Changing thoughts for the Diamond

Women Passion

After the movie "Blood Diamond", the discussions about the diamond sector have increased. How do we reach them in fact? One of the deepest passions of women is not as innocent as it seems, especially when we learn the reality beneath...


By AYCA YARCI
from Ankara, TURKEY


The popularity of diamonds has risen with 19th century by the increased supply, improved cutting and polishing techniques, the growth of economical society and perfect advertising campaigns. The center of the sources are mostly southern Africa, India, Canada, Russia, Brasil and Australia.

In countries, especially in those politically unstable ones, such as Central and West African countries, revolutionary groups have taken the control of diamond mines using proceeds from diamond sales to finance their operations. Diamonds sold through this process are known as conflict diamonds or blood diamonds. As we see in the movie, people are forced to work in mines in tough conditions for nearly nothing and lots of people die during their work. The way of controlling this mechanism seems to be less demanding.

For protecting the people's rights against the oncoming danger, The United Nations, the diamond industry and diamond-trading nations introduced the Kimberley Process in 2002, which aimed at seperating the "clean" diamonds from the "bloody" ones. The Kimberly Process provides the certification and documentation of diamond exports from producing countries to ensure that the proceeds of sales are not being used to fund criminal or revolutionary activities. At that time 46 countries joined the process. Although the Kimberly Process succeded in limitation of the conflict diamonds, there are still many of them in the market and we can't possibly decide which one those are.

After all, how many of the consumers have been acknowledged about the illegal diamond trade and how did the sales have been affected?

In Turkey, the country that joined the process and halved their sales in last 5 years, the jewelleries claim that there are no illegal diamonds, but that their sales have strongly decreased after the discussions because the consumers are affected negatively and got worried. If you still insist on buying diamonds, one should pay more but choose the legal way. We hope it's going to be a good start against this trade and by this way lots of innocent people will not going to die in the mines because of the companies'and ladies' passions.