UK Wedding Planner Launches Conflict-Free Diamond Awareness Campaign

Nafisa Mark of wedding planners Nafisa Weddings & Events (http://www.nafisaevents.com/) has launched a campaign to draw attention to the poverty and suffering fuelled by the global diamond trade and to alert brides to questions they should be asking to ensure that their diamonds are conflict-free.

Nafisa is working to draw the attention of both brides-to-be, as well as the wider UK wedding industry to the appalling conditions of those who suffer as a result of sourcing so called 'blood diamonds'.

The diamond trade has, and continues to fuel some of Africa's most savage civil wars in countries such as Liberia and Sierra Leone. Some 200,000 people have been killed in Liberia and a million forced from their homes over recent years as a result of the fighting. The diamonds which are mined and sold by warlords to buy weapons have come to be known as "conflict diamonds".

Nafisa Mark comments: "Unfortunately to find out the history of a diamond, is probably not top priority when a couple is busy organising their special day, but I'd urge them to ask about the diamond's origin and ensure that it is 'conflict-free'. The wedding industry spends millions of pounds on diamonds every year, so brides are in a key position to actually do something about it."

'Conflict-free' diamonds are stones, the sourcing of which has not supported civil war, terrorism, or brutality against local populations. This designation arose in response to the turmoil surrounding the diamond trade in Angola, Sierra Leone, and The Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as other areas of South Africa.
Nafisa Mark suggests that all brides about to embark on a diamond purchase ask their jewellery dealer a series of questions put together by Amnesty International UK and Global Witness:

1. Where the diamonds you sell come from?
2. What is your company's policy on conflict diamonds?
3. Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers that shows that your diamonds are conflict free?
4. How can I be sure that none of your jewellery contains conflict diamonds?