The 29th World Diamond Congress met last week from July 16 to July 19 in Antwerp, Belgium where the issue of "conflict diamonds," diamonds mined from warring countries including Sierra Leone and Angola, was the dominating topic. Conflict diamonds have fueled and funded wars in these countries, as well as led to the murder and mutilation of thousands of people. These conflict diamonds are estimated...

The first site related to diamonds comes from the American Museum of Natural History entitled The Nature of Diamonds (1). A comprehensive site, visitors can learn about what a diamond is, its related history, mining, industry and technology use, and more. The next site, offered by De Beers Industrial Diamonds (2), offers a history of industrial diamond use as well as a look at their various...

The past several decades have seen a growing interest among various social justice organizations into investigating the various origins or manufacturing processes used to create various products and their effects on the people who make these products. One such luxury item that has come under close scrutiny is the diamond. In May 2000, Southern African diamond producing states met in Kimberly,...