The Price of a Diamond is Much More than We Think
(Click here for my take on synthetic diamonds and here for what we ended up choosing.)
To be honest, I have never thought much about the conflict diamond issue and not much about diamonds overall. They’re beautiful. They are the only gem I would think about for an engagement ring. I admire other friends’ ring and think, wow how awesome! It brings stars in most women’s eyes and tears in many. That is until I have had to shop for one, especially when RMK is adamantly opposed to any conflict diamond.
Now, I get these comments like ” Man, why is he such a huge tree-hugger and wants to save every African child” and ”Couldn’t he just let this one go.” I even slightly sighed when he said “Are you sure you want the blood of hundreds if not thousands of children on your hand?” ”You should be proud of wearing a ring that represents something truly good.” Yes! I know! But 25 years of De Beer’s and bridal brainwashing is hard to reverse.
Do you know how many times, guys and girls, go: “Did you see that girl’s ring?!” or “Man, the one I bought for my wife was large, but damn, look at her’s.” It’s a sign of wealth for some, a measure of someone’s love for many, a flashy symbol for others, and a sentimental ornament of many. To be honest, I am very conflicted. I, like many other women, want our ring to be beautiful, sentimental…and beauty, unfortunately, translates to diamonds and sigh, a little bit of size. At least enough to not require a magnifying glass.
If my man worked months and months, and could only afford what he thinks is a richly, love-adorned gift, I think that is the most beautiful thing of all. But can we ask that man to basically not afford any diamond by buying a conflict-free one?
Until you read about it and contemplate about the thousands of pictures like above that you KNOW are not posed, I don’t think most people understand.
Now why don’t we just get a conflict-free diamond, exactly the way I want it, and call it a day? BECAUSE it’s freaking complicated. If you have never shopped for a conflict-free stone, you cannot imagine the obstacles. It almost comes down to buying synthetic diamonds, which are triple if not quadruple the cost. I have looked at them, and they’re flawless, beyond Tiffany grade flawless, and then they reach about 0.8 karats and up, their price starts exponentially rising.
Sierra Leone: Home of the Diamond Conflict
I have to honestly say, at first it was so frustrating. RMK was absolutely not going to budge on this issue. He refused to be a part of it, and now, I am really proud to love someone who takes an issue that most people take the apathetic view on. It’s easier for sure to ignore it. And definitely cheaper.
It wasn’t until I started having to do research on where to go look for these diamonds, that it becomes a truly sad issue. The lady who donates a couple thousand dollars to Amnesty’s charities has a hugh, honking conflict diamond, and she has no idea the history behind it. Welcome to the diamond’s industry amazing PR work.
Just a little information:
-A conflict diamond is one that is traded with some involvement in funding armed conflict and civil war in mainly Africa. There are several other countries with smaller mines. The diamond grounds are riddled with gangs and militia that take over certain territories. Women and children are those caught in the middle. Diamond enriched lands are home to usually the poorest.
-The Kimberly Process is a international organization that oversees how diamonds are imported and exchanged. Suppliers and stores VOLUNTARILY participate. It was implemented in 2003 (this is how recent we have shed light on this problem) and are basically suppose to guarantee that no diamond is a conflict-traded diamond. The process is pretty much useless. The Kimberly Process works by having the diamond industry SELF-regulate their own sources. It’s a check and balances without a balance.
-Just how useless: this month, their most prominent activist, Farai Maguwu, was arrested, beaten, tortured, and denied food and drugs in Zimbabwe in order to not attend the June Tel-Aviv Diamond meeting.
- He was arrested shortly after meeting with Abbey Chikane, the South African monitor for the Kimberly Process. (It’s the like movies where the bad guys infiltrate the good guys. Except sadly, this isn’t the movies.)
-Diamond source papers are among some of the most forged documents internationally.
-You can look at several prominent diamond stores to see their involvement in the process and if they agree with adhering to COMPLETE conflict-free exchange. Most, including De Beers, Cartier, etc. DON’T.
-Surprisingly, Tiffany’s has a good reputation with their process and is ISO certified 6 years in a row. They apparently have their own diamond mine and do not trade with other dealers. To be honest, you have no way of knowing for sure, but the more open and honest they are with you, the better shot you have. If you haven’t bought diamonds before, MOST stores have a practiced answer or will not give details on their practices. One seller even said “All diamonds are blood diamonds. There is no way to be sure.” He’s close to being right.
-Why don’t we just buy a Canadian diamond? (By the way, they know they feed off this type of PR and charge much more for Australian and Canadian diamonds.) This was the answer from Amy O’Meara from Amnesty International:
“It is interesting to note that in our survey, several retailers mentioned the availability of Canadian diamonds as their answer to the conflict diamond problem. The discovery and mining of Canadian diamonds does not impact the spread of conflict diamonds since diamond mining in Africa will continue regardless of new mines in other parts of the world. Though buying a Canadian diamond means that your individual purchase has not contributed to conflict, it cannot be considered as a proactive step to end the problem. As you may know, Amnesty does not generally support boycotts. The reason is because boycotts seldom work, and it is possible that they could cause new human rights problems, even as they are solving others – especially among vulnerable populations that are dependent on an industry for economic development. The legitimate diamond trade in Africa could play a role in the economic development of emerging economies and this must be kept in mind as we strategize about how to change the industry. Thus, buying Canadian diamonds and in effect boycotting African diamonds is not a strategy we support. This likewise applies to synthetic diamonds.”
Do you get the problem yet? There is a lot of PR right now from De Beer’s and other large diamond suppliers touting that the conflict diamond days are over. It does a disservice to the people and children they use to mine those diamonds. I have no solution, because accountability usually comes in the form of money. Less of it to the factions and countries that sell it to fund their wars, or more of it to the groups who can’t fight an industry fed by wants of people…like me.
So for now, even though my boycott of the industry apparently doesn’t do any good, you can write a letter to our Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, and you can pressure and really ask the right questions when shopping. I think even though we can’t save the mining children, we can do our part and not impact the earth in mining or pay for more wars for my diamond.
The Synthetic: Flawless
Oh, and for synthetic diamonds:
“Due to current manufacturing restrictions, only colored diamonds are available in sizes larger than one carat. Because the diamond is created in a controlled environment, they are able to create a near perfect diamond every time. The cost for these cultured diamonds is approximately 15% less than a natural mined diamond, but the quality is usually superior.”
Note: they are 15% lower if you buy a 0.4K and below. Once you hit 0.5K, you can pay anywhere from $2000 to $5000 more compared to a mined diamond. Even though a synthetic diamond uses less energy than a mined one, the market knows people like us have no where else to go. And for their quality, imagine flawless. It’s one of the ways you can tell a real and synthetic apart. The synthetic is perfect in every way.
All in all, here is what I am not conflicted about: whatever he gives me will be from love. He has always been my better half.
Source: Amnesty International/USA Global Witness Tiffany’s The Ecologist
Places for Synthetic Diamonds: Nexus Labs Apollo Gemesis Chatham Jewelry
Places for Eco-Friendly Diamonds (independent dealer that only buys from mines that are earth friendly): Brilliant Earth
Recycled Diamonds (they remove the stones from used jewelry): Green Karat
