In the beginning of the 1990's the world marketplace for diamonds was such that renegade forces observed they could sell rough stones and use the payoff to finance revolutionary wars. From Sierra Leone, Angola, Liberia and the Ivory Coast the history of blood diamonds got its name. In the early days of mining in the late 19th century, it was common for the miners to be killed if they were even suspected of stealing diamonds.

Even now, after 69 countries agreed to the Kimberley process in 2003, conflict diamonds are still funding revolutionary wars on the Ivory Coast and it is said they are serving to finance terrorism through al Qaeda. In spite of the Kimberley agreement it remains hard to guarantee blood diamonds are not being dealt as conflict-free diamonds.

The world history of blood diamonds probably started in 1998 when the United Nations placed sanctions on the sale of diamonds from Angola, disallowing countries from purchasing them. It was approximated at the time that about 20 percent of the diamond output was going to finance the war in that country. By 1999, the World Diamond Council said that number had dropped to just under 4 percent.

In 2001 the United States saw Presidential Executive Orders banning the import of diamonds from Sierra Leone and Liberia, based on their use of the diamond trade to finance war. The United Nations had declared that Liberia was working as pipeline for diamonds out of Sierra Leone, adding to the history of blood diamonds in western Africa.

When choosing diamonds, you ought to devote close attention to the shape of the stones. Some of the most popular shapes of the diamond are oval, round, heart shaped, pearl shaped, princess-cut, emerald-cut, marquise-cut and the Asscher-cut. For engagement rings, the round cut is considered the most popular because it blends well with the solitaire setting.

The Gemological Institute of America has created an almost universal system used for grading diamonds which includes those found at a discount diamond dealer. The acronym for this system is the 4 C's', color, cut, carat, and clarity. Color is the first. Traditional clear diamonds should be nearly colorless. The scale for this starts at D (colorless) and goes all the way to Z (grey/black). Next is cut. The cut of a round diamond should have 58 facets that allow the light to bounce inside creating the popular brilliance.

After that, be sure to look at the size of the stone. Carat weight is the determination of that size. Obviously, the bigger the stone, the more expensive it will be. Finally, inspect the clarity by searching for imperfections inside the stone. The best way to do this is to look at your stone under a microscope prior to having it set, because a prong on a diamond can easily hide a rather large flaw. Buying diamonds online can be a great option to save money, with some sites offering 20% off for online purchases.

Diamonds are created from the same ingredient as the lead in a pencil and coal. That ingredient is carbon. The difference is in the organization of the atoms; diamonds have a tighter atomic structure than any other substance in the world. They're made when carbon is perpetually exposed to extremely high temperatures and pressure. Diamonds are made below the Earth where high temperatures and pressure exist naturally.

These high pressures are brought on by rocks bearing down on the diamond. Under normal conditions a diamond is made up of pure carbon and is consequently colorless. However, nitrogen and sulphur can also be present which adds color to the diamond.

A team of scientists has been attempting for a long time to create diamonds. In the year 2004, scientists from Carnegie Institution's Geophysical Laboratory managed to develop man-made diamonds that are harder than any other crystals using a gas mixture along with special processes formulated over many years.