Blood diamonds are STILL a major problem in 2023. Learn how the earth-mined industry continues to commit ATROCITIES. By Lab Grown Diamond experts, MiaDonna
Blood Diamonds in 2023 — What Jewelers Won’t Tell You | MiaDonna /* Insert styles for styles when JS is not loaded */ .noscript { display: block; } - | / Save up to % Save % Save up to Save Sale Sold out In stock Easy 30-Day Returns & Financing Free U.S. Shipping & 90-Day Resizing Every Purchase Funds our Non-Profit Appointment Contact Blog Engagement Build your own Shop All Solitaire Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Modern Bridal Sets MUST SEE New Arrivals Ready to Ship Best Sellers Custom Design Your Own New! 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The Science Behind Our Gems PRETTY IN PINK Explore The Pink Sapphire Collection SHOP NOW Gifts Gift Guides Most Gifted Classic Jewelry Must-Haves Luxe Gifts Personalized Gifts Ready To Ship Jewelry By Recipient Gifts For Her Gifts For Him Gifts For The Bride By Price Gifts Under $750 Gifts Under $1,500 Gifts Under $2,500 Gifts Over $2,500 EXPLORE THE GIFT EDIT The Finest Jewelry Gifts SHOP NOW About ABOUT US Who We Are Our Founder Our Mission Why MiaDonna Reviews Press SUSTAINABILITY Our Pledge Our Foundation Conflict-Free Diamonds Conflict Diamond Facts OUR MATERIALS Lab Grown Diamonds Lab Created Gemstones Recycled Metal Guide LEARN Complimentary Services Cleaning & Jewelry Care Ring Sizing Financing FAQ Blog Search Login Cart Engagement Build your own Shop All Solitaire Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Modern Bridal Sets MUST SEE New Arrivals Ready to Ship Best Sellers Custom Design Your Own New! Artisan Collection MATERIAL Lab Diamond Engagement Rings Gemstone Engagement Rings Moissanite Engagement Rings LEARN Diamond Shapes that Look Bigger Choose the Right Carat Weight Make An Appointment Financing Try a Sample at Home FAVORITES Chorus Three Stone Millie Hidden Halo Venetian Halo Olivia Diamond Accented Isla Three Stone Beloved Twisted Band HANDCRAFTED just for you, in 15 days Shop Now Wedding WEDDING SETS Shop All Solitaires Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Sets BANDS Wedding Bands Stackable Wedding Bands Eternity Bands Men's Wedding Rings Pressed Diamond Bands MUST SEE Best Sellers Wedding Day Must-Haves Custom Bridal Sets and Bands LEARN Ultimate Wedding Ring Guide Popular Wedding Sets Affordable Wedding Sets FAVORITES Idyllic Wedding Set Heroine Wedding Set Burnside Two Tone Set Venetian Halo Set Canyon Band Pressed Diamond Band SAVE 10% Off the band when you purchase as a set Shop Now Jewelry JEWELRY Rings Earrings Necklaces Bracelets SHOP BY STYLE Lab Diamond Jewelry Gemstone Jewelry Metal Jewelry Eternity Rings Pinky Rings Fashion Rings Mens Rings FEATURED Best Sellers Tennis Jewelry Pink Sapphire Jewelry Earring Upgrade Program Ready to Ship Jewelry Design Your own Cocktail Ring SHOP BY OCCASION Gifts For the Bride Anniversary Gifts Graduation Gifts Shop All Gifts Get Inspired Martini Earrings Tennis Bracelet Twist Pendant Fleur Toi et Moi Ring Eternal Monogram Ring Round Eternity Band STUNNING Fine Jewelry for Every Occasion Shop Now Diamonds LOOSE LAB DIAMONDS Shop All Shapes Round Princess Cushion Oval Emerald Asscher Radiant Pear Marquise MUST SEE Lab Diamond Jewelry Lab-Diamond Engagement Rings Ready to Ship Lab Diamond Jewelry Diamond Hybrid Simulants LEARN What is a Lab Grown Diamond? Carbon Capture Diamonds Diamond Upgrade Policy Finance Your Diamond Today Learn About the 4 Cs WE GROW DIAMONDS to Grow Food LEARN MORE Gemstone Lab Gems Ruby Emerald Blue Sapphire Pink Sapphire Champagne Sapphire Alexandrite MUST SEE Gemstone Jewelry Sapphire Jewelry Top 10 Gem Rings Design Your Own LEARN What is a Lab-Grown Gem? The Science Behind Our Gems PRETTY IN PINK Explore The Pink Sapphire Collection SHOP NOW Gifts Gift Guides Most Gifted Classic Jewelry Must-Haves Luxe Gifts Personalized Gifts Ready To Ship Jewelry By Recipient Gifts For Her Gifts For Him Gifts For The Bride By Price Gifts Under $750 Gifts Under $1,500 Gifts Under $2,500 Gifts Over $2,500 EXPLORE THE GIFT EDIT The Finest Jewelry Gifts SHOP NOW About ABOUT US Who We Are Our Founder Our Mission Why MiaDonna Reviews Press SUSTAINABILITY Our Pledge Our Foundation Conflict-Free Diamonds Conflict Diamond Facts OUR MATERIALS Lab Grown Diamonds Lab Created Gemstones Recycled Metal Guide LEARN Complimentary Services Cleaning & Jewelry Care Ring Sizing