“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” has long been the slogan in the jewelry industry. However, many diamonds became an enemy when the conflicts surrounding diamond mining were first brought to light. Brilliant Earth gives women an alternative to conflict diamonds.
What is a conflict diamond?
According to the UN, conflict diamonds, also often known as blood diamonds, “are diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments…”
Many people in the world, particularly in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Angola, have been subjected to violence, torture, and forced labor, and children have been forced to become soldiers for the armies controlling the diamond trade in such countries.
And for what? Why? The answer is that people in other countries are either unaware or don’t care, and want to have their pretty, expensive diamonds, so the illegal diamond trade continues.
Many jewelry companies, particularly De Beers, are aware they are purchasing and selling blood diamonds, but they don’t believe it to be important. Other companies may not be aware of where their diamonds come from, but there are ways of checking that they choose to ignore.
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So how can you buy conflict-free diamonds?
Some companies offer certification that their diamonds are conflict-free, and one of the best is a company called Brilliant Earth. At Brilliant Earth, they believe that, “As the ultimate expressions of love and commitment, diamonds should be wholly free from violence, worker exploitation, and environmental devastation.”
Brilliant Earth doesn’t simply guarantee that diamonds are conflict-free; they go beyond that. They are conflict-free, violence-free, the workers are never children and are paid well and treated well, the environment is protected, and they trace the entire process of their diamonds, ensuring that at every step along the way the diamonds are without blood and sustainable.
Brilliant Earth specializes in engagement rings, so that one of your most special pieces of jewelry can be worn with a free conscience. You can create your own diamond rings or choose from the hundreds of unique jewelry pieces they have to offer.
At Brilliant Earth, they provide certification not only for diamonds but for sapphires, emeralds, pearls, gold, and other precious gems and metals, and with these sustainably-procured materials, they create beautiful, fine jewelry. The metals they use-gold, silver, and platinum-are all 100% recycled and refined, so that the destructive mining processes used to extract metals can be avoided.
You can check out Brilliant Earth’s website to learn more about their ethical processes for diamonds and other precious stones and metals so that you can wear fine jewelry and know that it arrived to you in a sustainable manner.
