Conflict Diamonds - Are They Ethical?
Throughout history, natural diamonds have been mined in war zones and sold to finance violence and conflicts. This is a serious concern as it has caused immense damage to communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. The profits from these sales have been used to fund weapons and slavery.
In the past, these diamonds were produced through the use of child labor. These children were forced to work long hours in unsafe conditions. They were treated like slaves and often killed if they disobeyed their masters. The profit from these diamonds was also used to finance civil wars, corruption, and other unethical activities. The United Nations and other international organizations have worked to end the trade of blood diamonds. However, 1% of these stones still remain illegally mined and sold.
Man-made diamonds, or lab diamonds, are created in a laboratory, using environmentally friendly methods. These diamonds are chemically identical to mined diamonds and have been certified as real diamonds by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). The diamonds are also graded by the GIA, which ensures that they meet specific color, clarity, and cut grade standards.
The lab-grown diamond industry is gaining popularity as a means to combat the illegal trade of blood diamonds. In fact, a number of department stores have announced their bridal collections with lab-grown diamonds. It has become a popular alternative for consumers, who are wary of purchasing natural stones. These diamonds are also marketed as ethical and low-carbon.
However, some claim that these man-made diamonds are not ethical and may harm poor communities in the process. Other retailers, including Pandora, proclaim that they are ethical and are not conflict free diamonds. While these claims may be true, they are not the same as blood diamonds, and some people prefer the sentimental value of naturally grown diamonds over lab-grown diamonds.
So what are blood diamonds? The process of making a blood diamonds takes billions of years, during which the carbon atoms in methane crystallize on the seed diamond. It is then cut to a specified size and placed in a high-tech safe with fingerprint-scanning security. Lab-grown diamonds are made using less land, energy, and manual labor than the mining process, do not require harmful chemicals or polluting water sources, and are 40-60% less than natural diamonds. The cost of these diamonds ranges from PS295 to PS2, 000.
In addition to the ethical nature of lab-grown diamonds, they also do not destroy habitats and do not involve human labor. They are also chemically and physically identical to natural diamonds. Some companies even claim that their products are more sustainable than naturally grown diamonds.
There is no way to tell a lab-grown diamond from a naturally grown one without special equipment. The only difference is that the natural stone has trace amounts of nitrogen. This is discovered by highly specialized technology.
