“I don’t understand about diamonds, and why men buy them. What’s so impressive about a diamonds except the mining?”
—Fiona Apple
Many of the prisoner-laborers who work Sierra Leone’s open-pit mines end up in shallow graves, executed for suspected theft, for lack of production, or simply for sport. (© Jean-Claude Coutausse/ CONTACT Press Images)
A few years ago, I asked for jewelry for Christmas; I wanted my boyfriend to give me something that I could wear and be reminded of him. When he gave me a pretty sapphire and diamond necklace, I tried not to be horribly disappointed. After I explained why I wasn’t into the gift, he gallantly returned the expensive necklace and exchanged it for a gorgeous green amber amulet for half the price. Amber I can love: Composed from the preserved living blood of a tree, it often contains pockets of ancient air, or even an unlucky insect, and catches the light in ways that a diamond never could.
Maybe its because I studied Geology in college that I see diamonds differently than most women. To me they are just cold carbon chains, unique from common coal and graphite only in the way the atoms line up. Diamonds have a crystalline lattice structure as opposed to coal’s earthy conglomerate one.
But I’ve determined that its neither geology nor taste that is the real reason that I don’t want a diamond ring (or teardrop earrings, or a honking diamond necklace when I strike it rich) one day. It’s the fact that the majority of diamonds are made from the backbreaking labor of the African people who mine them (who make about $30 a week officially, but usually make half that) and the Indian people who cut and polish them (the average price to cut a stone is about .25) Diamonds are also used to fund wars: Rebel leaders in Sierra Leone have used diamonds to pay for weapons that have thus far killed 75,000 and left 12 million homeless. Since Americans buy 65% of the world’s diamonds, you can bet our lust for the gems has financed murders.
Most poor countries have few laws to protect the environment and even less to enforce them. Diamond mining opens gaping holes in the Earth and pollutes the water as topsoil and mine ‘tailings’ (toxic chemicals) wash into surrounding waterways. I’ve seen this first-hand in the US, where there are regulations, and lets just say ‘destroyed landscape’ pretty much sums it up.
On top of all of this, diamonds are a racket. It costs less than $10.00 to dig a .8 carat diamond out of the ground, polish it, and ship it to the US, where it will be sold for $1000 or more. Diamonds are only valuable because companies set artificial price controls. Diamond marketers spend billions yearly on advertising to convince us that diamonds mean love, power and exclusivity, when really they are plentiful and cheap.
From Wikipedia:
The production and distribution of diamonds is largely consolidated in the hands of a few key players, and concentrated in traditional diamond trading centers (the most important being Antwerp). The De Beers company holds a clearly dominant position in the industry, and has done so since soon after its founding in 1888. De Beers owns or controls a significant portion of the world’s rough diamond production facilities (mines) and distribution channels for gem-quality diamonds. The company and its subsidiaries own mines that produce some 40 percent of annual world diamond production. At one time it was thought over 80 percent of the world’s rough diamonds passed through the Diamond Trading Company (DTC, a subsidiary of De Beers) in London, but presently the figure is estimated at less than 50 percent. De Beers used its monopoly position to establish strict price controls, and market diamonds directly to consumers in world markets.
You can read more about Amenesty International’s experience with diamond mines here. And don’t let me get into gold mining…(that will have to be a future post).
If you or your loved one insists on a diamond, there are thousands of vintage stones out there; you can use one to create a new ring or necklace, or enjoy a more old-fashioned style. There are also many great sustainable jewelry companies out there, and there IS the option of ‘conflict-free’ diamonds from Canada, but for me, the environmental consequences of any kind of mining are too extreme to justify it, even if the miners are paid a fair wage.
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Ahh diamonds. My boyfriend (circa 2005, now husband) bought a wonderful diamond for our engagement. Not wanting to promote or fund anything dirty, or tainted he opted to use this company http://www.brilliantearth.com/whybe.htm!
Most Canadian mines work with sustainable concepts. Brilliant Earth talks about that a little on their website.
