In the year 1997, on the western coast of South Africa, there was a diamond mine called Alexkor where diamonds were extracted. That year, a sudden increase in pigeons was noticed around the area. The workers at the mine were quite excited upon seeing these pigeons because they believed it could be a potential way to smuggle diamonds.
The Forbidden Zone
At that time, this western coast of South Africa was known as “The Forbidden Zone,” and common people were not allowed to enter the area. Those who worked in such mines lived in company-provided housing, sent their children to company-run schools, and were strictly forbidden from leaving the mining area. X-ray machines were installed, and workers were frequently searched. They were even given constipation relief medicines with their meals to prevent them from swallowing diamonds for smuggling.
Extreme Measures for Security
If a miner died while working, their body would be buried right there in the mines to ensure no diamonds were hidden inside the corpse for smuggling.
The Pigeon Plot
Coming back to the pigeons — as soon as the miners noticed these birds, they began capturing, taming, and training them to carry diamonds tied to their legs or bodies back home. However, the miners didn’t know that these pigeons were actually spies. The mining companies had already trained these pigeons in advance to track down anyone attempting to smuggle diamonds.
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The Police Strategy
While the miners quickly trained the pigeons, the police had spent far longer training them. The pigeons remembered their original police training, so they would fly directly to the authorities with the diamonds. As a result, the police arrested over 100 miners.
The Aftermath
Following this incident, human body parts began appearing in the nearby Orange River. Some miners were even burned alive. Official police records only listed 70 arrests. The diamond mining companies were so powerful that they controlled everything to protect their empire.
New Laws Against Pigeons
In 1998, keeping pigeons became illegal in the area. Another rule was introduced — if you had a weapon and didn’t shoot a pigeon on sight, you would face punishment. This was all done because diamonds were considered incredibly valuable, and they still are.
The Illusion of Value
Many people exchange diamond rings during engagements, symbolizing eternal love — “Diamonds are Forever.” Diamonds are seen as timeless, beautiful symbols of love and are regarded as the world’s most precious gems.
The Status Symbol
For anyone with some wealth, buying a diamond ring has become a status symbol in our society. But how would you feel if I told you that diamonds aren’t actually valuable? Millions of people worldwide have been deceived by a lie spread by a company — a company whose diamond mining operations have led to the destruction of several African countries due to civil wars, forced child labor, and the illegal arms trade.
The Dark Truth of Diamonds
Although diamonds are said to be older than even the Kohinoor diamond, our story starts in 1860 when a turning point occurred in the diamond industry. Two settlers, Johannes and Diederik De Beer, found diamonds on their farm in South Africa. They started mining there and later sold their mine to a businessman named Cecil Rhodes.
The Rise of De Beers
Rhodes was a British businessman who became one of the wealthiest men of his time. Apart from De Beers, when other people discovered diamond mines in South Africa, Rhodes approached each of them and gradually bought all the mines. In 1888, he founded a company called De Beers. By 1900, De Beers had such a stronghold on global diamond production that 90% of the world’s diamond production was controlled by this one company.
Creating a Monopoly
De Beers essentially operated as a monopoly. Before this, diamonds were mostly found in India or South America and were seen as luxury items. But when diamonds were discovered in large quantities in Africa, their supply drastically increased. The company feared that if diamonds became easily accessible, they would no longer be seen as luxurious.
The Economic Impact
As a result, the value of diamonds started to drop. Then came World War I, followed by the Great Depression in 1929. With people struggling to afford basic necessities, buying diamonds was out of the question. Diamond demand plummeted.
De Beers’ Solution
When supply increases, and demand decreases, prices inevitably fall — a basic economic principle. De Beers came up with a solution to this problem De Beers held a monopoly over the global diamond industry. They deliberately restricted the supply of diamonds by creating an artificial shortage. The diamonds excavated from their mines were stored in a secure location instead of being sold in the market. This strategy effectively created a false perception that diamonds were rare, even though there were far more diamonds available than people believed.
