Diamonds: identification, sourcing and history
Lab-grown detection, simulants, cuts and the history of how rough diamonds reach the market, including conflict diamonds and the Kimberley Process.
Angola, UNITA and the Origins of the Conflict-Diamond Problem
How UNITA's diamond income, UN Resolution 1173, Global Witness's A Rough Trade and the 2000 Fowler Report led to the Kimberley Process in 2003.
Angola's Diamond Trade and the Ascorp Era
How Angola sold its rough through Endiama, Sodiam and the Ascorp single buyer (2000–2004), Lev Leviev's reported role, the criticism and later reforms.
DiamondSure and DiamondView: How Diamond Screening Instruments Work
How De Beers' DiamondSure and DiamondView separate natural from laboratory-grown diamonds, what replaced or joined them, and where screening ends.
How Lab-Grown Diamonds Are Detected
The growth features, spectroscopy and imaging that separate HPHT and CVD lab-grown diamonds from natural ones, plus inscriptions, reports and FTC terms.
Liberia, Sierra Leone and Conflict Diamonds
The RUF's diamond war in Sierra Leone, Liberia's role under Charles Taylor, UN diamond sanctions on Liberia (2001–2007) and Taylor's 2012 conviction.
Moissanite vs Diamond: Properties, Testing and Disclosure
How moissanite differs from diamond in refractive index, dispersion, hardness and density, why thermal testers miss it, and how to describe it correctly.
Specialty Diamond Cuts: A Guide Beyond the Round Brilliant
Princess, cushion, Asscher, radiant, emerald, oval, pear, marquise and antique cuts explained, plus how fancy shapes are graded and what to check before buying.
The Diamond Pipeline: How Rough Diamonds Reach the Jeweler
How a rough diamond moves from mine to sorting, sights, tenders and auctions, cutting centers, bourses and retail, and how traceability works today.