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opinion
Are diamonds
a girl's best friend?
Women across the country dream of extravagant diamond jewelry,
while the diamond company hides a dirty, little secret.
In the last several generations of American history, diamonds
have become the icon for women and men to symbolize love and
commitment.
What the general population doesn't know is that diamonds
represent the bloodshed and violence that has taken place
and continues to take place around the world, especially in
Africa.
The diamond trade is a monopoly controlled by DeBeers diamond
mines. Every mine in the world is controlled by DeBeers, and
every diamond that is set into jewelry across the globe originated
in a DeBeers mine.
The flow of diamonds on the market and their market value
is determined by competition -- competition used in the loosest
sense. If a company finds a diamond mine, unknown and un-mined,
DeBeers offers the company a meager price to buy the rights
to the mine.
In situations where the companies have refused, DeBeers has
flooded the market by opening a few of its hundreds of warehouses
full of diamond stock, resulting in lower diamond prices.
Consequently, the company is unable to sell its diamond stock
for a profitable price and DeBeers buys it out.
In the early '80s, during the civil war in central Africa,
a diamond mine was being excavated by a private company, which
would not sell to DeBeers. In turn, DeBeers initiated a contract
with the rebel party to overtake the diamond mine, in exchange
for arms and funding. In the takeover, hundreds of miners
as well as many of the people inhabiting the villages around
the mine were brutally murdered.
While the United States was aware of DeBeers' fraudulent and
criminal actions, it was unable to seek any sort of retribution
or punishment because DeBeers runs its company from an overseas
location where its practices are legal.
However, DeBeers was banned from doing direct business within
the United States, though all the diamonds in this country
have been provided by DeBeers.
This is possible because, though DeBeers does not directly
sell in the United States, it provides all the jewelry companies
with diamonds. If a company chooses to buy from the competition,
if there is any, DeBeers blacklists that buyer from any future
business. In time, DeBeers knows it will own that competitor's
mine.
Ultimately, jewelers are frightened to buy from anyone else.
Knowing the bloodshed and crime that has taken place in order
to provide exquisite diamonds on our bodies, I urge everyone
to choose simulated diamonds or other precious gems. Diamonds
don't have to represent love.
A myth, which most people believe, is that diamonds are the
traditional engagement ring. In the '50s, DeBeers launched
an ad campaign with the slogan, "a diamond is forever"
and "tell her you love her with a diamond." It has
become a standard representation of love and commitment.
It is time to realize that the American public have been bamboozled
and conned into believing that diamonds are a tradition. The
modern standard is nothing more than a brilliant advertisement
campaign.
Do not contribute to the bloodshed taking place overseas.
A diamond is not really a girl's best friend. It is a tantalizing
enemy with a dirty secret.
Holli Kolkey is a public relations major at Cal State Long
Beach.
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