DIAMOND IN TEARS

The name “diamond” comes from the Greek word, “Adamas” meaning unconquerable. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man. Diamonds have long been a sign of wealth and fortune. Diamonds are supposed to be symbols of love, commitment, and joyful new beginnings. Kings and queens have worn these forms of concentrated carbon and even more countless millions of people over time have lusted after them. But for many people in diamond-rich countries, these sparkling stones are more a curse than a blessing. These gems can be transparent, truculent white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. To understand the value of these stones, and ultimately their role in the war, it helps to first understand their origins and where they come from.

Too often, the world’s diamond mines produce not only diamonds — but also civil wars, violence, worker exploitation, environmental degradation, and unspeakable human suffering.

How diamond is formed

People produce diamonds by mining the rock that contains the xenoliths or by mining the soils and sediments that formed as the diamond-bearing rocks weathered away.
Diamonds are the pure form of carbon in a transparent state, that is formed below the surface of the Earth. Over 150 Kilometers below the Earth’s surface in the mantle, diamonds are formed. The diamonds make their way up the…