May Emeralds, "Nothing Gets Greener"

Image via Mad Mariner



Hooker Emerald Brooch, set by Tiffany. 75.47 carats
Image via Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History





17th century carved emerald and diamond brooch.

Image via Palagems



The Chalk Emerald, 37.8 carats.
Considered one of the world's finest emeralds due to it incredible clarity and color.
Image via Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

Hm? What?

Oh hello. Guess I was just kind of lost there for a minute.


I can remember being at the Pecos River in West Texas when I was a kid, thinking that it was the most beautiful green there could possibly be on the face of the earth. I was young and naive then and believed that I had seen it all at age eleven. I knew nothing about emeralds.

I have lost the source for this incredibly beautiful photo. Please let
me know if it's yours as I would love to give you credit. Thanks.

Emeralds get their name from the old French word "esmeraude" and the Greek "smaragdos" which simply means "green gemstone." The oldest finds are from the Red Sea in Egypt but these mines, active between 3000 to 1500 BC were depleted by the time they were rediscovered in the early 19th century and now only produce lesser quality emeralds. These mines later became known as the Cleopatra mines and were thought to be the only source of emeralds in the world until 1558 when the Spanish discovered emerald mines in Columbia.  Some of the gems found there by the Spanish remain the largest stones ever found.

 

Cleopatra Mine. Image via Tour Egypt



Emeralds from South America are now highly sought after, particularly gems from the famous Muzo mine. Muzo emeralds, with their rich bluish green color, are considered the finest emeralds in the world. Emeralds are now mined in several locations through the world, including Brazil, Pakistan, Russia, Australia, South Africa, India, Norway, and the United States.

In 50 AD, Pliny the Elder wrote of emeralds, "Nothing gets greener." Emeralds may range in color from yellow green to the highly desirable bluish greens and it is an emeralds color that will influence its value more than other consideration.



Image via AZ Emerald



Image via Gehna Bazaar













Let's be perfectly clear on this- emeralds are green. Yellow emeralds, heliodor, are yellow beryl, colored by iron. Pink emeralds are morganite- beryl colored by manganese (Mn2). Red emeralds are beryl colored with a more intense manganese (Mn3) and while fairly rare, they are not emeralds. And on it goes. Emeralds are green. Don't fall for any other marketing ploy. Emeralds are green.


 
So what is an emerald? Well, emerald is composed of the mineral beryl and while pure beryl is colorless, emeralds get the lovely green color from trace amounts of chromium. In the early 1960's, the Geological Institute of America included vanadium-bearing beryl as an emerald though these stones are not recognized as emeralds by the UK or Europe. Vanadium emeralds are more of an apple greenish color.



Image via Molecular Expressions

Emeralds are actually fairly hard but nearly all emeralds contain surface fissures, inclusions, and other flaws referred to as "jardin", meaning garden, which describes the silky web-like or mossy appearance of the tiny inclusions found within the emerald. Inclusions and flaws are expected in emeralds and do not necessarily detract from their value. Flaws are so evident, in fact, that emeralds are generally graded by the naked eye instead of with a jeweler's loupe as say for a diamond. They are considered flawless if there are no flaws visible to the naked eye. A flawless emerald is very rare and would be way out of my budget. Because of these internal features, emeralds can be rather fragile. In fact, nearly all emeralds are oiled, a process that introduces a clear oil, usually cedar oil, into the stone to make the inclusions less pronounced and increase clarity. By industry standards, there is nothing wrong with oiling but it is an enhancement and should be fully disclosed. You should actually assume that your emerald has been oiled but it doesn't hurt to verify, especially when you're dropping a fair amount of green for your stone. Green-tinted oil is not acceptable.



Inclusions in an emerald. Image via Geminary

So you probably think that a gemstone of such beauty and rarity as emeralds, often considered more valuable than diamonds, would have a ton of lore and mystery accompanying it. Well, you would be right. Oh, where to begin.....

