What are ‘conflict diamonds?’ The term “conflict diamond” doesn’t accurately describe what such diamonds really are. Another name is “blood diamond”, which goes some way to painting a clearer picture, but both phrases are often misunderstood. A name like conflict diamonds might indicate that they were produced under adverse conditions, or fought over like the spoils of war, and this is often the most common misunderstanding. In reality, the truth is far more uncomfortable for the diamond industry as a whole. Conflict diamonds don’t result from conflicts, they fund them. There are very few traded commodities that are an almost sure-fire investment, but diamonds are one of them. This makes them valuable for anybody with access to a regular supply, and it’s no different for factions involved in civil wars or border disputes. Most of the conflicts in Africa over the past 40 years have been funded at least in part by the trade in illegal diamonds.
Conflict diamonds are usually sold in rough form, before being cut and polished. Once cut, provenance is almost impossible to prove or disprove, so such diamonds quickly get lost in the crowd. Source: samsantiqueblog.com
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