Blood Diamond Research Papers

The process of producing the diamonds so they could be sold on the market involved many steps which were illustrated in the movie, Blood Diamond. Smugglers like Archer would supply the RUF with guns. The guns would be used by the RUF to intimidate the people of Sierra Leone into working as laborers for them, we see this with Solomon and his son. These men would be forced to dig in the water mines for hours a day searching for diamonds of all sizes. Then the diamonds are mixed with other diamonds all around the world, mixing the illegal ones with the legal ones; this was explained in the movie by Archer to Maggie. When the diamonds are mixed in with the others, no one can determine for certainty where each originated from. It is then distributed to nations where they are made into necklaces and bracelets, and no questions are asked.

The De Beers Group of Companies established itself in the diamond industry in the late 1800’s and it was only a matter of time until De Beers owned virtually every diamond mine in South Africa. Diamond distributors joined up with De Beers because of similar interests: they wanted to create a scarcity of diamonds, so that high prices would follow. Eventually, De Beers would establish exclusive contracts with suppliers and buyers, making it impossible to deal with diamonds outside of De Beers. For the remainder of the 20th century, the business model was the same: A subsidiary of De Beers would buy the diamonds and De Beers would determine the amount of diamonds they wanted to sell, and at what prices. In turn, De Beers funneled all of the

Ever since British geologists first discovered diamonds in Sierra Leone 's jungles in the 1930 's, diamonds have been a key factor in the bloody conflict that has ravaged this small West African country. In his novel, Blood Diamonds, Greg Campbell captures the heart wrenching story of one man 's encounter with the Revolutionary United Front (RUF), a rebel group in Sierra Leone, infamous for their brutal tactics of mass rape, torture, looting, and excruciations. But their signature and most documented form of persecution -- amputation:

African tribal war over nothing is more common than war over diamonds. Diamonds are a commodity. African nations benefit much from the diamond industry. It is true that "blood diamonds" did originate from Africa, but ever since the Kimberly Process was implemented blood diamonds from Africa have significantly decreased.

Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals. Diamonds are formed underneath the Earth’s surface requiring them to be mined for, which can be a very high labor task. Out of the top ten countries in the world with the most diamonds, Africa has six of those countries (Said, Sammy. “Top Ten Countries with the Most Diamonds Found”). With six African countries being among the world leaders in diamond mining and exportation brings a lot of controversy. Some of these African countries have already been banned in the past from mining and exporting diamonds for many human rights violations. Angola is one of the world’s leading exporters of diamonds. Just

Although there are no firm estimates of how many diamonds are in circulation, to put these numbers into perspective, one out of 25 diamonds to three out of 20 diamonds will trace back to an illegal source. However many of the diamonds that are mined today are claimed to be conflict free. De Beers, the largest producer of diamonds in the world, states on its website that “more than 99% (99.8%) of the world’s diamonds are certified conflict free” (FAQs). This statement from the De Beers Company shows that there is progress being made however there is still a gap in the industry for which conflict diamonds may sneak through. Although miniscule amounts of blood diamonds are being traded today, they still pose a threat to the world if any rogue nation decides to begin buying blood diamonds thus filling the coffers of the warlords and perpetuating the violence that already plagues countries like Sierra Leone.

Adding to that, diamond mining produces many jobs and economic growth (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Globally, ten million people are employed due to the diamond industry (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Most diamonds come from less developed countries (Diamond Facts website, 2016). These countries use the revenue produced by diamond mining to better their country (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Much of the revenue goes to building infrastructure like hospitals, schools, roads, and clean water systems (Diamond Facts website, 2016). The diamond trade produces eight point four billion dollars to Africa (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Countries within Africa such as Botswana and Namibia have evidenced that profits from diamonds aid less developed countries have substantial benefits like economic growth and stability (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Profits from mining diamonds has shown to play an important role in turning war-torn countries into economically stable places (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Botswana has one of the fastest growing economies in the world, chiefly due to the diamond industry (Diamond Facts website, 2016). Without diamond mining, Botswana would lose three billion dollars in profits per year (Diamond Facts website, 2016). The result would be devastating to

natural diamonds are the result of carbon exposed to heat and pressure deep in the earth

