The global perception of diamonds presents a fascinating duality. Commercially, especially in the United States, diamonds are equated with love and lifelong commitment. However, with recent news about conflict diamonds and the problems that have arisen due to the illegal trade in precious gems, diamonds are also being accused of funding deadly conflicts. For this reason, diamonds represent an interesting vehicle through which to reconstruct the global events of the 20th century. When did diamonds become precious and how have they maintained this status for so long? What role have diamonds played in some of the major conflicts of the past? Diamonds have become a symbol of status and wealth around the world and have consequently fueled greed that has given rise to numerous conflicts. However, this image of diamonds has always been an intricate facade constructed and maintained by the industry itself. The Discovery After diamonds were discovered in Africa in the late 1920s and early 1930s, the consequences in the decades that followed were widespread and unpredictable. Sierra Leone will be the main focus of this article's investigation into the origins of the diamond trade. Diamonds were discovered in Sierra Leone by British geologists in late 1929 and early 1930 and it was quickly established that some of the world's most valuable diamonds were found in the country's jungles (Campbell, xiv; Thomas, 264). Cecil Rhodes, who had purchased as many mining sites as he could by the late 1880s, took control of most of Sierra Leone's mines for his DeBeers company (Campbell, 106). DeBeers will be the focus of this article, especially because DeBeers has also been the hub of the global diamond trade for much of the century. Rhodes' company at...... middle of paper...... 2014.Ghilani, Jessica L. "DeBeers' 'Fighting Diamonds': Recruiting American Consumers in World War II Advertising." Journal of Communication Inquiry 36.3 (2012): 222–245. Meredith, Martin. Diamonds, gold and war: the English, the Boers and the creation of South Africa. 1st ed. New York: PublicAffairs, 2007. Web.Roberts, Janine. “Without Congo diamonds, World War II could not have been won.” New African 444 (2005): 24–27. Network. April 25, 2014.Sullivan, J. Courtney. "How Americans Learned to Love Diamonds." The New York Times May 3, 2013. Web. April 25, 2014. Tommaso, Martin. Colonial Violence and Order: Police, Workers, and Protest in European Colonial Empires, 1918-1940. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012. Critical Perspectives on the Empire Web.