Diamonds have for centuries been a symbol of love and commitment, as well as a symbol of power and wealth. For the Greeks they were tears of the gods and for the Romans splinters of stars (“History of diamonds”). Their rarity, strength and unparalleled beauty have resulted in a high price of up to $28,400 per carat for a high-quality cut diamond (“Diamond Price Per Carat”). However, even if most don't know it, pure and perfect diamonds sold in stores are part of a very bloody process. Of the 246 diamond retailers in the United States, only 27% were able to ensure they had a conflict diamond policy (“Conflict Diamond Statistics”). However, even more disappointing were customers, with 83% of these retailers saying customers rarely or never asked about conflict diamonds (“Conflict Diamond Statistics”). What are these conflict diamonds? Conflict diamonds are illegally traded rough diamonds that are used to finance armed conflicts and civil wars (Armstrong). Typically these diamonds are obtained and sold through violence, smuggling, worker exploitation and environmental degradation (“Blood Diamond Exposé”). Rebel groups in conflict-ridden countries mine diamonds, a natural resource, to purchase weapons and pay soldiers to support their rebellions (“Conflict Diamond Amnesty”). Diamonds are a very smart choice in this case due to their small size, odorless scent, and high prices. The workers who mine these diamonds not only suffer physical abuse, but also live in extreme poverty ("Blood Diamond Exposé."). Child labor has been imposed on children, who work in very harsh, dangerous and dehumanizing conditions (“Blood Diamond Exposé”). Currently, these diamonds are included in the international diamond market… middle of the paper… users want to make more efforts to ensure that the diamonds they sell are 100% conflict-free due to pressure from their customers (“ Amnesty” “Diamonds in conflict”). Similar to Amnesty, one solution I found was to simply inform the public of the existence of conflict diamonds and ask local jewelers about their source of diamonds. Since I'm not particularly well known in society, this is the easiest way to make an impact. Most people don't even know conflict diamonds exist. An example is me, before I had no idea what conflict diamonds were. For this reason, most wouldn't even think to ask their jewelers about the source of the diamonds. If people asked jewelers about their sources, they would be pressured by customers to find out more information about their sources and put more effort into ensuring their sources are not conflict diamonds.