The Diamond: a Symbol of Romance Tainted by Crime
Is a diamond ring not the perfect way to express the promise of undying love? Underneath the glittery exterior, the diamond industry is far from benevolent.
Diamonds are forever. Or, according to the ancient Roman historian, Pliny the elder, a ‘diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world’. Well who could argue against Pliny the elder? Or James Bond? In fact, diamonds are not particularly magical whatsoever. Or at least not until Harry Oppenheimer, in an attempt to save his father’s company, De Beers, which was suffering the consequences of the depression, decided to hire the ad agency N.W.Ayer, in 1938…
Diamonds are forever. Or, according to the ancient Roman historian, Pliny the elder, a ‘diamond is the most valuable, not only of precious stones, but of all things in this world’. Well who could argue against Pliny the elder? Or James Bond? Whilst Pliny was correct at the time - diamonds being extremely rare and expensive in the ancient and medieval eras - by the discovery of diamond deposits in South Africa in the 19th Century, they became accessible to the general public, and today, they are less rare than gemstones such as rubies and sapphires. What is so magical about diamonds then? They are simply an arrangement of carbon atoms, just as graphite is, except whilst graphite forms on the Earth’s surface, diamonds are created at depths of over 100 miles beneath the surface, with higher temperatures and pressures. In fact, apart from their toughness, which gives rise to their uses in industry, diamonds are not particularly magical whatsoever. Or at least not until Harry Oppenheimer, in an attempt to save his father’s company, De Beers, which was suffering the consequences of the depression, decided to hire the ad agency N.W.Ayer, in 1938. Together, they came up with a plan to sell their diamonds: to convince people that they had to - that there was no other option. And what was the weak point which De Beers and N.W.Ayer identified? Love. They launched a campaign aimed at convincing young men that a diamond ring was necessary for them to propose. They first suggested that one month’s salary should be spent on this ring, and later brought the ideal up to two months. Thus began the surge in popularity for diamonds, and the obsession with this stone, with diamonds currently being the most sought-after luxury good in the world.
However, indoctrination into the myth of the diamond is a crime which pales in comparison to the social and environmental havoc which is incurred in the production of these symbols of love. In order to obtain natural diamonds, mining must be carried out. There are four different types which are used:
1. Open pit mining - the extraction of diamonds found on the surface of the ground.
1. Underground mining - the extraction of diamonds from below the surface of the ground, which can occur over 1km from the surface.
1. Coastal and inland mining - where diamonds are extracted by the removal of sand and soil.
1. Marine mining - the extraction of diamonds on the seabed.
Mining is an extremely unethical practice, with poor sanitation and living conditions giving rise to the spread of disease, children being forced to work, and wages falling as low as $1 per day. The environmental consequences are also significant, with mining causing soil erosion, ecosystem destruction and deforestation. Each carat of diamond which is mined disturbs almost 100 square feet of land and creates almost 6,000 pounds of mineral waste. And even after having caused significant damage, when the ore which contains the diamonds is process to acquire rough diamonds, only 20% of these are suitable for the market. Perhaps they aren’t so romantic, after all.
Sadly, mining is not the only unethical aspect of the diamond pipeline. Blood diamonds are diamonds which are produced in war zones in order to raise money for war, or rebel insurgencies. Not only have diamonds been associated with rebel conflicts in Liberia, Angola, Sierra Leone, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d’Ivoire, the violence carried out by the governments of Zimbabwe and Russia has also been funded through the trade of diamonds. Currently, around 30% of diamonds come from mines in Africa, operated by the diamond company De Beers, whilst 40% originate from mines in Russia, owned by Alrosa. In 2021, Russia's diamond exports were worth approximately $4 billion, which, despite being incomparable to its revenue from crude oil, is still an important source of income, and one which may impact the world less in attempting to halt this inflow of money for Russia, in light of the Russia - Ukraine war. The US is the world's largest market for diamonds, and in April 2022, the Treasury put sanctions on Alrosa, a diamond company which not only mines in Russia, but is two thirds owned by the Russian state. Although President Biden has banned the import of rough diamonds from Russia, the EU has not taken the same actions, due to the reluctancy of Belgium, who is worried that this action may undermine their diamond trading centre in Antwerp. But the ramifications of measures taken to ban diamonds from Russia extend past Belgium. Over 90% of diamond manufacturing worldwide occurs in India, meaning that a threat would be imposed on the livelihoods of hundred of thousands of people, from international diamond dealers in Mumbai, to workers involved in polishing the stones. According to Alexander De Croo, the Belgian Prime Minister, direct bans of diamonds from Russia have not had 'any meaningful impact on the financial flows for Russia's war machine’. This is partly because of diamonds that come from Russia being relabelled in third countries, thus avoiding sanctions. Thus, De Croo claimed that ‘real impact can only be achieved when we combine a direct and an indirect ban against Russian-mined diamonds’. To achieve this, a traceability scheme must be introduced. At the moment, only the biggest and most valuable diamonds are bagged separately, and accounted for, in order to comply with the wishes of certain clients, who like suppliers to keep an audit trail. However, the diamonds which are tracked are significantly more expensive, and it is much more difficult to trace smaller diamonds, as they change hands many times. The Indian diamond industry has asked that the G7 focus their scheme on diamonds which are one or more carats, before looking at the smaller stones, which provide a source of income for many small manufacturers.