Open pit mining is the predominant method used to extract copper ores and it takes place on the surface. Overburden and waste rock is stripped off to expose the ore. Holes are drilled into the rock and samples from this are used to determine the grade of the ore. A mix of ammonium nitrate and fuel oil (ANFO type explosive) is used to blast the rock to break it apart. Pneumatic or hydraulic impact hammers are then used to break up bits of ore or waste rock that is too large. Large shovels then transport the ore onto trucks ready to be processed. This method is

In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the diamond mining industry is being exploited by rebels who are using the diamonds as ‘conflict diamonds’. These diamonds are being used to illegally buy arms used towards the civil war and other conflict in the DRC. Since the rebels have control of the diamond industry with conflict diamonds, they affect the DRC’s economy and the livelihood of the people who have no choice to work for the rebels. Because of the constant conflict since independence of the DRC, there is the persistent issue of how to reduce the circulation of conflict diamonds.

Imagine, after five years of dating, your boyfriend finally proposes to you. You feel so ecstatic as he kneels down on one knee and pulls out a beautiful diamond ring. You look down on it happily and think of all the African children that have died to make this day possible. Blood diamonds are diamonds that are illegally traded to fund conflict in war-torn areas, typically in central and western Africa. The UN defines these diamonds as "...diamonds that originate from areas controlled by forces or factions opposed to legitimate and internationally recognized governments, and are used to fund military action in opposition to those governments..." .

Marilyn Monroe’s famous line “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” is glamorously known worldwide. It is true that diamonds is what every girl desires for. Diamonds signifies to consumer’s wealth and glamour and are generally associated to gift one another or symbolize romance, marriage, and purity. However, despite how appealing a diamond is, its worth could be someone’s life. This is known as blood diamond or conflict diamond. A blood diamond is a diamond mined from a war zone and sold generally to help a rebel or invading army’s war efforts to gain more weapon and armed goods. Consumers are becoming more aware about the illegal diamond trade through the Kimberly process and the restrictions on diamonds in war zones. Hence, this paper argues that diamonds are a universal desire and through the Kimberly Process, the diamond industry has become more ethical and provides benefits to other regions around the world.

Before a diamond leaves a jewelry shop, it goes through five stages. First, it is mined and purchased. De Beers Group of Companies is the leading company that does this. It is the leading company in diamond exploration, diamond mining, diamond retail, diamond trading and industrial diamond manufacturing sectors. Second stage involves the sorting of the stones into its different sizes and qualities. These rough diamonds go through the diamond centers in Antwerp, London, Lucerne, New York, Tel Aviv, Johannesburg, Bombay and Dubai. At the third stage, these stones are cut and polished. Then, after which, these diamonds are manufactured (fourth stage) and marketed (fifth stage).

Diamonds do not originate on the earth 's surface, whereas they form in the mantle about 150 km below, due to extremely high temperatures of about 1050 degrees celsius and pressures of about 13733 MPa (Schlumberger Excellence in Education Development, 2015). The majority of discovered diamonds have been brought to the earth’s surface in Xenolith, from the earth’s mantle, as a result of volcanic eruptions. Asteroid and meteorite sites also often result in high temperatures and pressures, which release stardust and debris, often including diamond crystals. NASA scientists have found many nanodiamonds in meteorites within our

In a lot of jewelry commercials, the main point is “he went to ‘name of store’” with the ring being a diamond one. A popular way of selling an engagement ring by telling the consumer where they should buy their engagement ring. The engagement ring, specifically ones with diamonds, is an interesting concept that is known as a widespread tradition. One compelling notion is that a person has to spend three months’ salary to buy one is also compelling. Some people would say that to be truly considered engaged you would need to have a diamond. They also believe that diamonds are forever. The concept is that diamonds are worth a lot more than other precious stone like emeralds and sapphires or semiprecious stone like ambers and pearls. The price of diamonds is very high, and it can be higher depending on the company and quality of cut. A lot people are worried that a lot of diamonds used for the rings may be blood diamonds, also known as war’s diamond, which are diamonds that have been mined during war, so some claims that their diamond came from another source such as a lab. The idea that diamonds are worth a lot of money is highly debatable because of how they are processed. Are diamonds even worth the cost?