Blood Diamonds: Is Human Misery the Cost of Bling?

Filed under: News

Rappers talk about their “bling,” and women lust for the brightest engagement ring they can get. Some people even wear diamonds in their teeth to show how much money they’ve got. Black Americans are dying to have the hottest diamonds around our necks, while other black people are literally dying to supply the diamonds them.

In Africa, “blood diamonds” are intimately related to brutal conflicts throughout the continent, as groups use the diamond trade to finance civil and other wars that have resulted in the slaughter and disfigurement of millions. The U.S. is the biggest market in the world for such diamonds, given that we purchase 65 percent of the diamonds available on the open market.