Pete: No 'Conflict' Diamonds In Ashlee's Ring

According to People Magazine, Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz presented Ashlee Simpson with a conflict-free engagement ring. He states that the ring not only reveals his love for Ashlee, but his political and social views. "It's something I care about," Wentz added. "I can't actually go [to Africa to pick it out] myself, but I trust [the jeweler]. He's a reputable person" states Wentz. During the NME Awards, Fall Out Boy's bassist staged a silent protest against conflict diamonds with a donned a T-shirt emblazoned with the message "Coltan is a Conflict Diamond," referring to the metallic ore largely found in the African nation of Congo. The gem, which is used in the manufacture of mobile phones, has become a massive commodity that some say is now more valuable than gold. It's mining has led to warring rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of Congo exploiting coltan to help finance war - an issue raised in Leonardo DiCaprio's 2006 hit film Blood Diamond. Wentz told reporters, "People have got to be careful what they buy."

New Standards for Sierra Leone

The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) announced the release of its Standards & Guidelines for Sierra Leone’s Artisanal Diamond Mining Sector on May 27th, 2008. The release, in partnership with Sierra Leone’s Network Movement for Justice and Development, is the first comprehensive guide to a sector that was until recently plagued by armed rebellion and horrific violence. Sierra Leone’s civil conflict serves as a troubled milestone in the history of conflict diamonds. Today, Sierra Leone is at peace, but the DDI finds that the diamond industry remains troubled. Despite the wealth they generate, artisanal diamond mining districts in Sierra Leone – as in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Brazil and elsewhere — are less developed, have greater health problems, more illiteracy and greater poverty than other areas. The Standards and Guidelines Project, carried out in conjunction with Partnership Africa Canada, with support from the Communities & Small Scale Mining Secretariat and several major diamond mining and retailing companies, has produced practical, relevant information, standards and guidelines for a wide cross-section of government departments, investors and development organizations. However, DDI's main objective is drawing development organizations and sound investment into artisanal diamond mining areas, to find ways to make development programming more effective, and to help bring the informal diamond mining sector into the formal economy.