Financing FAQ Blog Engagement Build your own Shop All Solitaire Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Modern Bridal Sets MUST SEE New Arrivals Ready to Ship Best Sellers Custom Design Your Own New! Artisan Collection MATERIAL Lab Diamond Engagement Rings Gemstone Engagement Rings Moissanite Engagement Rings LEARN Diamond Shapes that Look Bigger Choose the Right Carat Weight Make An Appointment Financing Try a Sample at Home FAVORITES Chorus Three Stone Millie Hidden Halo Venetian Halo Olivia Diamond Accented Isla Three Stone Beloved Twisted Band HANDCRAFTED just for you, in 15 days Shop Now Wedding WEDDING SETS Shop All Solitaires Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Sets BANDS Wedding Bands Stackable Wedding Bands Eternity Bands Men's Wedding Rings Pressed Diamond Bands MUST SEE Best Sellers Wedding Day Must-Haves Custom Bridal Sets and Bands LEARN Ultimate Wedding Ring Guide Popular Wedding Sets Affordable Wedding Sets FAVORITES Idyllic Wedding Set Heroine Wedding Set Burnside Two Tone Set Venetian Halo Set Canyon Band Pressed Diamond Band SAVE 10% Off the band when you purchase as a set Shop Now Jewelry JEWELRY Rings Earrings Necklaces Bracelets SHOP BY STYLE Lab Diamond Jewelry Gemstone Jewelry Metal Jewelry Eternity Rings Pinky Rings Fashion Rings Mens Rings FEATURED Best Sellers Tennis Jewelry Pink Sapphire Jewelry Earring Upgrade Program Ready to Ship Jewelry Design Your own Cocktail Ring SHOP BY OCCASION Gifts For the Bride Anniversary Gifts Graduation Gifts Shop All Gifts Get Inspired Martini Earrings Tennis Bracelet Twist Pendant Fleur Toi et Moi Ring Eternal Monogram Ring Round Eternity Band STUNNING Fine Jewelry for Every Occasion Shop Now Diamonds LOOSE LAB DIAMONDS Shop All Shapes Round Princess Cushion Oval Emerald Asscher Radiant Pear Marquise MUST SEE Lab Diamond Jewelry Lab-Diamond Engagement Rings Ready to Ship Lab Diamond Jewelry Diamond Hybrid Simulants LEARN What is a Lab Grown Diamond? Carbon Capture Diamonds Diamond Upgrade Policy Finance Your Diamond Today Learn About the 4 Cs WE GROW DIAMONDS to Grow Food LEARN MORE Gemstone Lab Gems Ruby Emerald Blue Sapphire Pink Sapphire Champagne Sapphire Alexandrite MUST SEE Gemstone Jewelry Sapphire Jewelry Top 10 Gem Rings Design Your Own LEARN What is a Lab-Grown Gem? The Science Behind Our Gems PRETTY IN PINK Explore The Pink Sapphire Collection SHOP NOW Gifts Gift Guides Most Gifted Classic Jewelry Must-Haves Luxe Gifts Personalized Gifts Ready To Ship Jewelry By Recipient Gifts For Her Gifts For Him Gifts For The Bride By Price Gifts Under $750 Gifts Under $1,500 Gifts Under $2,500 Gifts Over $2,500 EXPLORE THE GIFT EDIT The Finest Jewelry Gifts SHOP NOW About ABOUT US Who We Are Our Founder Our Mission Why MiaDonna Reviews Press SUSTAINABILITY Our Pledge Our Foundation Conflict-Free Diamonds Conflict Diamond Facts OUR MATERIALS Lab Grown Diamonds Lab Created Gemstones Recycled Metal Guide LEARN Complimentary Services Cleaning & Jewelry Care Ring Sizing Financing FAQ Blog Login Chat Call Email Contact FAQ Blog Sign In Search Cart Shopping Cart It appears that your cart is currently empty. Click here to continue shopping. Shopping Cart Subtotal Excluding tax & shipping $ 0.00 Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout Checkout Order Timelines Finished Jewelry (Excluding Custom) Please allow approximately 10-15 business days for your item to be handcrafted. Loose Stones, Ready-to-Ship & Sale Items These items will ship to you within 1-2 business days. Home Try-On Program Please allow 4-7 business days for delivery. No signature is required. *Subject to approval of credit application. Rates range from 0% to 29.99% APR, resulting in, for example, 24 monthly payments of $46.14 USD at 9.99% APR, per $1,000 borrowed. APRs will vary depending on credit qualifications, loan amount, and term. Bread® pay-over-time plans are loans made by Comenity Capital Bank. Search MiaDonna Top suggestions Shopping Cart It appears that your cart is currently empty. Click here to continue shopping. Shopping Cart Subtotal Excluding tax & shipping $ 0.00 Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout Checkout Order Timelines Finished Jewelry (Excluding Custom) Please allow approximately 10-15 business days for your item to be handcrafted. Loose Stones, Ready-to-Ship & Sale Items These items will ship to you within 1-2 business days. Home Try-On Program Please allow 4-7 business days for