As we all look to being more sustainable or eco-friendly in some ways, we can start to think about the impacts we have on the environment based on the purchases we make. Diamonds are pretty and are admired by many, but there are a number of environmental and ethical impacts of purchasing a diamond. Let’s show you some of these and how you factor them into your decision-making.
The Environment the Diamond Was Created in
The most important thing when you are purchasing a diamond is to ascertain if the diamond is “conflict-free.” The initiative known as the Kimberley Process was introduced in 2003 to eliminate the trading of conflict diamonds, also known as blood diamonds. A blood diamond is defined as a diamond that has been mined within a war zone or in unsafe conditions.
One approach that has been implemented to prevent this is the introduction of lab grown diamonds. Understanding natural vs lab grown diamonds can help you to find a more sustainable diamond. When a diamond is mined, it disturbs a large area around the site which can harm local ecosystems, but lab grown diamonds do not.
Understanding the Impacts on Society
There are eco-friendly aspects that we have to consider but we also need to look at the process of diamond mining in terms of its negative impacts on society.
The fact is that when we’re trying to be more ethical in our diamond purchases, we should remember that places like the African nations make up a large part of their gross domestic product in selling diamonds because the subsequent steps after mining, such as sorting, polishing, manufacturing, and selling, which are all critical parts of the pipeline that provide work all around the world.
It can help to start economies and improve infrastructure. While the 2003 Kimberley Process was created to ensure diamonds are not blood diamonds, it is important to remember that diamond purchasing can have a positive impact on the world.
What You Need to Know When Buying a Diamond
When you are looking for a diamond responsibly sourced, you need to consider some of the following:
- Find the right providers. A provider that will specialize in ethically sourced materials and can show you proof that a diamond is not a blood diamond is essential.
- Understanding your personal ethics. It’s just as important for you to gain insight into what your personal ethics are. If you are purchasing diamonds for someone who knows the history of blood diamond mining, you need to make sure you have a better understanding of where it has come from.
- Be inquisitive with the provider. While most diamonds are conflict-free, if a diamond has been in circulation for a number of decades there’s no guarantee that it is conflict-free. You can still find blood diamonds on the market and if the provider cannot trace the stone back to the source, you can’t tell if it is conflict-free. In which case, you may want to look at alternatives that are considered more eco-friendly.
There are a number of impacts when it comes to buying diamonds. Making sure that you are being more sustainable in every part of your life has a lot to do with the purchases you make, especially when it comes to the shiny and sparkly stuff!
