I have been extremely disturbed by the diamond trade, yet everyday I see questions on here about diamond engagement rings, and many answers disturb me with the whole "bigger is better".
I just want to know how many of you don’t know about the issue, know but don’t care, or know and look for conflict free diamonds.
Allie, please read questions thoroughly before answering. I have an antique ring with a white sapphire in it.Getting a ring isn’t the issue, the issue is if others are aware.
8 Responses for "With engagement rings, did you look for conflict free diamonds?"
You are right, bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to diamonds. Cut is KING! Hopefully most people have the common sense to spend within their means.
It is a very contentious issue when talking about the Kimberly act and its effectivenness.
I have purchased diamonds online previously and was happy to know that the diamond vendor I chose , whiteflash.com was one of many online vendors who source their diamonds directly through legitimate sources not involved in funding conflict and in compliance with United Nations Resolutions, in accordance with the Kimberly Process and the USA Patriot Act.
They have also created 2 jewelery lines to help the victims of the Trading of Blood Diamonds.
The first one is called Dreams of Africa, (http://dreamsofafrica.org/) where 100% of the profits go to WCCI (World Centers of Compassion for Children International). The second is called AWEAR which is a jewelery line designed for children. Whiteflash hopes to build global awareness amongst youth for this cause. 25% of the profits from AWEAR will go to WCCI to support the healthcare and educational development of child victims of conflict diamonds in those countries affected. Here is the site for AWEAR http://www.whiteflash.com/info/awear.aspx
You might like to refer to http://responsiblejewellery.com
Unfortunately as with most things in life, diamond mining in certain countries has allowed people to obtain jobs and feed families that may otherwise have starved.
At this stage I would rather buy a diamond from a trusted online vendor than a gemstone. Gemstones may also be mined as a result of conflict but are much less regulated.
IdealD
Get something from Diamond Nexus Labs. they are real diamonds, but they arent mined, they are lab made. since they are made in a lab in the US, there is no question as to if someone was hurt to obtain it.
There is no real proof that a diamond is "conflict free" it’s like organic cotton- you just have to take their word for it.
All gemstones are mined in bad conditions in 3rd world countries and exactly the same problems- rubies and sapphires are not different.
I think the whole thing is absurd because EVERYTHING in Walmart is made in the hell whole type of conditions. When you buy a piece of plastic from China you are killing people in the earth. The whole diamond thing came from a movie- I guess we need to make a movie with a famous people on child slave labor so people stop going into walmart or buying nike products? I work in the textiles and fashion industry and it’s all children making our products in the USA. If you want to save the world- BUY USA only on everything. More people die making crap from places like walmart then they do in the diamond industry.
Did you know that in Textiles and Garment factories in China that daughter are thrown into factories at the age of 13 and are slaves for their families? All their money goes to their families while and they work there until they die. They are not allowed to leave or get married or have their own families. Instead of killing their daughters they sell them to factories now.
We only shopped around at stores that sold conflict free diamonds. To be completely honest I never knew of the issue until a few years ago when that Leonardo DiCaprio movie came out (Blood Diamond), but since then I have thought about the issue a lot. We made sure that we bought a ring that had nothing to do with that issue and bought a Canadian diamond.
Lots of info on the subject here – http://www.diamondfacts.org
I have a Hearts on Fire diamond, setting, and wedding band and they guarantee that all of their diamonds are conflict free (http://hof.com/#/us/en-us/perfection/diamond-promise.php). Just another reason we didn’t mind the premium.
Diamonds ARE made in Canada, in Alberta I believe. Just wanted to correct an answerer. There’s a company website– look it up.
Yes, we were aware of the issue BEFORE we saw the movie. When we went shopping for rings, we asked different jewelry stores about their policy on conflict-free diamonds. Most stores will give you a brochure explaining that TO THE BEST OF THEIR KNOWLEDGE, their diamonds are purchased as conflict free.
There isn’t a guarantee about this, however. When you go to Burger King, to the best of your knowledge, your food is sanitary. But you don’t know that the guy who just made your sandwich doesn’t necessarily have clean hands.
5 years ago, I was unaware of the issues. We bought an engagement ring, a wedding band with diamonds, and diamond earrings from Tiffany. Since then as I have heard more about the issue, I went on the Tiffany website to see what they had to say. Its vaguely worded, so I dont believe that they are ethically sourcing their diamonds. That saddens me, but whats done is done. The rings have already been bought.
I volunteer for an international organization that campaigns for issues mostly related to poverty. I am slowly learning more and more about the issues and complexities. Truth is, unless you seek out the answers, there is not a lot of readily available information for people out there. This is true not just about diamonds, but everything we buy as Bubbles has pointed out, including many of the foods we buy.
From a practical point of view, a movie about the diamond trade is not enough to change most peoples minds. Awareness is just one part of the solution. People also need an acceptable alternative. While increasing many brides are opting for other gems, the standard is still the diamond. Diamonds are different than toilet paper. People arent going to change their minds easily and switch to another type. Thats because we think that the tradition of the diamond and longevity of the ring are utmost importance.
Your question is interesting, I wish we could discuss it in more detail!
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