delivery. No signature is required. *Subject to approval of credit application. Rates range from 0% to 29.99% APR, resulting in, for example, 24 monthly payments of $46.14 USD at 9.99% APR, per $1,000 borrowed. APRs will vary depending on credit qualifications, loan amount, and term. Bread® pay-over-time plans are loans made by Comenity Capital Bank. Build your own Shop All Solitaire Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Modern Bridal Sets MUST SEE New Arrivals Ready to Ship Best Sellers Custom Design Your Own New! Artisan Collection MATERIAL Lab Diamond Engagement Rings Gemstone Engagement Rings Moissanite Engagement Rings LEARN Diamond Shapes that Look Bigger Choose the Right Carat Weight Make An Appointment Financing Try a Sample at Home FAVORITES Chorus Three Stone Millie Hidden Halo Venetian Halo Olivia Diamond Accented Isla Three Stone Beloved Twisted Band HANDCRAFTED just for you, in 15 days Shop Now WEDDING SETS Shop All Solitaires Vintage & Antique Three Stone Halo Set Diamond Accented Two-Toned Stackable Sets BANDS Wedding Bands Stackable Wedding Bands Eternity Bands Men's Wedding Rings Pressed Diamond Bands MUST SEE Best Sellers Wedding Day Must-Haves Custom Bridal Sets and Bands LEARN Ultimate Wedding Ring Guide Popular Wedding Sets Affordable Wedding Sets FAVORITES Idyllic Wedding Set Heroine Wedding Set Burnside Two Tone Set Venetian Halo Set Canyon Band Pressed Diamond Band SAVE 10% Off the band when you purchase as a set Shop Now LOOSE LAB DIAMONDS Shop All Shapes Round Princess Cushion Oval Emerald Asscher Radiant Pear Marquise MUST SEE Lab Diamond Jewelry Lab-Diamond Engagement Rings Ready to Ship Lab Diamond Jewelry Diamond Hybrid Simulants LEARN What is a Lab Grown Diamond? Carbon Capture Diamonds Diamond Upgrade Policy Finance Your Diamond Today Learn About the 4 Cs WE GROW DIAMONDS to Grow Food LEARN MORE Lab Gems Ruby Emerald Blue Sapphire Pink Sapphire Champagne Sapphire Alexandrite MUST SEE Gemstone Jewelry Sapphire Jewelry Top 10 Gem Rings Design Your Own LEARN What is a Lab-Grown Gem? The Science Behind Our Gems PRETTY IN PINK Explore The Pink Sapphire Collection SHOP NOW JEWELRY Rings Earrings Necklaces Bracelets SHOP BY STYLE Lab Diamond Jewelry Gemstone Jewelry Metal Jewelry Eternity Rings Pinky Rings Fashion Rings Mens Rings FEATURED Best Sellers Tennis Jewelry Pink Sapphire Jewelry Earring Upgrade Program Ready to Ship Jewelry Design Your own Cocktail Ring SHOP BY OCCASION Gifts For the Bride Anniversary Gifts Graduation Gifts Shop All Gifts Get Inspired Martini Earrings Tennis Bracelet Twist Pendant Fleur Toi et Moi Ring Eternal Monogram Ring Round Eternity Band STUNNING Fine Jewelry for Every Occasion Shop Now ABOUT US Who We Are Our Founder Our Mission Why MiaDonna Reviews Press SUSTAINABILITY Our Pledge Our Foundation Conflict-Free Diamonds Conflict Diamond Facts OUR MATERIALS Lab Grown Diamonds Lab Created Gemstones Recycled Metal Guide LEARN Complimentary Services Cleaning & Jewelry Care Ring Sizing Financing FAQ Blog Gift Guides Most Gifted Classic Jewelry Must-Haves Luxe Gifts Personalized Gifts Ready To Ship Jewelry By Recipient Gifts For Her Gifts For Him Gifts For The Bride By Price Gifts Under $750 Gifts Under $1,500 Gifts Under $2,500 Gifts Over $2,500 EXPLORE THE GIFT EDIT The Finest Jewelry Gifts SHOP NOW Blog Menu All Journal Engagement & Wedding Fine Jewelry Lab Diamonds Gemstones News & Mission MiaDonna | Blog | The Journal AUTHORS & EXPERTS MiaDonna Team Don’t Miss! RELATED POSTS Will Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce Get Engaged? Our ... October 06, 2023 | By Katy Moore Bride & Groom Guide Holiday Proposal: The Romance of Secretly Selecting ... September 29, 2023 | By MiaDonna & Company Joey King Makes a Case for Modern Wedding Jewelry September 13, 2023 | By MiaDonna & Company Email Your Email* SIGN UP Success! Thank you for signing up. The email address you entered doesn't appear to be valid. Please check it and try again, or give us a call at (503) 336-1581 for assistance. AUTHORS & EXPERTS MiaDonna Team MiaDonna is the world’s first retailer exclusively selling Lab-Grown Diamonds and Gemstones, created in 2005 by a mother determined to free families from a lifetime of poverty and mining. We specialize in designer-style fine jewelry that is beautiful, sustainable, and affordable. We are B-Corp certified, environmentally responsible, and donate 10% of profits to support communities negatively impacted