Keeping Blood Diamonds or Conflict Diamonds away from your Engagement Rings and Wedding Rings
First of all let’s define what conflict diamonds are and how you can be sure they are not the diamonds that will be set into your eternity rings, engagement rings or wedding rings that will be purchased through a reputable online jeweler.
Conflict diamonds, which in the past sometimes ended up in full eternity ring settings and other jewelry, were diamonds that originated from mines in central and western Africa, stolen or dishonestly obtained by factions or rebel leaders who then sold the diamonds or gemstones on the black market to fund atrocities such as the notorious ones in Sierra Leone during the 90’s, and the battles in Angola, Liberia, Ivory Coast and the Congo. This was a serious issue because, it has been estimated that, approximately 4% of the entire world’s diamonds were tainted in this manner.
However, between 2000 and 2003 this changed dramatically, due to the efforts of Partnership Africa Canada to create the Kimberley Process Certification System, whereby blood diamonds or conflict diamonds are now less than 1% of all diamonds on the market, which means that 99% of you what will choose in your diamond eternity ring or your engagement rings or wedding rings will be from conflict free sources. In fact, the diamond industry is a prime boon to many countries economy, for employment, construction of schools and hospitals especially in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa and Tanzania.
Although in August of 2009 there again arose a diamond conflict in the Marange alluvial diamond fields in Zimbabwe, the World Diamond Council states that it is working to eliminate the problem and “maximize the value of these diamonds for the benefit of the Zimbabwean people.”
Diamond Eternity Rings and International Employment and Development
The facts are that diamond trading as a whole is the main income source for many African nations and what diamonds support may surprise you. It is said that about 10 million people around the world are involved in, or totally dependent upon, a living through the diamond industry, with over $8 billion of diamonds being from Africa. If you’re interested in knowing more about what merchants and jewelers are doing to ensure your diamond jewelry is conflict free and helping to provide employment and development around the world, go to diamondfacts.
Diamond Earrings
Buying a set of diamond earrings for yourself or an other person is obviously a bit of a luxury. We certainly don't need diamond earrings to exist and they don't add anything tangible to the quality of our lives. Having said that, a huge number of people aspire to own diamond jewelry in general and diamond earrings in particular.
When we find ourselves with a large sum of money burning a hole in our pocket buying a pair of diamond earrings for the women we love seems like the best idea in the world, and its certainly an act that will be greatly appreciated by most ladies.
The place where many people do their jewelry shopping these days is of course online. But if you want to purchase something as expensive and special as diamond earrings I would suggest you take the time and effort to seek out a high quality jeweler in your immediate area who can offer expert advice and allow you to see and feel the jewelry before purchase. When you are investing so much money in an item it makes sense to ensure you are getting exactly what you want and what the vendor is promising.
If you absolutely have to by Online then you will want to take GIA certification into consideration to ensure you are getting what you paid for.