Controlling Demand Through Advertising
While De Beers controlled supply, they also aimed to boost demand. In 1938, De Beers contacted an advertising agency called N.W. Ayer with a goal — to create advertisements that would convince people that proposing or getting married required buying a diamond ring.
In 1947, this advertising agency launched its famous campaign: “A Diamond is Forever.” The campaign encouraged people to spend two months’ salary on a diamond ring, promoting the idea that this ring would last forever as a symbol of eternal love. The tagline played on the idea that if your love is permanent, you must prove it with something indestructible — a diamond engagement ring.
The Psychological Strategy
This campaign successfully linked diamonds with emotional attachment. Diamonds were portrayed as symbols of economic success and social status, targeting men through magazine ads featuring celebrities flaunting their diamond engagement rings.
In 1938, De Beers owner Harry Oppenheimer mentioned in a memo that films rarely showed scenes of men choosing or purchasing engagement rings for women. De Beers then collaborated with writers and directors to deliberately include such scenes in movies.
Influence in Pop Culture
As part of this long-term strategy, diamonds started appearing prominently in films and songs. In the 1953 film Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the iconic actress Marilyn Monroe performed the famous song “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend” with lines like:
“Cut and polish rocks don’t lose their shape, and a girl’s best friend.”
By the 1950s, celebrities at prestigious events like the Academy Awards were seen wearing diamond jewelry. However, these celebrities didn’t always purchase the diamonds themselves — De Beers would provide them for free to promote diamonds as a status symbol.
Royal Endorsement and Cultural Shift
In 1947, Queen Elizabeth visited De Beers’ diamond mine in South Africa, where the company gifted her a 6-carat diamond. Meanwhile, stories about famous diamonds like the Kohinoor and Hope Diamond continued to captivate people, further elevating the gem’s allure.
Impact on Consumer Behavior
The impact was astonishing. In 1940, only 10% of American brides received a diamond engagement ring. By 1990, that number had soared to over 90%.
De Beers then replicated this strategy in Japan. Traditionally, Japanese culture had no custom of exchanging engagement rings. However, in 1960, De Beers hired the advertising agency J. Walter Thompson to run large-scale campaigns promoting diamond rings as symbols of Western prosperity and success.
The results were remarkable — in 1966, only 1% of Japanese women received a diamond engagement ring during their engagement. By 1981, this figure rose to 60%, and eventually over 90%, making Japan the second-largest consumer market for diamonds.
Global Control Over Diamond Supply
De Beers maintained tight control over the diamond supply chain. From Russia to Australia, wherever diamond mines were discovered, De Beers would pay governments to acquire control.
In 1956, Soviet geologists discovered a vast diamond field in the Siberian tundra. De Beers offered the Soviet Union a deal to purchase all their diamonds at guaranteed prices, paying the country around $25 million annually. When the Soviet Union collapsed in 1990, De Beers offered the new government $1 billion for continued control over Siberian diamonds.
Unpolished Diamond Stockpile
Even today, De Beers holds the world’s largest stockpile of unpolished diamonds. The stability of the global diamond industry hinges on De Beers’ ability to maintain this artificial shortage.
The Dark Side of Diamonds
But this is only part of the story. The other side is far more terrifying.
Diamonds, found in abundance across several African nations, became a major factor fueling civil wars throughout the continent. Thousands of people lost their lives as diamonds turned into a source of conflict and devastation.
For instance, take the example of the Democratic Republic of Congo Belgium gained independence in 1960, but soon after, a civil war erupted in the country, which later turned into a proxy war between the US and the Soviet Union. The Congo had abundant diamonds, and rebel groups and foreign soldiers took control of hundreds of diamond mines. These groups started selling diamonds to fund their wars and purchase weapons. Hundreds of people were killed each year, yet no one was held accountable.
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Conflict in Angola
Take Angola, for instance. The guerrilla leader Jonas Savimbi’s rebel army sold approximately 500,000 carats of diamonds each year. The money they earned was used to buy weapons like AK-47s and grenades. Savimbi’s organization, the Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), had the support of the United States, which was fighting against the Soviet Union-backed socialist government. This organization took control of most of the country’s diamond mines and forced local farmers into slave labor to mine diamonds.