Like vintage fur I am glad to see people use things again and give them new life.
July 6th, 2006 at 5:59 amSurprisingly, Tiffany has participated in shifting its diamond sourcing to Canada in the past decade. Companies like Cartier and Harry Winston are far less willing to answer questions such as where their diamonds come from and are purveyors of very large stones. The larger the stone, the more likely it is a conflict stone, if certification does not state otherwise.
July 6th, 2006 at 5:59 amWow, Brilliant Earth seems pretty impressive! What a good find Erin, thanks for linking to them. They seem to have a strong environmental stewardship angle to their work, along with being conflict-free, which I hadn’t seen much of before. Good to know!!
July 6th, 2006 at 6:55 amhttp://www.greenkarat.com/ is another ethically minded retailer…
July 6th, 2006 at 7:43 amThanks for this blog Starre. I love gems suchs as rose quartz and amethyst. I haven’t really thought before of the mining techniques and practices to get ” precious gems” esp. diamonds. I will definitely keep this all in mind for the future.
Also,great Fiona Quote. She’ll be in central park in 2 weeks.
July 9th, 2006 at 2:08 pmCheck out the Canadian Diamonds thay all have a tiny lazer etching of a polar bear to prove they are not blood rocks.
October 13th, 2006 at 9:32 pmWhat a stupid quote from Fionna Apple.
October 14th, 2006 at 6:41 pmMen don’t care about diamonds. They buy them because it’s their female partners who love them.
Jon, I think Fiona knows why men buy them. Don’t be hypercritical please. This site is dead on and diamonds are NOT a girls best friend. The diamond business is one gigantic scam anyway. There is no shortage of diamonds anywhere. Vast amounts of diamonds are kept off of the market to inflate the price. Superior diamonds can now be made artificially. Mining diamonds should be halted globally, not just in South Africa.
October 17th, 2006 at 7:05 ammost guys do get a diamond ring not because WE like diamonds- most of us could care less for one- it isn’t fun paying for one- we get them because we are trying to do something nice. don’t like diamonds? that’s alright- we just ask that we be told before we fork out a few grand for one. we might even go out and do something about [blood diamonds] rather than talk about doing something.
October 17th, 2006 at 5:11 pmJon and mike have a good point - which man gives a sausage about diamonds, theyre only bought for the lady - and would i be right to think that ultimately it is to appear more attractive to males? The same males that dont give a sausage.
October 17th, 2006 at 6:54 pmDebeers has done an incredible job with their marketing when it comes to convincing women they cannot live w/o a diamond. I work in the marketing/advertising world and for many reasons women on the future target of marketing. Not just because of their increasing dollar in the market but their susceptibility to marketing advances.
Yes this is sexist, but there is truth in research.
Now how to I relate this to there real world?
I have a very cool and thoughful girlfriend. She has known how I despise diamonds for over a decade (due to the marketing) and now I try to share this bad PR with her to support my view. She has given into so many of my extreme ideas but states she will never bend on the diamond discussion. She simply wants one and doesn’t know why…
…but I do. Programing and status and it’s all BS.
I’m not cheap, I’ve bought her to last cars for here…and yes I do that becuase “I” like cars and they are practical (quetionable at times)…but I refuse to by a diamond for her for engagment and it going to be a big problem in the future.
I ask her WHY does current marketing and society think they MUST have a diamond? I ask her what people did 100 years ago for engagments and/or rings? but none of this matters, as she simply wants a diamond and doesn’t care to understand why…
She’s pavlov’s dog on this one!
October 17th, 2006 at 9:00 pmI have never cared for diamonds myself. I’ve always liked things that are unusual, and you see far fewer emeralds, sapphires, kunzites, etc than those white lumps of compressed coal. Diamonds - viewed only as an accessory - seem commonplace and boring.
I’d known for years that black S African miners get paid a third what their white counterparts earn, and also about conflict diamonds, but I disliked diamonds even before I learned those things.
