What are Cruelty-Free Diamonds?
Growing consumer pressure on the diamond industry has led to a self regulating movement among major diamond companies to more carefully monitor the sources of their product. The result has been clear labeling of some diamonds, indicating that they are cruelty-free, meaning that they were not involved in the blood diamond trade which rages across much of Africa. Consumers are encouraged to purchase cruelty-free diamonds so that they can be assured that the gems they wear did not contribute to civil war and other similar conflicts. A blood diamond is a diamond which was involved at some point in trade for weapons. Blood diamonds are a large problem in African nations like Sierra Leone, Angola, and Liberia. These diamonds are often illegally smuggled out of diamond mines and used in trade for weapons and other military supplies; in some cases, they are actually smuggled into diamond mines so that they can enter the supply chain of commercial diamonds. The sale of blood or conflict diamond
