Blood DiamondsThe Hip-Hop community has been 'blinging' throughout the new millennium, with some rappers wearing hundreds of carats on occasion.Due to the 'conflict diamond' situation countries face, some major icons within Hip-Hop were quite happy to endorse the movie Blood Diamonds featuring Leonardo DiCaprio hoping to discourage further slayings in countries like Sierra Leone for such diamonds.Names such as Russell Simmons and his Hip-Hop Action Summit Network promoted the movie heavily, but it has become apparent that the movie may not have had the effect on sales of diamonds from conflict regions people had hoped. However it has made people more aware that issues surrounding diamonds do actually exist. "Turning a blind eye to where our diamonds come from will no longer be overlooked or tolerated by society," Gareth Penny, managing director of De Beers Group said.

Melanie J Cornish

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