The diamond engagement ring is the first and most prominent symbol of an upcoming marriage. The bride-to-be (and her friends) cannot take her eyes off the ring, especially for the first few weeks after the engagement. But before you buy a diamond, there is one question you absolutely must ask your jeweller:

Where did your diamond come from?

Diamonds have a long, dark history of being mined in slavery conditions to finance war, rebel insurgencies and the activities of warlords. Diamonds mined in West Africa (Sierra Leone, Liberia, etc.) in the 1990s financed brutal civil wars; see the movie Blood Diamond for a Hollywoodized version of these events.

Since 2002, conflict-free rough diamonds have been certified under the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme. This process tracks and certifies rough diamonds as being conflict-free; the money does not go to support wars, etc.

For high-quality, ethically mined and conflict-free diamonds, Canadian diamonds are a good choice. Canada is a major diamond producer, and has led the industry in setting ethical production and distribution standards.

Just ask your jeweller for conflict-free diamonds, Canadian diamonds or diamonds certified by the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme.