1. Blood Diamonds

2. Diamonds
Diamonds are found under the Earth’s surface and must be mined or panned in rivers
They are controlled by the De Beers cartel.
They once owned 80% of the diamonds
Now they own about 40%

3. Importance of Diamonds
Diamonds are the hardest natural resource
De Beers made diamonds seem scarce
They control how many of their own diamonds are put into the market.
When other companies put diamonds into the market, they use their wealth to buy them.

4. Hardness Scale

5. 4 C’s Cut Carat Color Clarity
How well is the diamond cut and what shape
Carat
Size of Diamond
Color
Lack of color increases worth of diamond
Clarity
Internal quality of diamond
Impurities decrease worth of diamond

7. Blood Diamonds
Diamonds that are mined and sold in order to fund an insurgency or rebels fighting a war.

8. Blood Diamonds Fund Conflict
Rebel groups use the profits from the sale of diamonds, upwards of $300 million a year, to buy more small arms and supplies so that they can sustain their military endeavors.
In the past decade, over 6 million people from Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo have become refugees after being forced from their homes by diamond fueled conflict.
Blood Diamonds Fund Conflict

9. Blood Diamonds Fund Conflict
Millions more have died in diamond related conflicts over the past decade.
Rebel cruelty in many conflict areas is well documented, and includes the abduction and training of child soldiers, amputation, abduction of males as diamond mine workers, and the use of rape as a tool of war.

10. De Beers’ Campaign “A Diamond is Forever”
Connected diamonds to true love
Now most engagement rings are diamond rings

11. Kimberley Process
Certification of rough diamonds that ensure their origins are conflict-free
Assures consumers that their diamond purchases are not financing a war

12. Kimberly Process Member Countries

14. Current Status Under 1% of the world’s diamonds are blood diamonds
74 governments have included the Kimberley Process into their country’s laws
Blood diamonds are still being mined in The Ivory Coast and the Congo

15. Exit Slip
On a separate sheet of paper, answer the following questions.
What is a blood diamond?
What are some causes of blood diamonds? Include supply and demand in your answer.
What are some effects of blood diamonds?