by diamond and gold mining. MiaDonna is headquartered in Portland, Oregon and ships to all 50 states plus more than 30 countries internationally. Recently VIEWED No recently viewed products Blood Diamonds in 2023 — What Jewelers Won’t Tell You July 09, 2020 In 2006, Leonardo DiCaprio made the term “Blood Diamonds” a household phrase. Since then, a lot has been done to address the issue of blood/conflict diamonds. But unfortunately, we still have a long way to go. The diamond trade is an eighty-nine billion dollar industry, with 65% of mined diamonds coming from Africa. Historically, the African diamond industry has been riddled with corruption and violence that many think has subsided following the civil wars of the 1990s and early 2000s. While strides have been made to clean up the mined diamond industry, numerous examples exist where greed is still causing the exploitation of men, women, and children. That is why it is incredibly important for consumers to do their research and ask questions in order to avoid purchasing blood diamonds and find ethical jewelry. Human Rights Watch recently reviewed the diamond-sourcing practices of 13 of the largest jewelry and watchmakers. The report found that many companies don’t know where their diamonds come from and do not do enough to ensure that human violations did not occur in the mining process. No company scored an “excellent” rating; only one scored a “strong” rating. Eight of the companies score a rating of “weak,” “very weak,” or “no score due to nondisclosure.” Photo Credit: Getty Images #1: The Kimberley Process Is B.S. If you ask about blood diamonds in a jewelry store (as the amazing conscious consumer that you are!) you will probably get a reply like “Don’t worry, our diamonds are certified by the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme”. But most consumers don’t really know what it means, and most earth-mined jewelers like it that way. One of the main outcomes of the social outcry against the conflict diamond trade was the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), established in 2003. The purpose of the KPCS is to reduce “the flow of conflict diamonds ⏤ ‘rough diamonds used to finance wars against governments.’” However, the main problem with the KPCS is that the definition of a conflict diamond is far too narrow. It merely aims to end revenue from diamonds going to rebel groups to fund wars. However, it does nothing to address corrupt governments, state-sponsored militias, or the unethical treatment of people involved in the process of mining blood diamonds. This means someone could still have been enslaved, tortured, raped, beaten, or killed to mine that diamond, and it is marketed as a conflict-free diamond because it didn’t directly fund a war. Some African officials equate diamond mining and the Kimberley Process to slavery. They urge people to acknowledge the colonialism and oppression of the African miners by European mine owners. Penny Hess, Chairperson of the African People’s Solidarity Committee said, “[The] Kimberley [Process] is nothing more than an attempt to conserve the diamond trade, which is unethical at its core. It merely qualifies the operation of a genocidal industry which helps to maintain the specter of European colonialism in Africa.” The article on blood diamonds points to De Beers, who “have exploited the Kimberley mechanism as a way of preserving the longevity of the diamond trade, despite a myriad of human rights concerns.” This is one of the main reasons MiaDonna and the Greener Diamond Foundation were created in 2005. We made it paramount to redefine the definition of a conflict diamond to any diamond that is not sustainable and therefore negatively impacting humanity and or the environment. Photo Credit: Getty Images #2: Trouble In Central African Republic (CAR) Another issue with the KPCS is that a certification does not apply to a specific diamond but to a group of diamonds. A major problem with the conflict diamond trade is that smuggled diamonds can be easily mixed with other mined diamonds and then the whole ground is certified as conflict-free, even though they are actually blood diamonds. This is common practice in the Central African Republic (CAR). In 2013, diamonds from the CAR were banned under the Kimberley Process. Despite these sanctions, it is estimated that upwards of twenty four million dollars worth of diamonds … truncated (12,851 more characters in archive)