4 Tips to Avoid Buying Blood Diamonds

People often get allured by the beauty and sparkle of a diamond. Unfortunately, there possibly can be a dark side behind the making of these diamonds. Not all diamonds are ethical or conflict-free. Diamonds mined in the war-torn countries get smuggled in the industry. When retailers sell these diamonds to consumers and their profit gets used for financing terror activities and war. Such diamonds are known as blood diamonds and aren’t classified as certified loose diamonds.

You wouldn't want to buy a blood diamond intentionally. And you cannot recognize whether the diamond is conflict-free by merely looking at it. But if you're purchasing an engagement or wedding ring, there are ways you can ensure that the money you paid for a diamond goes to help miners in African countries and not hurt them. Below are four tips to confirm that the diamond you buy is conflict-free.

1 – Question Your Jeweler

This issue of blood diamond is all about traceability. If you can trace the diamond to where it was mined and its further engineering, then you can be sure of diamond being conflict-free. A responsible retailer will keep watch on every step in the way of a diamond from mine to market. If the jeweler is unable to provide you information, then buy from another jeweler.

2 - Ask For Diamond's Certification

A reputable jeweler will have their stones examined and tested from gemological laboratories like GIA and AGS. These labs will provide a grading report that will have information about stone's clarity, color, cut, and carat. Verify the given information, and if it matches with the diamond, then only make a purchase.

3 – Prefer New Diamonds over Vintage/ Antique

Kimberley's process allows the diamond industry to monitor the journey of a diamond from mine until they reach the jeweler's inventory. But this process was not established before 2000. Therefore, antique and vintage stones before 2000 can be blood diamonds. You can instead buy vintage-inspired new diamond jewelry. And you can also purchase new loose diamonds for sale in Amherst NY, Buffalo, Cheektowaga, Clarence, Cleveland Hill, East Amherst, Eggertsville, Grand Island, Harris Hill, Kenmore, Lancaster, Lockport, Niagara Falls, North Tonawanda, Williamsville and Western New York and mount them on a piece of authentic vintage jewelry.

4 – Trusted Mining Countries

Human rights organization has identified countries that produce blood diamonds. Such countries include Zimbabwe, Angola, and Liberia. If a stone comes from one of these countries, then it can be a blood diamond. Keep this point in mind before you buy loose diamonds online.

Canada is known for its ethical mining. They may be a bit costlier, but environmental and labor standards are both strictly implied. African countries like Namibia and Botswana are trustworthy options too. They work with diamond industries to ensure that income from mining produces more jobs and leads to development.

Buy from jewelers that follow ethical sourcing and provide you all the details about the diamond.

To Conclude

Buying an engagement ring or loose diamond is an investment of a lifetime. You should make sure that it doesn't cost a lifetime of suffering and poverty for someone else. By practicing tips mentioned above, you can avoid buying a certified conflict-free diamond. Buying such a GIA, AGS, IGI and EGL Certified Loose Diamond can give you great peace of mind and the immense satisfaction of owning a diamond.

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