Every girl who has always wanted to be a bride must have already envisioned the glittering diamond ring her fiance would give as he asks for her hand in marriage. Every starry-eyed young man who intends to propose marriage is probably saving a considerable sum of their salary just to be able to afford the fancy engagement ring every woman desires. But did you know that women in Africa can’t wear wedding rings just so that consumers all over the world can?

Brand new diamonds, also called blood diamonds, are what funds and fuels wars in conflict-ridden countries in Africa. Not only does the sale and trade of blood diamonds maintain violence in nations like Zambia and Botswana; the mining industry has almost completely destroyed their natural resources while encouraging corruption in the government and back-breaking slave labor. Although the diamond industry has attempted to establish regulations to make sure that jewelers only buy conflict-free diamonds, the system is not entirely fool-proof. It’s easy to smuggle the diamonds across borders and sell them illegally. Chances are, the big shiny rock you’ve been admiring at the jewelery store window was mined by slave labor or child labor.

So how can you avoid patronizing blood diamonds? If you really must buy your fiancee a diamond engagement ring, make sure your jeweler sells only conflict-free diamonds. Ask the sales person or the jeweler where their diamonds come from, if their company has a policy on conflict diamonds, and if they have a written guarantee from their diamond suppliers stating that their rocks are conflict-free. Alternately, you can check out vintage jewelry stores and see if they carry diamond engagement rings. Vintage jewelry has more character and history than brand-new ones, and are just as elegant and classy as those you can buy from a store.

You can also choose to get your fiancee an engagement ring or wedding bands made out of semi-precious stones like opals, sapphires, moonstones, or your birthstones.

With a little awareness and ethical decision making, you can play a small but significant part in reducing the demand for blood diamonds and putting a stop to the blood diamond trade.

For more information on blood diamonds, check out the following articles and websites:
Combating Blood Diamonds: The Diamond Industry’s Failure
Stop Blood Diamonds
Measuring a Diamond’s True Price
The Consumer’s Guide to Blood Diamonds