Conflict Free Diamonds

Would you want the diamond on your finger to get there by way of torture or rape? It sounds dramatic, but if you don’t inquire about the source of the diamonds at your jeweler, you will never know! If your diamond comes from Zimbabwe or Congo it may support war and human rights abuses. Many miners have been killed by the Zimbabwean military which in 2008 seized valuable diamond fields in the country’s Marange district. Human Rights Watch has documented mass murders, forced labor
of both adults and children, torture, beatings, and other human rights violations by the
Zimbabwean military.

Fair Trade Diamonds

Fair trade diamonds, much like fair trade coffee and chocolate ensures that diamond diggers attain a fair price for their labor, safe working conditions, clean water, and basic health care. Fair trade diamond certification is still in its infancy but worth asking about at your local jeweler. One such project is Pride Diamonds from Sierra Leone.

Canadian Diamonds

Canadian diamonds are mined according to Canada’s strict environmental laws – which are among the most rigorous in the world. These high standards protect caribou and other wildlife, water, and fish habitats. This is the solid choice if you want to wear a diamond and you want it to come from a conflict-free zone.

Namibian Diamonds

Namibian diamonds are mined according to strict international ecological standards. On-shore mining areas are carefully rehabilitated through re-vegetation or repurposing of mining infrastructure. The Coastal Monitoring Program closely monitors marine mining operations to ensure that environmental impacts are mitigated. This still seems to be somewhat of a slippery slope since many of the large diamond companies like DeBeer’s have large influence here.