Why You Should Shop Cruelty-Free Diamonds

Why You Should Shop Cruelty-Free Diamonds

The diamond industry is renowned for its cruelty to laborers. Diamonds are mined in remote areas where people live in poverty and work for subsistence wages. The miners suffer long hours in dark, cramped conditions with little food or water. The mining process is so intense that it often kills the stones before they can be cut and polished.

Miners are often injured or killed when the mines are blasted when generators fail when there’s no electricity to run fans after a storm when there’s no running water to wash the stones before cutting them when there’s no medical care for sick or injured miners or when there’s not enough food to feed them. There are many ethical alternatives that don’t sacrifice animal welfare, human rights, fairness, and sustainability issues. Learn what you need to know about shopping for cruelty-free diamonds instead.

Problems in the diamond industry

Several companies are selling conflict-free diamonds by hiding behind the Kimberley process. The definition of the conflict-free diamond is too narrow, which is the main problem of the Kimberley Process. As per the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS), the conflict diamond definition is, “rough diamond mined in an area controlled by insurgent forces whose sale is used to finance anti-government military action.”

This definition does not take into account the children and adults who are forced to work, threatened with violence, and unable to pursue other ways of income. A conflict-free diamond certified from the Kimberley Process is not really cruelty-free as it is not accounted for the individuals who have been raped, threatened, kidnapped, and killed in the mines while mining for those diamonds.

This topic has been widely discussed by many celebrities, including Leonardo DiCaprio who said “These companies have a responsibility to help their workers. They have a responsibility to diversify their investments.” These issues deserve our attention too.

Alternative to Diamonds

Diamonds are expensive and can be difficult to justify buying when there are so many ethical alternatives. There are two main categories of alternative stones. The first is lab-grown diamonds, while the second is precious gemstones, like sapphires, rubies, or emeralds.

Lab-grown diamonds are made in a laboratory with high standards of quality and often come with a Certificate of Authenticity. They are 100% original diamonds and they are chemically, physically, optically identical to mined diamonds. Moreover, they are also guaranteed conflict-free, unlike earth-mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds are also 20% to 40% cheaper than earth-mined diamonds.

Conclusion

From the mines to the retail shops, diamonds are mined in an environment that’s rife with human rights abuses and environmental degradation. And once they’re in your hands, they contribute to the pollution of our oceans and the extinction of our wildlife. Therefore, there are many ways to express your love, the bloodshed should never be your option to show love. Make it peaceful and pure by choosing other options.