To be a socially and ethically conscious consumer, knowing what you are buying, and that your money is not supporting unethical practices is the most important thing. In the 1990s and 2000s, conflict or "blood" diamonds became notorious among human rights organizations for funding rebel armies in Africa. Illegal sales of blood diamonds has produced billions of dollars to fund civil wars and other conflicts in various African nations, including Sierra Leone (where conflict ended in 2002), Angola, Liberia, Ivory Coast and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Human rights proponents brought the injustice and the need to regulate the illegal sales of blood diamonds to the forefront of social
So you are a first-time diamond buyer, and need to know what to look for when shopping for a diamond...what do all those letters mean? D, VS1 or H, SI2, or even IF? And does it really matter if a diamond is certified or not? It can be very confusing if you start looking at diamonds without knowing the basics. You may have heard of the "Basic 4 C's" of diamonds, Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut. We actually have 5 important parameters to look for when shopping for a diamond, we call them the "Basic 5 C's" The Basic 5 C's are: - Carat: This is the measure of a gemstone's weight. Not to be confused with the term karat, which refers to gold's purity, a carat is equal to 0.2 grams. When measuri
