Global Diamond Trade Patterns

The global Diamond Trade is a massive industry that affects various countries and continents all around the globe, both positively and negatively. Diamonds are minerals that are found and mined in some of the oldest and hardest continents and areas on Earth such as Africa, Asia and South America. Patterns of the global diamond trade have changed over time due to the different discoveries of diamonds in different countries. The first major pattern of diamonds and ‘the world's first diamonds’ appeared in India as long ago as over 800 B.C, where they were found and extracted from riverbeads. The Indian diamonds were then traded all over Europe most famously with the Ancient Romans. Up until 1726 India was the only area in the world where diamonds

This map shows numerous patterns including an uneven dispersal of diamond rich locations around the world, although generally there are more diamonds found in larger clusters in the Northern Hemisphere. Some of the possible reasons that contribute to the pattern of more diamond rich areas in the Northern Hemisphere is because of the larger land mass in the North compared to the Southern Hemisphere. The map above also shows the world’s most major diamond mines although there is larger landmass in the northern hemisphere another pattern emerges in the southern hemisphere especially in southern Africa there is a concentrated nucleated cluster of major diamond mines. This is because the whole content of Africa and south africa in general share another pattern which is a high nucleated concentration of Volcanic Pipe which are dispersed unevenly. This is one of the many causes for the global pattern diamonds. There are also many other processes and reasons for some of these patterns

Most of the reasons for the global diamond patterns which include the unevenly dispersed location of diamonds and concentrated nucleated cluster of diamonds, involve the locations of Volcanic Pipes which are like the ‘Earth’s pores’ they contain the specific diamond-bearing kimberlite

The diamond trade also causes major economical impacts in these areas. Some of the effects and impacts are positive, minor and indirect although they can also be negative, major and direct. The diamond industry has major economic benefits in war torn countries such as Sierra Leone. Sierra Leone is located in western Africa in both the Northern and Western hemispheres. Sierra Leone reaps major economic benefits due to diamond mining. In 2015 they exported over $150 million dollars worth of diamonds. The revenue gained from these exports helps the government to rebuild its infrastructure, education systems and health services. Although this is a very positive modern economic benefit of diamonds in Sierra Leone it came at a great social cost in the 1990s. During the 90s diamonds in sierra leone became known as ‘Blood Diamonds’, not because of their colour but because of the human suffering and conflict they caused. A civil war was fought between the sierra leone government and a rebel group called RUF (Revolutionary united front) that lasted for ten years lasting from 1991 to 2001 where over 50,000 people died. The war was funded by diamonds where the RUF overthrew the government. RUF had taken over the country’s major diamond mines as children and men were kidnapped and foreced into slave