Blood Diamonds: The Conflict in Sierra Leone Essay -- A Level Essays

Blood Diamonds: The Conflict in Sierra Leone History of Diamonds: The name "diamond" comes from the Greek word, "adamas" meaning unconquerable. Fittingly diamonds are made of pure carbon, and diamonds are the hardest natural substance known to man.[1] Diamonds have long been a sign of wealth and fortune. Kings and queens have worn these forms of concentrated carbon and even more countless millions people over time have lusted after them. These gems can be transparent, truculent white, yellow, green, blue, or brown. To understand the value of these stones, and ultimately their role in war, it helps to first understand their origins and where they come form. Diamonds are the most frequently used form capital by the rebels in Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo use to purchase weapons. The earliest gem diamonds were found in India and Borneo, were they were found in riverbeds. In the early eighteenth century, deposits similar to those in India were found in Brazil. The story of diamonds in Africa began between December 1866 and February 1867, when a 15-year-old found a transparent stone on his father's farm, on the south bank of the Orange River. Within the next fifteen years, African diamond mines produced more diamonds than the India, the previous leading producer, had in the last 2,000 years. This increase in production occurred at the same time as the diamond mines in Brazil experiences a sharp decline in their production. The depletion of mines in Brazil assured that supply would remain stable and diamond prices would not fall as they previously had when Brazil over produced in the 1730s.[2] Diamonds are the pure form of carbon in a transparent state, that ... ...fer, Stefan. The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux, 1993. Tamm, Ingrid J. Diamonds in Peace and War: Severing the Conflict-Diamond Connection. Cambridge: World Peace Foundation, 2002. Web Sources: Allafrica.com: www.allafrica.com Amnesty International: www.amnesty.org CNN: www.cnn.com De Beers: www.debeers.com -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- [1] www.debeers.com [2] Kanfer, Stefan. The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World. [3] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [4] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [5] Hirsch, John L. Sierra Leone: Diamonds and the Struggle for Democracy [6] Tamm, Ingrid J. Diamonds in Peace and War: Severing the Conflict-Diamond Connection