"Conflict" or "Blood" diamonds are the reason for death and wars in third world countries. They are placed at a higher value than human lives, and many rebels and terrorist groups will do almost anything to benefit from the sale of these diamonds to more places such as Canada and the US. There is a way to stop these wars. Here are some suggestions on what you can to avoid buying a "Conflict" diamond.

Countries they come from. "Conflict" diamonds originate in places like Sierra Leone, Liberia and the Democratic Republic of Congo - or smaller towns in West Africa. If you know where they come from, you can ask diamond suppliers where their diamonds are sourced from before buying them. If any of these countries are spoken of, beware. If a jeweller or diamond supplier claims their diamonds are not from these areas, you should know that they may still be wrong.

The Kimberley Process (KPCS). Countries with a legitimate diamond industry began diamond tracking campaigns to provide proof of origin for all diamonds originating from these third world countries. Now known as the Kimberley Process, the aims of this campaign are to record the origin of each and every diamond, shipping bulk lots of diamonds in casing which cannot be tampered with. This campaign isn't fully implemented in all countries yet, but it is certainly a move in the right direction. It is still up to the individual to ask if the diamond has been through the KPCS process before purchasing. You should not buy any diamond that doesn't have proper papers.

Insist on confirmation. As with anything, it is still up to you to ask for this proof before you buy a diamond. If you are an authentic and serious diamond purchaser, diamond suppliers and jewellers will be more apt to arrange for and provide this type of information.

Puchase locally. Another way to avoid buying a "Conflict" diamond is to choose diamonds mined in North America. Canada has terms of conduct that help to authenticate the origin of their diamonds, proving that they are conflict-free. With these terms, a diamond has to have a trail of documentation listing its movement from the mine to the jewelry store.

When purchasing a diamond, ask for the name and address of the retailer it came from, a legitimate invoice, a description of the cut diamond, and a copy of the code the jeweler follows regarding diamond sales. It may seem that you are going a bit overboard with your requests, but it will help to give the jeweler a clear picture that you don't want to purchase a "Conflict" diamond.