Russia’s influence over the diamond industry, and the involvement of the industry in the war extend out of the Alrosa mines in Russia. The Wagner Group, a Russian mercenary group that gained attention due to their vicious attacks in eastern Ukraine, has established a shell company in the Central African Republic (CAR), with the aim of acquiring and selling diamonds. They are forcing miners to sell diamonds exclusively to Diamville, the shell company. According to a report carried out by All Eyes on Wagner (AEOW - a French research project), in collaboration with the Dossier Center (led by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, Russian opposition leader) and the European Investigative Collaborations network, ‘Wherever there are mines and diggers, these people [linked to Wagner] are there, armed. When someone [a gold or diamond miner] comes across something good, they go to that person. ... There have even been assassinations like that, to take other people's merchandise’. The Wagner Group's involvement in CAR is part of a broader effort to advance Russia's geopolitical interests in Africa and secure profitable contracts. Russian mercenaries have established a presence in multiple African countries, often motivated by the opportunity to exploit valuable natural resources. Wagner's activities in CAR have been linked to human rights abuses, including torture, summary executions, and large-scale looting. Similar reports have emerged about their actions in countries like Mali and Syria. Thus it is clear that, whilst the diamond industry may be proportionally a small section of Russia’s revenue, the injustices carried out in the production and selling of diamonds must be addressed. A traceability scheme seems to be the only reasonable option, but great care must be taken to ensure that this scheme protects workers in Africa, and reduces the income of Russia, and influence of the Wagner group to a much greater extent than it disrupts the livelihoods of workers in India, who depend on the industry.
Another solution to, not only the issues associated with blood diamonds, but also the environmental and social aspects of mining, is the creation of diamonds synthetically. According Jay Grdina, CEO of Adamas One, a manufacturer of lab-grown diamonds, they ‘have the exact same physical and chemical properties as naturally occurring diamonds, but are ethical, sustainable and much more affordable’. They are between 30 and 60% cheaper than mined diamonds, and so have the potential to be extremely useful in industrial applications, as diamonds are one of the toughest substances on earth. They are much more suitable for engagement rings, as they are ‘real’, having the same chemical composition as those mined in the earth, but do not carry the weight of environmental damage, abuse of workers and funding of wars. The question seems to be; why would anyone not choose this more ethical option for an engagement ring, which does not require one to spend two months’ wages? According to the jeweller Jewellery Cave’ ‘unlike their synthetic counterparts, natural diamonds are grown in the earth and carry all the same beauty and brilliance’. They are ‘unique and valuable because they were created by time and Mother Nature’. Whilst it cannot be refuted that natural diamonds take longer to make, the relative value which this attaches to a diamond (especially as it does not make a difference to the diamond’s physical composition) seems to be an extremely unreasonable justification for choosing natural diamonds, which incur environmental degradation and often fund wars, over synthetic diamonds.
It is crucial to examine what a diamond represents. It may appear to be the ultimate expression of love, but it is also a symbol of destruction, violence and cruelty - is this really the ideal representation of marriage? A diamond, whilst not being ‘forever’, certainly lasts millions of years, but so do the ramifications for families in war torn countries, and those suffering the consequences of environmental destruction wreaked by a world taken in by an advertising campaign, convincing them to sell their soul for a diamond ring.
Bibliography:
https://www.ft.com/content/508a4c94-77a5-4e49-90b7-363777825bc9
https://u.osu.edu/diamondscarlsoncaggiano/impacts/
https://www.livescience.com/diamonds-facts#section-how-diamonds-form-in-kimberlite-pipes
You say mining is unethical - that seems too much of a simplification. We need much of what mining produces including for the green revolution.
Even diamonds are often used for industrial purposes.