Silver, gold, and diamond are three commodities that triggered regional conflicts and wars. Africa, with its rich natural resources, can be considered as one of the jewelry hotspots in the world. The most valuable and the most beautiful diamonds can be found in the region. But despite its rich diamond resources, Africa remains one of the poorest regions across the globe because its people do not get profits from producing these precious stones. Instead, the profits are being redirected to African armies to support their wars against other governments.

Have you ever thought of the original "birthplace" of your diamond ring? Have you ever wondered where was it created? Diamonds, because of its value, spark conflicts and wars. In the past, diamonds found in Africa were transported to the European market. Profits from diamonds, in some sense, provided additional reinforcements to the African armies to finance their wars against other governments. This has been their motivation to search for more diamonds.

In 2003, the Kimberley Process was established.This is a joint initiative by several governments and civil societies to stop the flow of the so-called 'conflict diamonds'. This was to ensure that diamonds entering the market won't be used to finance wars. Once approved, precious stones are marked as conflict-free diamonds.

The Kimberley Process system also requires each conflict-free diamond to issue a special certificate of originality, indicate its place of origin, and declare additional information about the concrete jewel. With its systematic rules and tight comprehensive framework, this initiative has been helpful in preventing conflict diamonds from entering the market. Companies with warranty declarations are the only ones allowed to trade diamonds and purchasing of precious stones is done only with reliable sources. Unknown suppliers are not included in the system.

Buying conflict-free diamonds basically means refraining from supporting African armies and their efforts to terrorize their inhabitants. If you would like to buy a diamond wedding ring, always ask for the certificate of the diamond. Every legal jewelry store has to present some information about the origin of the diamond. If there is no certificate, there is no warranty that the precious stone is a conflict-free diamond.

Nowadays, it is a must to buy all products from reliable producers.When purchasing diamonds,it is essential that you buy from companies that are reliable and transparent. These companies sell ethically obtained diamonds and are very careful about the precious stones' origin. Purchasing conflict-free diamonds means that you are also subscribing to the protection of human rights, improvement of environmental protection in Africa, and fair trade principles.If you want to free Africa from wars and terrorism, then do not be a supporter of diamond conflicts.

To sum it all up, if you are interested in purchasing wedding diamond rings, make sure that you get all relevant information from the purchaser. The seller must also be able to answer your questions as to where the diamond was mined and polished.Finally, make sure that you get the diamond's certificate of origin.