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Diamonds Controversy

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Diamonds are made of carbon so they form as carbon atoms under a high temperature and pressure; they bond together to start growing crystals. Diamonds are formed underneath the Earth’s surface requiring them to be mined for, which can be a very high labor task. Out of the top ten countries in the world with the most diamonds, Africa has six of those countries (Said, Sammy. “Top Ten Countries with the Most Diamonds Found”). With six African countries being among the world leaders in diamond mining and exportation brings a lot of controversy. Some of these African countries have already been banned in the past from mining and exporting diamonds for many human rights violations. Angola is one of the world’s leading exporters of diamonds. Just …show more content…

Uncontrolled diamond mining has taken a heavy toll in certain African nations like Angola where negligent diamond mining has caused soil erosion, led to deforestation, and has pushed local populations out. Angola has been particularly lackadaisical in protecting its rivers and streams form abuse. Diamond miners have re-routed rivers and built dams to expose riverbeds for mining, with devastating effects on fish and wildlife. In other areas like the Kono district of Sierra Leon miners have left barren diamond mines. When these diamond mines are left empty so long over time they begin to collect stagnant rain water, which in turn can cause an infestation of mosquitoes to swarm and bread there. With so many mosquitoes it increases the number of malaria cases in those abandoned mining areas. Careless diamond mining has also led to destroying land that was once suitable for farming. Some areas such as Botswana and Namibia are doing their part in making sure they do not completely destroy certain lands after diamond mining. Local communities in the area work with international groups to refill the diamond mines that are not in use anymore, as well as bring back some of the native species and replacing lost top …show more content…

The distribution and production of diamonds is largely controlled by a few key players, the main one being Antwerp. Antwerp is where 80 percent of all rough diamonds, 50 percent of all cut diamonds, and 50 percent of all rough, cut and industrial diamonds are controlled. In New York almost 80 percent of the world diamonds are sold. De Beers is the world’s largest diamond miner and holds a governing position in the industry, and has done so since it was founded in 1888. De Beers owns or operates a large portion of the world’s rough diamond production mines and distribution networks. The DTC or Diamond Trading Company is a subsidiary of De Beers and markets diamonds from De Beers run mines. After being mined the diamonds are then sent to be cut and polished. The polishing and cutting of diamonds is a specific skill that is done in a limited number of locations worldwide. Original diamond cutting centers are Amsterdam, Antwerp, Johannesburg, New York, and Tel Aviv. More recently, due to the lower labor cost, diamond cutting centers have opened in China, India, Namibia, and Botswana. Diamonds which have been prepared as gemstones, such as the ones you would see in most engagement rings, are sold on diamond exchanges called bourses. “There are 28 registered diamond bourses in the world” (Linetskaya,Yelena. “Big Apple Secrets”).

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