Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Introduction
Diamonds are a very precious stone, which has been sort after and admired for hundreds of years. Because of the fact diamonds have such an ancient history, they are fascinating to learn about. So i hope you find this blog useful and interesting!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Diamond Facts
- Diamonds are 180 times stronger than emeralds
- The Queen was the first British monarch to celebrate a diamond wedding anniversary
- To day all children in Botswana have access to free education because of diamond revenue.
- Approximately 65% of diamonds come from African countries.
- This image belongs to www.diamondring.com/journal/372-pink-diamonds/
The number of conflict diamonds have decreased from 4% to less than 1% since the Kimberley process which started in 2003. - Fewer than 1000 rough diamonds weighting less than 100 carats have ever been found.
- The first ever reference to diamonds is found in the bible, when it mentions a diamond mounted on a priests breastplate.
- Diamonds are one of the hardest natural substances on earth. But if heated at a very high temperature in an oven (approximately 763 degrees Celsius) The diamond will disintegrate and vanish leaving only a trace of carbon diamond.
- Aproximatly 1 million people are employed by the diamond industry in India.
This image belongs to
http://www.ilovecolordiamonds.com/archives.php?date=2007-10-01Remove frame
Monday, January 26, 2009
My Video
Friday, January 23, 2009
Blood/Conflict diamonds
Blood or conflict diamonds, are diamonds that come from a war conflict area, that are controlled by rebel groups, who use the sales of diamonds to fund their military actions. The Rebels use mostly children as slaves and prisoners to do the work of digging alluvial pits to find the diamonds. This is a big problem in central and west Africa, for instance Sierra Leone where the Rebel group Revolutionary United front (RUF) are very
powerful, they enslave thousands of men, women and children to work in their mines. Anyone who oopses their horrific methods and practices were brutally punished or killed. (Amputation is extremely common among men, women and children in sierra Leone when the RUF are seizing control of diamond mines to deter locals from supporting the government )
Certain things have been done to try and stop the selling of conflict diamonds. It is KPCS (Kimberley process certification scheme)that stepped in and organised a meeting of all the south African diamond producing countries in Kimberly in south Africa to plan a method where by the selling of conflict diamonds can be haltered, and buyers can be assured that they are not adding to the violence. The United National General Assemble adopted a resolution supporting the creation of an international certification scheme for rough diamonds. Any country that wants to join must ensure diamonds originating from their country must not aid rebel groups or any other group that wants to over throw a UN-recognised government, that every diamond must come with a kimberley Process certificate and no diamond can come from or be exported to a non member of that scheme.
That image is of country members of the Kimberley Process. The Image belongs to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kimberley_Process.