Is it reported 1 in 6 diamonds are mined through slavery or violation of human rights. The diamond industry (ie the corporate monopoly De Beers) claims they can tell you if your diamond is a blood diamond or not. They can't.
Profits from diamonds mined in Liberia, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Angola, go to criminal gangs, some to brutal ruling regimes, some to outright terrorists. And the stones are mined under oppressive conditions for the smallest of wages, using methods that damage the countryside.

Think about this before you buy a real diamond. Research if you prefer. But consider buying something that symbolizes your love (not your wallet), such as other gems, Cubic Zurconium, or even a man-made (or synthetic) diamond, which is a pure diamond, made from carbon in a lab. It *is* a diamond, same properties, same hardness, same chemical formula, it was just not dug out of the ground by a slave who if he doesn't make his quota will have his wife raped, or children mamed, or killed.

Maybe one day, real diamonds will be seen as bad as real fur.

http://tribes.tribe.net/conflictdiamonds