Sierra Leone’s Struggle
The situation in Sierra Leone was no different. Rebel groups sold diamonds to purchase arms and ammunition, fueling the brutal civil war that occurred there in the 1990s. This war became infamous for its brutality. Diamonds, a commodity that warlords and dictators exchanged for weapons, fueled civil wars and resulted in severe human rights abuses. By this time, it was clear that diamonds were funding civil wars in African nations. Warlords financed their wars through diamond sales, giving rise to what became known as “blood diamonds.”
The Dark Side of Diamond Trade
While people in Western countries bought diamonds to express their love, their money often indirectly funded rebel militias and warlords. Some Western businessmen directly exchanged weapons for diamonds. For example, Belgian businessman Serge Muller, in 1990, secured diamond mining rights in Sierra Leone by supplying weapons to President Valentine and his people, earning him the nickname “Mr. Blood Diamond.”
Exploitation of Children
Children’s conditions were even worse in these regions. Forced child labor was common, especially during wars, as children were small enough to fit into narrow mine shafts. During Sierra Leone’s 10-year civil war, thousands of children were kidnapped and forced to work in diamond mines.
Hollywood’s Impact and De Beers’ Response
The 2006 Hollywood film Blood Diamond, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, highlighted this dark reality. The film increased awareness about the grim truth behind diamonds. People began to realize that the money they spent on engagement rings often ended up funding violence and warlords.
To counter the negative impact of the film, De Beers heavily promoted diamonds by having major Hollywood stars wear diamond jewelry at prestigious events like the Golden Globe Awards. Celebrities such as Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez were paid to wear diamond rings to maintain their popularity. Despite these efforts, the demand to boycott diamonds gained momentum.
The Kimberley Process
Even before this film’s release, several media organizations had reported on blood diamonds, increasing awareness about the issue. As a result, in 2000, a meeting was held in Kimberley, South Africa, involving major diamond producers and buyers. In 2003, the diamond industry, along with about 54 countries, introduced the Kimberley Process, a certification system aimed at ensuring diamonds did not originate from war zones. Under this process, every diamond consignment must include details of the country of origin. Countries unable to prove their diamonds were conflict-free were suspended from the international diamond trade.
Limitations of the Kimberley Process
The Kimberley Process was designed to keep blood diamonds out of global markets. However, the process had many loopholes. For example, when diamonds from the Central African Republic were banned, smugglers transported them to Congo, where they were certified under the Kimberley Process and then sold in international markets.
Redefining Conflict Diamonds
Another major issue was how the term “conflict diamond” was defined. According to the United Nations, conflict diamonds are those originating from territories controlled by rebel groups fighting against internationally recognized governments. This meant the Kimberley Process only considered diamonds funding rebel groups as blood diamonds. If human rights violations were committed by governments themselves, those diamonds were not banned. Such violations were common across Africa, where child labor, low wages, and dangerous working conditions were prevalent. Workers endured inhumane conditions, and when they died in the mines, their deaths often went unreported.
Zimbabwe’s Diamond Crisis
In Zimbabwe, numerous human rights violations were documented. In 2008, Zimbabwe’s army took control of a major diamond mine and killed over 200 workers. However, this was not considered a violation of the Kimberley Process since it was done by the government, not rebel groups. Forced labor and torture were common in the Marange diamond fields of eastern Zimbabwe.
Torture Camps and Violence
In 2011, a BBC investigation discovered two torture camps, one of which was known as the Diamond Base. Workers revealed that they were whipped 40 times each, three times a day — morning, afternoon, and evening. Sometimes, dogs were released on them, causing severe injuries or death. These diamond mines were controlled by a company closely linked to Zimbabwe’s former president, Robert Mugabe. Both the Zimbabwean police and army controlled these torture camps. In 2009, over 200 people were killed, and local women were raped when government soldiers seized the diamond fields. Despite this, Zimbabwe’s diamonds were not banned under the Kimberley Process.
