You have probably seen or heard about the blockbuster movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou showing the horrific diamond trade in Sierra Leone. Or you may even vaguely remember a Time Magazine article documenting the return of the blood diamond. What exactly is a conflict or “blood” diamond? Conflict diamonds are rough diamonds that are illegally traded to fund conflicts in war-torn areas, in particular wars in central and western Africa. The diamonds are extracted from mines using impoverished men, women, and children, and even in some cases slaves, who are forced to use primitive and backbreaking methods to extract diamonds from the mines. So now that you know what a conflict diamond is, how do you know if the diamond you are buying is from a conflict-free zone? Due to public outcry and the flood of conflict diamonds entering the market, a global process has been […]