Mystics who work with gemstones say that diamonds absorb energies rather than projecting an energy themselves; they act like sponges. It is also said they cannot be ‘cleared,’ or cleansed of the energies they’ve absorbed. No one who is involved in spirituality would want to wear the equivalent of a dirty stinky washcloth, esp given the suffering of the miners.
If I find someone worth marrying, he’s going to have to get me a *phenacite* ring!
BTW, green amber is lovely, but almost all of it is dyed.
October 17th, 2006 at 9:21 pmIf you’re a woman, the social pressure to get a diamond is intense. I think that’s why so many women who might listen to reasonable arguments in other areas are so resistant to this. For women a beautiful ring and a thoughtful engagement is supposed to be one of the pinnacles of their lives. I don’t know how to argue with a deeply held feeling like that. Your only option is to get an antique diamond or find a conflict-free one.
I’ve decided not to participate in the ‘marriage industry’ at all (not only do I not want to get married, until everyone can, I certainly don’t want to advertise to the world my marital status. As if it’s anyone’s business if I’m married or not! Are people going to treat me any differently? I hope not.) So I will never have to make this choice, but it’s great there are options for more traditionally-minded environmentalists.
October 18th, 2006 at 3:49 pm[...] Now that we know that diamonds are not a girl’s best friend and more environmentally friendly jewelry, including Kiersten Muenster , and Gwen Davis’ gorgeous creations, are out there, but what if you’re looking for something with more traditional style? Green Karat’s recycled gold jewelry looks the same as non-recycled rings and earrings, but reduces the need for poisonous mines and toxic refining practices typical of traditional gold extraction. Gold mining not only involves ripping into the Earth and displacing millions of pounds of earth (see image below) but multinational mining corporations have polluted local environments both in the United States and internationally with cyanide, mercury and other toxic chemicals (called mine ‘tailings’). I’ve seen some of this destruction first hand when I was a geology student in Montana, and I wish I still had my photos of yellow rivers running from mines into clear mountain streams. Yes, this kind of pollution still goes on, and what’s more, it’s allowed. [...]
December 17th, 2006 at 10:01 pmI just found this site and had to add: when looking for an engagment ring, I was specific that I didn’t want a diamond for exactly the reasons posted here. I sport a gorgeous pearl instead and everyone who has seen it says how it’s not a “real” engagement ringbecause it isn’t a diamond! Clearly DeBeers HAS done their job with marketing (now if they could just get those stones ethically).
December 31st, 2006 at 6:34 amcool article on diamonds on smithsonian.com
January 5th, 2007 at 6:57 pmI just watched the movie ‘Blood Diamond’. Thanks to this movie, millions more will be aware of this issue.
Btw, I also have been against diamond, and any other branded stuff/goods. Don’t get me started on that. :). I personally know a girl whose vision or goal is to have a $5000 Gucchi bag. How sad is that?
January 7th, 2007 at 9:31 pm[...] 5. If you are going to get a diamond ring and gold or platinum band, look for certified non-conflict gems (ask the jeweler to see the paperwork, they’re obliged to show them to you) and recycled metals, or better yet, go vintage! (For Eco Chick’s coverage of diamonds, click here and here.) [...]
January 22nd, 2007 at 12:53 pmTo understand how abundant diamonds really are let me put things into perspective. Think of all the volcanoes in the world today. Now think of how many there have been through the past 2 BILLION years. Now each volcano creates cinder cones, usually hundreds of them, maybe more. Diamonds are formed inside these cones by the thousands. Now, take another look at your diamond, no matter where it came from. Diamonds are the equivalent of a grain of sand with an astounding ad campaign. Can anyone truly give the gift of SAND anymore? I hope this explanation will help you to educate others on the reality of these death stones. Oh, and why would you pay someone else to show the person you love that you loved them? What does that say about you?
December 25th, 2007 at 1:45 am[...] from humanitarian. Part of the problem people have with the diamond industry is the way it treats people working in the mines. That isn’t even mentioned in the National Geographic [...]
August 22nd, 2008 at 5:16 pm