The False Belief About Diamonds as an Investment
Most diamond buyers are unaware of such atrocities, and much of what they believe about diamonds is false. For instance, many people assume that diamonds are a good investment, which is entirely untrue. Diamonds have minimal investment value. People often rank diamonds above gold in hierarchy — bronze, silver, gold, and then diamonds. Since gold’s price consistently rises, people mistakenly believe diamonds will perform similarly.
Diamonds vs. Gold in Investment
Unlike gold, diamonds’ value is not backed by a stable market. Selling diamonds is almost impossible at the purchase price. In 1970, a British magazine purchased diamonds and attempted to sell them in 1978 but couldn’t find a buyer even close to the original price. Similarly, a wealthy woman bought a diamond ring from Tiffany & Co. in New York for $1 million, yet found no buyers when she tried to resell it.
Rare Diamonds as an Exception
Not all natural diamonds lose value. Rare types, like pink diamonds, yellow diamonds, or diamonds over four carats, hold some value since collectors seek them. In India, when selling diamonds, jewelers usually offer exchange options instead of cash. Moreover, technical aspects like cut, clarity, color, and certification are used to reduce resale value. Indian banks also offer loans on gold but not on diamonds since they are difficult to sell.
Scientific Perspective on Diamonds
From a scientific standpoint, diamonds are merely carbon bonds arranged in a particular structure. Carbon, being a common element, makes diamonds vulnerable to burning and turning into CO2. Gold, on the other hand, remains gold even when melted or burned because it is a rare and noble element, resistant to chemical reactions. Gold jewelry’s maintenance costs are minimal, whereas diamonds require regular inspection and cleaning.
Natural vs. Lab-Grown Diamonds
The same carbon bonds that form graphite in pencils also form diamonds; the only difference is how the atoms are arranged. Diamonds form naturally under extreme heat and pressure about 100 miles below the Earth’s surface. However, this process can be replicated in a lab. Lab-grown diamonds are created by applying similar heat and pressure in a controlled environment.
The Rise of Lab-Grown Diamonds
General Electric pioneered the first successful attempt to create lab-grown diamonds in the 1950s. Initially suitable only for industrial use, advancements in technology now allow labs to produce high-quality jewelry-grade diamonds identical to natural ones. Lab-grown diamonds are ten times cheaper than mined diamonds, making them more environmentally friendly. Producing one carat of lab-grown diamond emits only 0.028 grams of carbon, while mining a natural diamond emits 100,000 times more.
Environmental Impact
Lab-grown diamonds eliminate the need for civil wars, human rights abuses, and child exploitation seen in diamond mining. Due to these benefits, the popularity of lab-grown diamonds has surged. From 2020 to 2023, natural diamond prices dropped by 59%, with a further 40% decline expected. Companies have been forced to reduce diamond prices by 40%, cutting their profits by 60%.
Growing Market Share of Lab-Grown Diamonds
In 2020, lab-grown diamonds held just 2.4% of the global diamond market. By 2023, this share had skyrocketed to 99.3%. In India, lab-grown diamond exports increased from 1% to 9% between 2020 and June 2023. Greater awareness is still necessary to completely phase out mined diamonds and expose the monopoly that has deceived people for decades.
Environmental and Historical Impact
Over the years, numerous rivers and lakes have been diverted, and forests have been destroyed for diamond mining, causing severe environmental damage. Fortunately, with lab-grown diamonds, this destruction can be halted.
In June 2023, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi gifted US First Lady Jill Biden a 7.5-carat lab-grown diamond from Surat, India. It took 100 days to produce this diamond in a lab, whereas a natural diamond of similar size would take millions of years to form. The color and purity of this diamond were reportedly as fine as the legendary Kohinoor diamond.
The Kohinoor’s Cursed History
The Kohinoor diamond is considered the world’s most cursed diamond, believed to have caused the downfall of several dynasties. Its intriguing and shocking history continues to captivate the world.