The emerald has always been seen as a symbol of fidelity and during the Middle Ages it was believed that it would keep a woman chaste. The emerald was believed to change to a dull hue if the wearer had been unfaithful. Mysteriously, emeralds did not seem to have this effect on men. Hm- interesting. In various cultures it was also stated that emeralds enable people to foretell future events if put on the tongue or worn on the left side of the body. It has long been associated with love, devotion, and adoration. It was also once believed that emeralds would change the depth and hue of its color to alert the wearer of impending danger. Kind of goes with that whole infidelity thing. Emeralds are supposed to make the wearer unconquerable but also friendly and likeable. It is said to cure laziness, which could help with being unconquerable.

The Mogul Emerald from India- 217.80 carats. Carved with Islamic prayers and flowers.
Sold at auction for $2.2 million USD in 2001 to an undisclosed buyer.
Image via Gemstone Universe

Emeralds were considered a holy stone and were worshipped as such by the Incas. They were believed by other cultures to protect from epilepsy, give eloquence and intelligence to the wearer, and sooth illnesses of the eyes. Emeralds were once crushed into a fine powder and made into an eye lotion. These healing properties were said to help with almost every part of the body, from skeleton to skin, from the kidneys to the liver. If a mother-to-be wore emeralds her child would be kept safe during childbirth.  A mixture of ground emeralds and laudanum, derived from opium, would cure fevers. The list of ailments that emeralds were believed to cure is a long one: colic, burns, ulcers, headaches, tension, influenza, high blood pressure, heart disorders, cancer, dysentery, syphilis, nausea, vomiting, indigestion, asthma and anemia. The excuses some people won't use to get an emerald!



$50,000 emerald crystal
Image via The Ganoskin Project

OK- hold onto your hat ...





Image via Jewelry Expert





A trapiche emerald is a very rare kind of emerald found at only three mines in Columbia. In short, a trapiche emerald is one with black impurities that form a six-rayed star within the stone. Unlike astrecism, the spokes of a trapiche emerald are carbon impurities that grow from a central hexagon of beryl, sometimes colorless, as the gemstone forms. These are rare and intriguing stones and you're gonna pay a big wad of bills for one of these. Almost never do you see a faceted trapiche emerald but rather the cabachon shape.

Trepaiche Emerald ring by Paul Farmer.  Image via Paul Farmer, Goldsmith

Once you get your emerald, you must take good care of it. Don't wear it when you are playing sports or doing other tough physical work. Even knocking an emerald ring against a stainless steel sink can damage the stone. You'll need to either remove your ring or not wash dishes.  Due to its fragile nature,  great care should be taken even when cleaning. They should not be soaked as water may seep into the inclusions and dissolve the oils used to treat your emerald. This will cause your gem to become more brittle. Never immerse your emeralds in an ultrasonic cleaner as they could literally shattered before your eyes. How sickening would that be to see happen? At the very least, ultrasonic cleaners can remove the oils and weaken the stone. Do not use steam cleaning or expose to sudden or high temperatures. Don't use strong cleaners with petroleum or any organic solvents, even jewelry solutions, as the chemicals are not compatible with the oils used in the stone. Use room temperature water and a mild dish soap with a SOFT toothbrush. Rinse well and pat dry. Clean your emerald(s) only when necessary, never more than a few times a year. It is possible to have a competent jeweler re-oil you emerald after 2 -5 years of wear though I have seen it stated that you should re-oil after every cleaning. Supposedly the non-jeweler like myself can do that if the right oil and a cotton swab. I'm not making an recommendations here.



Just in case you need an excuse, emeralds are also used for the 20th, 35th, and 55th wedding anniversary.

Let's wander through some emerald green on this lovely spring day ...



The Mackay Emerald. Great excuse to go to the Smithsonian.
Image via Travellers Point




Those incredible trapiche stones agian. Image via Emerald Passion



Image via C. Ostrovsky



Image via XYZ Stones







Image via Tiara Time



Um .....  I want a tiara. OK, there-- I said it. Because, you know, it would look so pretty on my fuzzy head while I washed dishes or weeded the garden. They're just so, you know- pretty and extravagant. And even though Harry is still single, I've already found my prince. But, well, farm boys don't often have royal titles so my mother-in-law didn't give me a tiara when we got married and now here I am, all sparkle-lusty, without a tiara. At this point I would even settle for the cheapie little $4 million dollar doggy tiara. Look- emeralds!

