Your ring may sparkle and shine but can you wear it on your finger without remorse? Even after knowing it may have been acquired by slave labor, unpaid workers, or life-threatening conditions? Well, if your diamond was not sustainably sourced, then it’s most likely doing more harm than good.
There is actually no old tradition behind the concept of diamond engagement rings; it all started purely as a marketing scheme. De Beers Group, an international corporation specializing in diamond exploration, mining, retail, and manufacturing, started the perpetuating idea of getting a diamond ring to propose. The De Beers marketing team popularized the diamond engagement ring in the 20th century. At that time, De Beers controlled 90% of the entire diamond market.
In a nutshell, diamonds are a commercial commodity with no sentimental tradition behind them, and they are only associated with diamonds thanks to successful marketing.
Where Do Most Diamonds Come From?
Africa, the epicenter of global diamond production, a majority of which is managed by the aforementioned De Beers. Africa produces half of all diamonds. Since diamond mining began, back in 1866, Africa has provided around $158 billion worth of diamonds. That’s about 1.9 billion carats!
A Little Bit Of Diamond History
In 1866 the child of a Dutch farmer (Erasmus Jacobs) found the first 22 carat diamond in what’s now South Africa. It kicked off a diamond rush and miners flocked to the area. Soon after, the second diamond was discovered – an 83 carat and ever since then, Africa has led the world in diamond production. But a big part of the problem is De Beer’s monopoly over the industry. With so much control over the market, De Beer oversaw (and continues to oversee) much of the supply-and-demand and pricing.
What’s Wrong With Mined Diamonds?
Improper mining practices can lead to soil erosion, stripping the soil of its natural nutrients, contributing to deforestation. Such land degradation can cause proneness to flooding. Other side effects of unsustainable mining include dust and water pollution.
The environmental effects of mining were so severe in Angola, Central Africa, that local populations were forced to relocate!
Why Is Diamond Mining Unsustainable?
Well, mostly because of land degradation. There are several different methods of diamond mining. One approach is called alluvial mining, which occurs inside river banks and beaches (secondary deposits of diamonds). This is the most damaging to the environment. When ‘alluvial mining’ walls are built to divert the rivers flow, the body of water is drained out. Then, bulldozers come in and dig through the now drained river, looking for diamonds.
Synthetic Diamonds
Synthetic/lab-grown diamonds are good alternatives to natural ones. While many people would assume it’s not as good as a natural one, they are still real diamonds and often contain fewer impurities than natural ones. Not only this, but they are also cheaper and don’t come from mining.
There are two main processes to create synthetic diamonds; high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition crystal formation (CVD). Diamonds from these processes have superior hardness, thermal conductivity, and electron mobility. Synthetic diamonds supply an estimated 98% of industrial-grade diamond demand.
Some other stones are often mislabeled synthetic diamonds, such as moissanite and cubic zirconia. Make sure to check which stone you are really buying.
However, you may decide that the other stones are even better than diamonds as they can have an even brighter shine and be much cheaper, allowing the stone to be larger while still saving money.
