When most walk into Tiffany’s or admire a friend’s diamond engagement ring, they look towards the future. They may think about what they’re going to purchase or how great the wedding will be. When it comes to diamonds, very few think about the diamond’s past: where it came from or even how it was mined. Unbeknownst to many, thousands of diamond mines around the world are operating illegally, and the profits are funding wars which have killed millions.
Recently, America passed a law deterring companies from using gold mined illegally. All gold entering America must be tagged with the exact origin of the gold, allowing American companies to avoid conflict gold. Most gold is smuggled out of Congo and into other countries in order to avoid such “tags,” but this is only contributing to the confusion. Gold jewelers in neighboring countries have no idea where their gold originated from, and the problem will only get worse.
Much of the gold bought and sold each year is impossible to source, making it difficult for even the most respectable and scrupulous of traders to avoid buying conflict metals. This isn’t the first time conflict diamonds, gold, and other precious metals have come under public scrutiny. The 2006 film “Blood Diamond” followed two individuals as they searched for a highly coveted conflict diamond. Conflict diamonds are often referred to as “blood diamonds,” and the film was many Americans first introduction to the term and concept.
Initially, conflict diamonds were defined as diamonds that were mined in war zones of Africa and other countries. Now, the concept of conflict diamonds has expanded to include any diamonds whose profit goes to support war and genocide. Unfortunately, there is little one can do to avoid blood diamonds, since pin-pointing a diamond’s exact location is proving to be more and more difficult. The best a consumer can do is buy from trusted companies and query about their buying qualifications.
While finding reputable places to buy diamonds and gold may be difficult, finding reputable gold buyers should not be an issue. Cash for Gold USA has a long established track record of treating its customers fairly by providing some of the highest payouts in the market. Just as conflict metals fund war and other unsavory activities, selling your gold to untrustworthy buyers will leave you with nothing more than a bitter taste in your mouth.
As a part of our process, we sent identical gold items to different websites that boasted buying your gold and giving you “lots of cash.” Only some of these websites lived up to their promises, and they are listed on our website. So while you may not be able to avoid purchasing a conflict metal, you can surely avoid being taken advantage of, and we are glad to offer help in that area.
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