Image via Tiara Time

Edwardian bracelelt. $3,4000. Image via The Three Graces

My sister has a May birthday. So does my mom. Mom is a gardener to the core and her favorite flower is Lily-of-the Valley, with its gorgeous emerald green leaves. So I think of her when I think of emeralds. Sort of appropriate since I think a good mom is a precious gem, though none as priceless as mine. I do hope you feel the same about your own mom or someone you've found to stand in for her.

Image via Awesomeology





I must admit that emeralds aren't necessarily my favorite gemstone- I'm just funny about green (throw some pink beside it, we're good). But in a pinch I could learn to tolerate them. Especially with emerald green butterflies in the world.





Image via Joden World Resources Online



Happy Birthday to all of you lush, gorgeous May babies.

Happy May Day

1. Maypole, 2. May Day in Annapolis, 2009, 3. Maybe, 4. Maypole

May 1st is May Day! I'm not talking about the politicized holiday of organized labor and not even so much the pre-Christian, neo-pagan, Celtic, or Druid festivals. No, I'm talking about just silly dancing and being happy that it looks like spring may actually happen. We've had a pretty rough April weather-wise and I'm hoping and praying that things settle down.

Image via Birmingham St. George's Association

I can remember making paper baskets as a kid in Casper, Wyoming, filling them with flowers, and sneaking off to the neighbors' houses. We would hang the baskets on the front door, ring the bell (the ONLY time children were allowed to do that), and run away to hide some place where we could watch the recipient's surprise. I only remember dancing around the May Pole once and that was during a phys ed class in first grade.



Image by Jippolito via Flickr


But somehow the sound of "May Day" is pleasing to the ear and the soul. It makes me think of polka music on the accordian, skipping, and laughing. It makes one smile and think of getting out in the sun and the garden. I'm not going to do a big ol' dissertation on May Day- I'm just going to share some pictures and wish you all a Happy May Day and encourage you to get outside for some fresh air and sunshine. And be sure to skip and laugh some too.



Image via Skip To My Lou Includes a tutorial for the baskets.





Image via Homeschooling Happy Honeybee. Includes tutorial on making these flowers.



Image by Frank Gruber via Flickr



Photo by Will Merydith via Flickr



Happy Spring!

Plates From An Old Bible- The Easter Story



When we moved into our house fifteen years ago, we found a small trunk full of books out in the barn. OK- it was more of a shed but for some reason we called it the barn. Wishful thinking maybe. Anyway, the books dated from the mid 1800's and most were in pretty bad shape: tattered, mouse eaten, rain soaked. It really broke my heart as that's the kind of thing I love to stumble upon. We salvaged a book of poetic essays, a copy of "Women of the Bible", several booklets from the Forest Service and the National Parks Service, a precious personal diary, and two Bibles. These Bibles are the great big ol' family Bibles and yes they have Marriages, Births, and Deaths recorded in those beautiful record pages in the center of the Bible. These Bibles date from 1864 and 1845. The last family record entered in either Bible is the death of one Laura Jane Piatt Robinson in 1943. There are a couple mementos tucked inside and gorgeous old plates made from engravings. The covers are made from board and are covered with embossed leather.One of the Bibles has a wonderful metal clasp. Make no mistake, they are in pretty rough shape but I just couldn't get rid of them.

So I thought I would share the plates from the Easter story with you. I photographed the plates instead of trying to get them spread out on the scanner. It seemed too risky to try to prop the books open and keep them from falling apart. They're half way there already and they fall apart a bit more every time they are touched. When a page crumbles into pieces or stitching on the spine snaps I feel like I've just broken a bone of a precious child. I love old books. Anyway, that's why the photos are a bit askew.

The photo above is a close up of the plate at the top of  this post. Peter denying Christ. We know from Scripture that Peter truly loved Jesus and sometimes I try to image what that night was like. He had already lopped off some poor Roman guard's ear and then he was being pointed out as "one of them". Poor Peter- sweet, impulsive, bombastic Peter-  he must have been frightened out of his mind.

