Minerals
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hidden histories
Jwaneng diamond mine, Botswana, 625m deep. NASA, Jesse Allen, United States Geological Survey
Diamonds
Most diamonds are found deep underground where extremely high pressure and temperature have forced the carbon atoms to crystallise.
Many diamond mines are open pits, which means they are a wide open hole in the ground having a large scar on the landscape.
Glass replicas showing the stages of cutting a diamond
Sierra Leone diamonds
The diamond deposits in Sierra Leone are unusual as they are found near the surface. The miners are only paid by their ‘supporters’ if they find diamonds, leading to a highly unequal relationship.
‘Blood Diamonds’ from Sierra Leone have financed civil war and have caused poverty. We need to be much more questioning about the origin of gemstones and the impact on the people.
Diamond mining in Sierra Leone. Roy Maconachie, Centre for Development Studies, University of Bath
Diamond from Sierra Leone, collected by W. T. Gordon
Voices from the mine: Artisanal diamonds and resource governance in Sierra Leone
The diamond deposits in Sierra Leone are unusual as they are found near the surface. The miners are only paid by their ‘supporters’ if they find diamonds, leading to a highly unequal relationship.
‘Blood Diamonds’ from Sierra Leone have financed civil war and have caused poverty. We need to be much more questioning about the origin of gemstones and the impact on the people.