Every time I hear of someone getting engaged, almost the first question out of my mouth, after congratulations, is "what does the ring look like?" I confess I am as fast as the next person to ooh and ahh over a beautiful diamond engagement ring. I'm green with envy at my friends' giant Tiffanys diamonds, and I can't help but notice and admire the beautiful diamond rings I see around town (SB is full of the rich and famous; these people almost always come bedecked with magnificent jewelry!).
This is all despite the fact that I've read plenty of documentation on the brutal diamond economy. I've seen the movie Blood Diamond, and I read stories like this fairly regularly with disgust and dismay. (For those interested, there was also a very informative article in the Sept 2009 issue of Scientific American about the guy who invented the diamond industry, but it isn't available on the internet without a subscription. Get it at your library.).
Now I can't help but think that I am contributing to the problem. Even though my personal diamond engagement ring is a hand-me-down from the 1850's - still, by wearing it, aren't I adding to the stigma that "a diamond is forever" and no self respecting man would ask a woman to marry him without one? Why is it so difficult for me to see a diamond as a sign of war instead of a sign of love? And why am I (and most Americans, it seems) more likely to try to save a polar bear through supporting green energy and driving a fuel efficient vehicle, than save a human life by shunning the popularity and beauty of diamonds?
Yes, diamonds are beautiful and shiny - but are they worth lives? The complete destruction of African countries' people and economies? Rape, slavery, amputation, murder? Of course not. What if, when someone showed off their new diamond engagement ring, instead of oohing and aahing, I asked how much money from that diamond went to fund a war or terrorism? No, I would never actually do this to someone who had just gotten engaged - I just can't help but wonder what it will take to change the "diamonds are forever" mentality into something more realistic, like "diamonds are for war."
Do you think your diamond is immune to this? Is yours a "conflict-free diamond?" Well guess what. Unless it is certified from Canada, even the "conflict-free" diamonds from Africa have been shown to often come from areas which have suffered terrible and well documented human rights abuses due to diamonds.
So why do we, myself included, keep promoting the diamond industry? Why do people who have truly kind hearts and souls - people who serve completely selflessly in their churches, schools, and communities, people who have dedicated themselves to helping the poor, why are they (we) all still wearing diamonds? How can this not bother people?
I'm not nearly as selfless as a lot of people I know - but even still, I'm tempted to take my ring off and put it in a drawer. Not because I don't love it, but because I feel helpless about this problem and don't know where else to start. What else can I do? (That's not rhetorical, I'm actually looking for suggestions!)
In the meantime... do you love your wife and want to get her an amazing anniversary gift? Do you want to propose to your girlfriend? By all means, buy them some jewelry. Get them a ring. But be creative, be compassionate - and look outside of the diamond.
This is all despite the fact that I've read plenty of documentation on the brutal diamond economy. I've seen the movie Blood Diamond, and I read stories like this fairly regularly with disgust and dismay. (For those interested, there was also a very informative article in the Sept 2009 issue of Scientific American about the guy who invented the diamond industry, but it isn't available on the internet without a subscription. Get it at your library.).
Now I can't help but think that I am contributing to the problem. Even though my personal diamond engagement ring is a hand-me-down from the 1850's - still, by wearing it, aren't I adding to the stigma that "a diamond is forever" and no self respecting man would ask a woman to marry him without one? Why is it so difficult for me to see a diamond as a sign of war instead of a sign of love? And why am I (and most Americans, it seems) more likely to try to save a polar bear through supporting green energy and driving a fuel efficient vehicle, than save a human life by shunning the popularity and beauty of diamonds?
Yes, diamonds are beautiful and shiny - but are they worth lives? The complete destruction of African countries' people and economies? Rape, slavery, amputation, murder? Of course not. What if, when someone showed off their new diamond engagement ring, instead of oohing and aahing, I asked how much money from that diamond went to fund a war or terrorism? No, I would never actually do this to someone who had just gotten engaged - I just can't help but wonder what it will take to change the "diamonds are forever" mentality into something more realistic, like "diamonds are for war."
Do you think your diamond is immune to this? Is yours a "conflict-free diamond?" Well guess what. Unless it is certified from Canada, even the "conflict-free" diamonds from Africa have been shown to often come from areas which have suffered terrible and well documented human rights abuses due to diamonds.
So why do we, myself included, keep promoting the diamond industry? Why do people who have truly kind hearts and souls - people who serve completely selflessly in their churches, schools, and communities, people who have dedicated themselves to helping the poor, why are they (we) all still wearing diamonds? How can this not bother people?
I'm not nearly as selfless as a lot of people I know - but even still, I'm tempted to take my ring off and put it in a drawer. Not because I don't love it, but because I feel helpless about this problem and don't know where else to start. What else can I do? (That's not rhetorical, I'm actually looking for suggestions!)
In the meantime... do you love your wife and want to get her an amazing anniversary gift? Do you want to propose to your girlfriend? By all means, buy them some jewelry. Get them a ring. But be creative, be compassionate - and look outside of the diamond.
7 comments:
I know what you're NOT getting for our next anniversary...
Judy, Your compassionate spirit and self-reflection are inspiring. Maybe I'll ask for a nice platinum band for my anniversary and wear that instead of my engagement ring (we were too cheap to even buy a wedding band so I only have one). No promises but I'll definitely think of this blog post - and the amputations, yuck - every time I put my engagement ring on. Thanks, honey.
Thanks for the reminder that the decisions we make here about seemingly insignificant things have reverberations for others around the world.
Also, I removed my other comment because I was having a moment where blogs make me want to be troublesome.
I don't know if any men read this pink colored blog but diamond drill bits, saw blades, & the likes are equally suspect. Go for the carbide if possible. While we're at it, never order sea bass at a restaurant: http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/SeafoodWatch/web/sfw_factsheet.aspx?gid=6.
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