This print is of Jesus carrying his cross and depicts the traditional view of how a condemned prisoner carried his cross. In fact it was probably only the crossbeam that was carried. A complete cross is estimated to weigh around 300 pounds. The crossbeam was no insignificant piece of scrap lumber, however, as it was used to hoist the prisoner up to the scaffolding using ropes once his hands had been fixed to the beam. The crossbeam probably weighed anywhere from 75 to 125 pounds. Once lifted to the scaffolding the prisoners were possibly "secured" to a foot beam which the prisoner could use to lift his weight off of his wrists in order to breath. Crucifixion is basically slow suffocation by the weight of the body and is a historically documented fact found through out history. Shockingly, there are incidents of crucifixion reported even today.

Scripture records Jesus stumbling several times as he carried the crossbeam to Golgotha, where he was executed. He had already been beaten several times and had a crown of thorns crushed onto his head.

Image via Moellard's Blog

Finally, Jesus had been scourged, which is the mother of all whippings. Scourging involved being beaten with a multi-thonged whip with metal balls and shards of sheep bone tied to the ends. Scourging generally preceded a crucifixion because it severely weakened the condemned through shock and blood loss. A healthy young man could conceivably endure days of crucifixion if he were not first weakened. Scourging is horrific and bloody, often fatal.

So Jesus was in much worse shape than depicted in this plate. Perhaps the engraver felt that Jesus, because of His holy nature, was above physical suffering, that maybe scourging doesn't really hurt so much when you're divine. Though Jesus was fully holy, He was also fully human and He did suffer. Oh, how He suffered for us. It has been suggested that the Roman soldiers who administered the flogging to Jesus were particularly brutal with Him. They were probably outraged by this Jew who claimed to be a king. Their king.

 

Ya gotta hand it to an engraver- it's tedious work. If you look at the lines of a print made from an engraving, it's hard to imagine drawing in such detail (at least for me), much less engraving in such detail on a metal plate. Depth of field? Muscles and arm veins? Roman soldiers in the shadows? I see how it's done but it still boggles my mind.

Then there's the whole printing process- apply enough ink, don't wipe too much off, enough pressure but not too much, don't smudge the print while it's wet....   incredible. These plates are gorgeous and grand.

I was hoping there was a plate of something like the women at the tomb discovering Christ's resurrection but this plate is just as wonderful. It depicts Jesus ascension to heaven 40 days after He had risen from the tomb. He was with eleven of His disciples, Judas having hung himself when he realized what he had done.

"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going. Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”  John 14:2-6.

April Diamonds. The Queen of Bling

Via Yale Jewelers

 
Not bad for crystallized carbon, eh? You know, carbon- the same stuff we burn as fuel.



Via Clean Technica



OK, that's only technically true so I'll clear up the little myth that coal becomes diamonds. I live in a coal-producing region, so trust me, I checked this out because how cool would it be to till up a big honkin' diamond while working in the garden?

Coal will naturally convert to graphite but graphite will generally not, on its own, become diamonds. Yes, they are both carbon-rich but the internal structure, the way the atoms stack and align, is different. But, to make it more confusing for us, graphite not coal is used to create artificial diamonds. Simply apply insane amounts of heat and pressure and wah-la! fake diamonds. The funny thing is, no one is really certain just exactly how diamonds are formed, though they are generally formed more than 93 miles below the surface of the earth. Heat, pressure, time, and some sparkly magical science. Volcanic and plate tectonic activity brings the diamonds to the surface through structures known as kimberlite pipes. Hang with me.


 


Image via mdiamonds

Once the diamonds are formed, volcanic activity brings them to the surface in this kimberlite rock and the diamonds are deposited in volcanic-rock or wash out in rivers. Open pit diamond mines are associated with kimberlite pipes. The largest open pit mine in the world is the Mirny Mine in Eastern Serbia. The hole is so big that at one point the airspace above the mine was closed to helicopters as there were several incidents of them being sucked in by the downward air flow. This mine closed in 2001.



Image via TwistedSifter



That just freaks me out.

