Diamond News
Best Source For Blood-Free Diamonds
The Search For A Morally Untainted Diamond Source
One of the biggest concerns most people have when looking to purchase diamonds is, as mentioned elsewhere on this website, the source of the diamonds in question.
Ever since public awareness became focused on the strife plaguing war-ravaged Africa, and the fact that, often these wars were being funded by money made through the diamond trade, people have been boycotting diamonds that do not have a legitimate and “blood-free” source; sources that can be traced and verified.
This has obviously damaged the African diamond industry and, as the South African De Beers company is still the leading source of diamonds worldwide, many people and retailers have begun looking for an alternative source of diamonds.
Russian Diamonds
Russia is not exactly the first place that comes to mind when one’s considering a diamond source, but that may begin to change in the near future.
Russia’s is the second largest provider of diamonds and their diamond trade is currently the source of 21% of the world’s diamonds. All this production at present and the diamond sources in Russia still remain largely untapped.
The diamond monopoly in Russia is owned by a company called Alrosa, in which the state has majority stakes. Russia is starting to push diamond production to increase flailing state revenue.
Russian diamonds, of course, are not in any way related to conflicts in Africa and are, therefore, “blood-free”.
Canadian Diamonds
As with the Russians, the Canadian diamond industry is relatively young, about 23 years old, it is also being looked at as more and more of a viable alternative to African suppliers for conflict-free diamonds.
Canadian diamonds are, at present, held to far higher standards than those of their Russian counterparts. In fact, Canadian diamonds are among the highest quality diamonds in the world, ranked only behind the stones from Namibia and Angola, which of course are at risk of being conflict diamonds.
All Canadian diamonds are marked with a laser-cut polar bear on their surface as a identifying mark of their quality.
Choosing The Best Diamond Source
It’s not always easy to know if the diamond you’re purchasing comes from a legitimate blood-free source. Though international governing bodies are working on worldwide standards to ensure that all “clean” diamonds are certified as such, this is not a perfect answer to the the problem.