Diamonds are one of the most sought after gemstones available for jewelry and larger gems fetch thousands of dollars. They are unearthed from mines and often found in riverbeds after being washed up out of the earth. Their beauty is unparalleled and their prices reflect this beauty with many clear, large diamonds selling for tens of thousands of dollars, used for rings, necklaces and other fine jewelry. These loose stones can be purchased online or at jewelry stores in town and all diamonds are certified to assure that you are getting what you pay for in the retail market.
Many years ago, the diamond trade was a source of funding for violent activity in Africa. The government had been seeking a way to reduce the finding of violent activities against its citizens by monitoring the diamond trade to dissuade other countries from buying diamonds that were linked to violent rebel groups. In the late-1990’s it all came to ahead and leaders began devising a way to certify that the diamonds that were being exported were not related to these groups and that countries would be reprimanded for buying diamonds from these groups. They assumed that if they were able to dissuade others from buying these diamonds, the groups would not have the money or wherewithal to continue fighting and killing innocent people.
Many of the diamonds found and used in jewelry are found in Africa, but many people have used these diamonds to fund uprisings against the countries governments. The Kimberley process was instituted in 2002, and conceived in Kimberley, South Africa in the year 2000. As of 2008, there were 49 members representing 75 countries who were part of this legislation put in place to prevent diamonds from funding violence. The board is governed in a rotating basis and all members must certify that the diamonds they buy and sell are “conflict-free”. Many have scrutinized and criticized the effectiveness of the Kimberley Process which has led some to resign. Recently, Zimbabwe has been at the forefront of this criticism.
Originally, the Kimberley process representatives met to discuss expelling
Zimbabwe due to the overt violence that is reported at the mines in the eastern part of the country, but the motion was dismissed and a monitor was chosen to oversee the export of the diamonds from those mines. This representative was rejected and the government finally settled on a South African to helm the monitoring.
Unfortunately, this monitor will have no real power to stop abuses taking place at the mine as he is only there to make sure that the diamonds exported have the correct certifications, which is one area in which the Zimbabwe mines have no issues. So, the Kimberley Process is being monitored in this area, but the real atrocities will continue as the monitor has no way of stopping such activities until the board figures a way to change their power tactics.
Diamond mining in these poor countries is essential to their economy and there are two companies who claim to own the mines in the region, so there is a power struggle that has resulted in an African court ruling that states that all diamonds found in the mines must be held in a neutral manner until the rightful owner is awarded custody. Later, in a more concentrated effort, the court rules that no mining should take place in eastern Zimbabwe but there have been reports of continued work in that area. Due to the many problems and issues that have arisen, it is possible that Zimbabwe will be expelled from the Kimberley Process, but have vowed to continue to sell diamonds to whomever is willing to buy from them.
Many a thief has tried to smuggle jewels out by swallowing them. Unfortunately, for a 
The Cullinan mine in South Africa definitely knows how to make miners stand up and take notice. On September 24, 2009, a 507 carat white stone was discovered in the already famous mine and according to the mining company Petra Diamond, this stone will turn out to be one of the twenty largest rough diamonds ever discovered in the world. This area of South Africa, 25 miles outside of Pretoria, is known to be a very mineral rich area. 
In light of the economic downturn, many jewelry auctions have seen less-than-expected results at many sales. However, ultra-luxe items like high-dollar diamonds are still fetching stellar prices, as those with the funds are looking to invest their money in a sure thing.The value of diamonds almost always stays relatively stable, but commercial diamonds will fluctuate slightly with market downturns. It is widely accepted that the value of these jewels has stabilized, but large, rare and historic diamonds always continue to hold their value.