Diamonds get their name from the Greek word adamas meaning "unbreakable", "proper", or "unalterable". If someone says you are a gem of a friend, strive to be a diamond of a friend. Diamonds have been known to and used by humans since ancient times, the very earilest references coming out of India where they were documented as being the first river-sourced diamonds. The Hope Diamond came from India, along with 12 million additional carats of diamonds over the past 2,000 years. Not to be out-done, discoveries in Brazil and Russia soon outpaced Indian production. Then, in 1868, a young man in South Africa found a pretty stone near the Orange River. He asked Shalk Van Neikirk, a nearby farmer, if he would buy the stone. Van Neikirk immediately offered him every head of livestock on his farm: 500 sheep, 10 cows, and a horse. With the discovery of that 83.5 carat diamond (later named the Star of South Africa), Africa became the diamond-producing capital of the world.

Star of South Africa. Image via DiamondCZ

The physical properties and beauty of diamonds have contributed to a vast collection of lore. Securing a diamond to your left arm is said to give victory in battle no matter how great your enemies may number. Ancient Greeks believed diamonds were the tears of gods while other cultures thought that diamonds were formed when lightening bolts struck the earth. Those are actually called fulgarites but that's another subject.  Held in the right hand, diamonds were said to cure mania. Diamonds were believed to impart strength and courage. Considered the "universal amplifier", diamonds have long been strongly associated with love.



Image via Lang Antiques Sorry, it's sold.



So- are diamonds the hardest substance on earth? Well, it's complicated, sort of. Of course. Diamonds are the hardest naturally occuring material but "hardness" simply refers to its resistance to being scratched. This does not refer to its density, tensile strength (amount of force required to tear it apart or the maximum load it can bear), or torsional strength (ability to withstand being twisted). A building made of diamond beams would not be very strong. Gorgeous, but not strong. Diamonds have a crystalline structure, which means they have an orderly, repeating pattern. Because of this structure, diamonds will fracture along these crystalline planes. Unlucky for the building contractor, lucky for the jeweler and some deserving female- and aren't we all deserving? Anyway, it is the diamond's hardness that gives it an "Excellent" rating with regards to wearability. Take care though, because if you whack your diamond on the edge of a counter or other hard object, it may do what it does that makes it so pretty- fracture.





Girls of Great Britain and Ireland Tiara, Queen Mary
Images via Golden Aged Regina





Can you imagine if getting dressed in the morning included putting on your diamond crown? Would that clash with my flamingo pants? Click the Golden Age Regina link above to see some gorgeous crowns of Great Britain.


Though diamonds are prized for their lack of color, no diamond is totally colorless and they can occur in a wide range of colors, from black to fancy colored diamonds, red being the most rare. Diamonds that are certified as "red" are so rare that most diamond dealers have never seen one and they generally are not available in the market.

World's largest cut fancy red, the 5.11 carat Moussaieff Red, cut in the mid-1990's from a 13.90 carat rough stone. Image via The World of Famous Diamonds. Sold in 2001-2002 for an undisclosed amount.

Pink diamonds, also rare, are highly sought after and for the most part, in the market, are the most expensive as they are closely associated with red diamonds. Blue is the next rarest color and are almost exclusively mined in Australia and South Africa. There are even green (caused by radiation exposure), purple, and orange diamonds.

Image via Jack Hood Jewelers Online

When buying fancy colored diamonds, if authenticity is important to you, always check the certificate to make sure that it has been certified as natural. As with so many other gems, diamonds are often treated to enhance or change their color.


I will not go into all of factors involved in grading and valuing diamonds because it's so complex, other than to say cut, color, clarity, carat. I personally don't hold much to the advertising campaign that dictates six months of salary to buy an engagement ring. I feel that it is better to buy a smaller good quality diamond than a larger, lesser quality diamond, inspite of my love for drop dead bling. However, when the girls are standing around comparing rings, some may feel the sting of having the smallest diamond. Buying diamonds is a personal choice based in part of how you feel about carats: quality or quantity. Lucky is the girl who can get both.

