Instant Survey: Diamonds - Pretty Naughty Things
by Erin Courtenay - Madison, WI on 12. 5.05
We've heard news about a growing trade in "conflict free" diamonds and some exciting developments in the world of synthetic diamond creation, but the vast majority of the gems are still marketed by the not-so-TreeHuggeresque De Beers empire. During the holiday season jewelry stores bank on the allure of diamonds as a winning Christmas gift; with that in mind...
I recently got a diamond engagement ring for my now fiance and I made sure a) not to get it from DeBeers, and b) to get it from a Canadian mine. Recently, I was pleased to see that DeBeers is making a lot of effort to clean up its image (can't remember where i read the article). I would totally suggest Canadian diamonds. They are becoming much easier to get and there is only a tiny premium on them. My favorite site was www.igloodiamonds.com. Mostly loose diamonds
No zero guilt option?
My fiance and I just purchased a Canadian Diamond. It was one of the main selling points for her.
John's post says de Beers is cleaning up its image. It's always been good at that, incredibly clever marketing tactics to make sparkling new diamonds a token of love.
Instead of cleaning up its image, de Beers needs to clean up its act. there is little transparency in the diamond trade and the stones are notoriously difficult to identify, therefore as they change hands with middlemen, blood diamonds are mixed with other diamonds. You can never know what you're buying.