aid in smuggling.
Now this is where I introduce a new train of thought!!!
Diamonds like Gold & platinum are not only a natural resource but commodities as well. This is despite the fact that they are not openly traded on an Exchange e.g. the London Metal Exchange (LME)in the case of Gold & Platinum.
The small scale miners in the Diamond producing countries rely on these Diamonds as an essential source of income.
These same countries can NOT stop them from mining as the miners could even own the land the Diamonds are on. In fact, most countries encourage the mining as a means of creating wealth among the masses.
Problem is, most of the African Diamond producing countries don't have the Resource & some the Will to regulate these small scale miners.
These miners are not very worried about who buys their stones. As it is, they get ripped of during the sale as they normally don't have a good idea about the world markets. So unscrupulous diamond traders buy from them & smuggle them out.
Whom do you put the blame on?
I personally think it's unfair to punish the small miner as he is trying to make a living & as much as you'd blame the dealers, they are in the Diamond business to make money. Just as there are muggers in the streets who will take your money without pity, there are business people who have no ethics!!
The solution?
From my point of view, I propose that the Diamond producing countries with help from the International Diamond Council should add the "small" people to the Diamond Pipeline & make sure they get fair prices for their stones....sort of like what the Fresh produce industry did with Fair-Trade.
This will seal off quite a few of the holes in the Conflict Diamond industry.
The evocative branding of a subterranean industry - subterranean in both the way that diamonds are physically mined, and in the criminal organizations that trade them - is the romanticizing of a business that is anything but romantic, one that frankly excavates death. Otherwise named ?Conflict Diamonds?, Blood Diamonds are rocks that are collected, cut, and polished by organizations operating beyond the control of a government. Men, women, and children are forced to work as slaves for these illegal organizations, who proceed to sell the diamonds to finance, amongst other things, the trafficking of drugs, terrorism, guns, and prostitution. It often happens that professionally organized raids are made on shipments of diamonds that are being transported legally, before the diamonds are trafficked straight back into legal diamond trading without anyone questioning their legality.
The root of this problem certainly lies in criminal organizations that produce or steal these diamonds, but other criminal faculties play their part in facilitating them. In having dealings with these people, corrupt traders, diamond smugglers, and arms merchants allow the underground diamond trade to continue. The phrase ?Blood Diamonds? has been coined as an indication of the murder and torture, and other such means, that are found in this industry because of the vast sums of money that are involved.
In reaction to the illegal diamond trade the United Nations has sanctioned the ?Kimberly Process?. The goal of the Kimberly Process is to reduce and ultimately stop the trafficking of blood diamonds into the legitimate diamond trade. For the Kimberly Process to work effectively, each nation that exports rough diamonds must certify their legality; that they were produced by recognized authorities. The main areas of concern are the African countries of Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Ivory Coast, and Sierra Leone. A system of certification is employed to try to differentiate between conflict diamonds and legal ones. The certificates indicate where each diamond was produced and sold; so that in theory no diamond should be able to be mined or trafficked illegally. Individuals who intend to buy a diamond should be sure that a document of origin is provided with it.
Another necessity in ensuring that conflict diamonds do not mix with legal diamonds is that every single nation who is involved with the Kimberly Process must not interact with nations who are not involved with it. The Kimberly Process is seen to be working, and the number of blood diamonds that are being trafficked into legitimate diamond trade is lessening. Over seventy countries and organizations have committed to the Kimberly Process, leaving no more than a couple of non-participants. It is estimated that ninety-nine percent of the world's diamonds are now legitimately produced and sold. This is a remarkable achievement considering the desire of the criminal organizations that contrive against the Kimberly Process.
However, it should make all consumers more aware when they decide to spend their precious earnings on a meaningful stone for their loved one. Try to buy certified jewels if you can, especially if the diamond is from an area known to have illegal operations. You can do your part to help the diamond industry be just and honest!
Both Anthony Chege & Gabriel Adams are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Anthony Chege has sinced written about articles on various topics from Diamonds. I love Diamonds!! Yes, in as much as there is so much controversy surrounding them, they are Gods gifts to us. Its our responsibility to make sure we all benefit from them. At. Anthony Chege's top article generates over 1600 views. to your Favourites.