Neither am I going to discuss whether or not diamonds are rare or if the price is artificially jacked up by the DeBeers Corporation. No and yes.

Some interesting tidbits about diamonds:

• Did you know that diamonds will burn? Think about it- they're made of carbon and carbon burns. There are stories around of diamond cutters "in the olden days" who had diamonds flash or explode while they were being cut. A rare occurrence, this rarely happens now with modern cutting tools and techniques. Check out this video but don't try it at home.

Gray Matter: Burning Diamonds from PopSci.com on Vimeo

• Diamonds are very old. Most diamonds are close to 1 billion years old.
• Some diamonds, about 10 percent, will fluoresce a lovely blue under UV light such as sunlight or a black light. All diamonds will fluoresce under x-ray, which is actually used in mining to separate from non-diamond bits. Fluorescence is a hotly debated topic in the diamond industry but the Gemological Institute of America finds that it had no negative impact on a diamonds appearance. Yet the debate rages on. Don't let the presence of fluorescence impact your buying. Buy what you like. If a diamond is offered for less money due to fluorescene- BONUS!



Image via Gemological Institute of America



• You can crush a diamond with a hammer.
• The engagement diamond is worn on the third finger of the left hand, because the ancient Egyptians believed that the vein in that finger ran directly to the heart.
• The word 'carat' comes from the carob tree whose seed was used for centuries as the standard for weighing precious stones.
• Want to check his sincerity? If you place a diamond in a glass of water you will be able to see it clearly. A glass "diamond"- nope. Gosh, I hope you can see it.
• Only twenty percent of all diamonds mined are used for jewelry. The rest are either used for industrial purposes or simply discarded as being too inferior for any use. That's a weird idea, isn't it?

So I'll be quiet a minute and we can just look.





Image via Wikimedia Commons
Macro photo of an industrial cutting blade with tiny diamonds embedded in the metal.



17th century necklace, Carnegie Museum
I've seen this- it's gorgeous.

Kimberlite diamonds. Image by Liza Mueller via Picassa.



Antique (1895) 18kt gold brooch with 1.10 carats of diamonds. $3,000- still available girls.
Via Aunt Judy's Antique's



This 24.78 carat flawless beauty sold for a record $46.16 million at Sotheby's last November.
Image via Jewelry Insider



Image via Reverb

  

Oops- how did he get in here?

Image via The Diamond Broker

But as beautiful as diamonds are, they somehow inspire the truly stupid and ridiculous, as if the presence of diamonds makes you or some object classy. And if a few diamonds are good then an overabundance must make for some real high-class action, right?

Image via The Edje

The Hot Wheels car, cast in 18kt gold and encrusted with 23 carats of diamonds, valued at $140,000 not stupid enough for you? How about Damien Hurst's diamond encrusted skull?

 

Image via DailyMailOnline





Covered with 8,601 diamonds, the skull is a platinum cast of a skull Hurst (or Hirst) bought at a taxidermy shop, thought to belong to a 35-year old man who lived in the 18th century. The original teeth were polished and set in the cast skull.

Still not ridiculous enough? Oh girls, let's shopping....

Diamond encrusted iPhone, valued at $177,300. Image via Blavish

 

Kanye West's teeth. Image via Celebrity Rush.



Hello Kitty ring- $4,250. Sold out- scary thought. Image via PopGadget

 

 

$17,000- actual use not recommended. Image via BabyGadget.

OK, this ridiculousness could go on all day.

As gorgeous and intriguing as diamonds may be, it would be irresponsible not to include a very controversial aspect of the diamond industry in this post. Conflict diamonds. Let me quote from GlobalWitness.org:

• Conflict diamonds – also known as blood diamonds – are diamonds that are used to fuel violent conflict and human rights abuses. They have funded brutal conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d’Ivoire that have resulted in the death and displacement of millions of people. Diamonds have also been used by terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda to finance their activities and for money-laundering purposes. 

