QuestionHi, David:
I saw you answers from a few weeks ago about conflict-free and synthetic diamonds. I am wondering if other gemstones are traded for fueling conflicts/wars etc ... or are diamons unique because of the price they can command?
Thanks.
AnswerThanks so much for your question Ann. Surely diamonds are not unique. I think there is not a gem on the planet with substantial value that hasn't been traded as a means of financing conflict. Most certainly that is true of ruby, sapphire, and emerald. Also remember that fine-quality colored stones are often worth more than diamonds of an equal weight, sometimes substantially more.
Also the broader your definition of "fueling conflict" the more stones you can include. If a sapphire trader in Sri Lanka gives financial support to the Tamil Tigers, he is doing precisely that. If a drug dealer in colombia uses emeralds as a means of easily transporting vast sums of money is he also trading stones to fuel conflict? This begins to give you an idea of how vast the issue is.
Gemstones are currency of sorts. Depending on where you live, they may be a primary currency. Certainly on the island of Madagascar presently the trade is currency-like in its reach and acceptance. Just like anything of value, gems are bought, sold, traded, and bartered.
It's interesting how we react to conflict gems though. We pretend that it is unique and that we can control it. It is not, and we can't. Why is it that we don't want to stop trading gold? Gold finances conflict. Gold has been used to wage war for as long as gold has been a currency. The same is true of America dollars, British pounds, or timber. Any resource can be used to fuel conflict.
In Cambodia the government sells timber to buy guns and pay soldiers. These soldiers steal land that is lawfully owned by regular citizens so that the government can sell it to the highest bidder. Why aren't we screaming that we should stop buying paper and wood? South America is riddled with countries that pillage their forests for the same reasons.
Continue to buy paper and wood, diamonds and rubies. But do something that can really make a difference in someone's life by getting involved with a microcredit organization like kiva.org. Handouts are not the answer. If they were, Africa would be a smashing success right now instead of the vast wasteland of human suffering that it is. The key to ending suffering in gem-producing regions is not a boycott, it is empowerment. Microcredit has provided this in Bangladesh, India, Africa, and many very poor parts of the world.
You can log on to kiva.org and loan someone in Africa $25 to help finance their small business. If you boycott gemstones you make a statement. Make a microcredit loan and you can make a difference. Which is more important?
