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Engraving [q&a] - How to Choose an
Engagement Ring... [article] - Something Old, New,
Borrowed and Blue [article] - Saying "I Do" to a
Shoe [article] - Engagement Rings:
Resetting an... [article]
Leonardo DiCaprio's movie Blood Diamond has brought attention to a question some couples never consider: Could a beautiful diamond engagement ring have a grim history? The movie takes place in the 1990s, when diamond mining financed rebel fighting in places like Sierra Leone (where Blood Diamond takes place), Angola, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. By one estimate, these smuggled diamonds -- called "conflict diamonds" -- represented as much as 10-15 percent of the global diamond trade in the '90s. Dramatic change has been made to eliminate these practices, but how can you be sure your diamond is conflict-free? Learn the facts and ask the right questions before you buy your diamond engagement ring.
Know Your Stones
In 2002, the UN adopted a system to end the practice of diamond trading for dubious means. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme outlines the regulations and requirements countries must follow to make sure a diamond is mined and shipped in a humane, legitimate way. Diamonds that meet these regulations are shipped with a Kimberley Process certificate. When you buy a diamond, the jeweler should be able to provide this certificate -- if they can't, you should be wary of the stone's origin.