Conflict diamonds came to the world's attention in the 1990's out of the brutal civil war in Sierra Leone, though that country has not been alone. The civil war in Sierra Leone soon became about controlling the country's diamond business.  It has been suggested that conflict diamonds, at the bloodiest height of their use in funding war, accounted for 4% of the diamond trade. Some agree, others say it was closer to 15%, some feel the numbers have been vastly over-estimated, but even 4% represents an astounding financial incentive. And, given the heart-breaking brutality employed against virtual slaves in the mining pits, 4% is still too high a figure. This has been a consumer-funded crisis.

Image via UN.org

That brutality, murder, rape, and terror have been used in the mines of Africa is undeniable. It makes the absurdity of Kanye's teeth and the Hot Wheels car downright sickening.

As outrage over conflict diamonds increased, especially after the release of the movie Blood Diamonds, brokers began to realize that the issue of conflict diamonds was harming their industry. Pressured by international agencies, NGO's, and foreign governments, change began to slowly chip away at the diamond industry. The Kimberly Process Certification Scheme was established in 2003 by leading diamond producing nations in Africa to stop the trade of diamonds that fund conflict. "The scheme requires governments to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are conflict-free and put in place effective controls to prevent conflict stones from entering the supply chain. Participant countries must enact domestic legislation to implement the scheme, and can only trade rough diamonds with other members. This creates a strong incentive for countries that want to produce, trade or process uncut stones to join. As of 2010, there are 75 governments participating in the KP." (reference)

Image via Amnesty International

Has progress been made? Many sources will say that conflict diamonds now account for 1% or less of the international diamond trade.  It would be impossible and irresponsible for me to tell you whether or not that number is correct.  Progress has been made but because this is a human activity there will always be greed, corruption and flaws. Illegal trade in back allies continues with no pretense that the diamonds will ever leave their country of origin. Smuggling, lax diligence, greed and apathy continue. Also, there are only 75 signatories with the Kimberly Process, so that leaves many nations out of the conflict-free loop.

Image via UN.org

It has been difficult for me to know how to proceed with this aspect of a post on diamonds.  There's no denying that April's birthstone remains beautiful, regardless of where or how it is mined. I hoped to give you facts, not hype, and every side of this issue has both and neither. It's hard to sort it all out. I have read countless articles, visited website after website, and watched some of the most heart-wrenching and terrifying video I've ever seen. As I write this, I am trying not to cry. Again. It would be so much easier to close my mind against the reality of conflict diamonds.

So what can we do? First and foremost, if you must have a diamond,  insist with your jeweler, face-to-face, that he verify his gems as conflict-free. If he cannot, go elsewhere. Can a retailer really be the one to verify diamonds as conflict free? No, the sad truth is that from the first time a rough diamond is traded it becomes increasingly difficult to verify its source. By the time it is polished, it is virtually impossible to identify where it came from. But pressure at the consumer level for certified conflict-free diamonds increases pressure higher up the food-chain. If conflict diamonds have been a consumer funded crisis, then the solution must also be consumer funded.



Image via Reuters





Educate your self. Amnesty International's website has loads of information. Also check out DiamondFacts.org, GlobalWitness.org, and the KimberlyProcess.com.

I personally don't think it's effective to simply refuse to buy diamonds. There are plenty of folks willing to buy a diamond without much thought to its source. If you want diamonds, go buy diamonds. There is no shame in buying diamonds even if you are aware of blood diamonds. But be an educated shopper, let your jeweler know that you are willing to purchase certified conflict-free diamonds only. And stick to it, no matter how sweet the bling he dangles in front of you. When your friends admire your sparkly new diamond, don't forget to tell them that you made sure you bought only a certified conflict-free diamond and why. I'm not taking this stance because I hope to ease my mind should I want to go buy a diamond. Millions of individuals depend, in one way or another, on the diamond industry for their livelihood, to put food on the table each night. That includes the men, women, and children (yes, children) working in the diamond mines. Shutting down the diamond industry does them no good. Your voice is important but your actions must speak louder than your words. It is important to support the efforts of the Kimberly Process, the UN, the World Diamond Council, and countless other organizations, no matter how flawed and imperfect they may be. Insist on certified conflict-free diamonds only. There is simply no room for blood in your jewelry box.



Late 1800- early 1900's, French. Image via Collector's Quest