Reasons for NOT ACCEPTING a diamond!

#31
koukanamiya said:
I'm more of a sapphire fan. I love pink sapphires and if I get an engagement ring, I would be perfectly content getting a pink sapphire stainless steel ring from TeNo. I think I like to lean toward the more modern jewelries because their lines are a bit cleaner and I can pull it off better.

As for diamonds, I only like it if it's pink, but I cannot imagine wearing it (now if it's a diamond Hermes bag, that's a different story). Also, aside from the controversy behind diamonds, I prefer sapphire more also because I'm a bit of an astronomy geek. I read that while diamond is rare on Earth, it's abundant in space - I guess I don't want to share the same rock with the extraterrestrials. J/k.:P

Either way, diamonds are gorgeous though, even though I STILL prefer sapphire more.
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:roflmfao: You're hilarious, Kou! I have to say I am partial to sapphires myself. Have seen sapphires is most of the colors it comes in. Wish I can keep them all! :graucho: Of all the sapphire colors I have come across, I believe that the natural (untreated) orange/peach padparadscha is the rarest (aside from pigeon blood red sapphires (aka rubies, of course).

Among the sapphires, I like pinks and reds the most.
 
#35
absolutanne said:
I'm writing this thread purely for educational/awareness purposes. Not to bash or be anti-diamonds. But I strongly believe that women should know the general origins of her $1,000 or $20,000 rock that her fiance/husband had given her. I used to love the appearance and glimmer of diamonds, and hoped to be engaged to someone who can pour money on me with a huge rock but NO MORE after I've read about the history of de beers and their means to mine diamonds in South Africa and other nations who mine diamonds as their primary source of revenue. Journalists and investigators alike have exposed the reality of diamonds but frankly, to reverse a false 63 yr old advertising campaign overnight is not going to happen quickly.
Please let your female loved ones or men who are planning to be engaged about this unknown fact about diamonds!


References:
An economist reports- Ten reasons why you should never accept a diamond ring
The Atlantic Online - a reputable source of journalism
Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?
A private research website w/ thorough articles - Edward Jay Epstein site
Prologue - The Diamond Invention

Note: I'm not supporting nor am I part of any sort of anti diamonds, anti debeers group, my intentions are solely for awareness purposes - none for my personal or organizational gain.
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I'm so with you!
My ring has a clear topaz instead of a dimond.
 
#37
keodi said:
I was told by an SA at Tiffany's that their diamonds come from Canada.
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From their website:

TIFFANY & CO. diamonds come primarily from three geographic regions. The Canadian Arctic is a
major source, where we have direct supply agreements with three diamond mines, and where we cut
and polish diamonds. We also buy diamonds from Africa and Russia. To help ensure the integrity of
our supply chain, we created Laurelton Diamonds, a wholly owned subsidiary that procures rough
diamonds and manages the worldwide supply chain that cuts, polishes and supplies finished stones
to Tiffany. As part of that supply chain, we operate our own diamond cutting and polishing workshops,
as well as our own gemological laboratories.
The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, an international, cooperative monitoring system, was
created to eliminate the flow of "conflict diamonds"​
​
—diamonds that are smuggled out of war-torn
regions by those seeking to finance violence. The Kimberley Process requires participating countries
to tightly control the import and export of rough diamonds and to establish control systems over their
private sectors that trade in rough diamonds. In compliance with this process, rough diamonds move
among participating countries in sealed containers with accompanying documentation evidencing
that the diamonds are conflict-free. TIFFANY & CO. purchases diamonds only in those countries that
are full participants in the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.​

​
​
​

 
#38
I have read all the posts and articles and I still love my diamond. There are other sources as many people say. There are questionable practices associated to almost everything. I wouldn't give it up and frankly want another one.
 
#39
The ladies who do my hair are African. They have only recently come to the United States. One told me in her region of Africa, families have earned a living processing diamonds and not to believe all of the news articles and movies. I understand that this may happen some of the itme, but isn't that the same with everything? I will not stop buying diamonds, period. I have faith that the system will work to regulate the industry.
 
#40
I have a ring with 1 stone weights 5.35ct, which is GIA certified.

there is a big different betweens cz and real diamond just like louisvuitton and the fake ones.

to my normal eyes, I could tell you wear it fake or not because I have my diamonds long enough for that distinguishing.
 
#41
Thanks for posting the links, anne!

Looking into the details of the journey of just about any product from raw material to our shopping basket is not for everyone. In fact even studying DeBeers' marketing masterpiece might be disconcerting to some, and could even tempt difficult questions to scroll uncomfortably across the mind.

In any business where the financial stakes are so high, that in itself will virtually insure conflict, and that in turn insures that those who do look into the issue will soon find themselves in possession of a collection of a wide range of opinions from those on the various sides of that conflict, including those who receive various degrees of benefit as well as those who receive various degrees of harm.

For that, and other reasons that can be explored in more appropriate venues, it is sadly necessary to point out that "conflict free" is a relative concept, and in the case of diamonds, will of necessity be relative to the position of one or more governments with regard to the conflict, and therefore also relative to the individual's agreement or disagreement with those positions.

In the interest of full disclosure, I am personally very partial to vintage rhinestones. :smile:
 
#42
OK, please forgive me in advance, because this is my pet issue for some bizarro reason.

Any purchase of any diamond fuels the diamond supply. The Kimberley process is total crap, and is so easily faked that it's a huge joke. "Canadian" diamonds are also a huge joke. I truly believe that wearing a diamond is morally wrong, and if you want to wear a diamond, fine; however, you must be willing to admit that you are part of the whole "developed" world that feeds off of third world misery and poverty.

Diamond mining has raped the African continent since Cecil Rhodes first got his greedy hands on his first rock. Period. End of story. For someone to legitimately believe that the African diamond trade is any good is total rubbish. That's like when the UN soldiers are accused of sex crimes for having sex with 5 year old prostitutes using the defense of: "well, they were willing, too." Shame on you.

I don't live in a region of Africa where there are diamonds, thank God; however, in all my international studies and travels, this is the one issue I see no grey area in. You buy a diamond, you are on the demand side of the economic equation which continues to foment issurection and violence in the poorest regions of the world.

OK. Rant over. I try to keep this to myself, because my strong views tend to offend people who ignorantly wear diamonds, but the more I live and travel in Africa, the harder it is to just keep my mouth shut.
 
#43
Why are "Canadian" diamonds a huge joke?

I feel this is just like buying clothing from sweatshops, yet I'm sure most of the people who've posted here buy them without even thinking. I'm not saying the issue is not important, however I've noticed outside of this thread people are preaching their opinions regarding conflict diamonds on threads that have no asked for such comments. Do we do this for meat, fur, sweatshop-created clothing, etc.? No.
 
#44
... because there is absolutely no way to guarantee that you have a "conflict-free" stone. In fact, I would argue that by association any stone is conflict tainted.

Any participant in overall demand fuels the supply, a part of which is unquestionably related to violent conflict.
 
#45
And we aren't talking one militant faction against another, we are talking about innocent civilians and, worst of all, children, who are caught in the middle of the most insane possible greed you can imagine.

I thought the movie, "Blood Diamond," was tame compared to some field reports and documentaries available. What is really happening, in both conflict areas and conflict-free diamond mining, is really horrific manipulation of really poor, desperate people.
 
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