Blood Diamonds
I have chosen to focus on and analyze one pattern of the Diamond Trade at a global scale. The pattern illustrates that the Diamond Trade exists on a global scale. I have used examples and specific evidence from different regions and nations across different hemispheres to highlight this Global pattern.
There are five different processes of the Diamond Industry. Exploration, mining, selling rough diamonds, cutting and polishing and selling on world markets. Each process happens in different location from the previous process. Producing a diamond with these different processes and locations causes one big spacial pattern.
Exploration is a very early process of the Diamond Trade. Exploration is testing certain areas to determine the economic viability of the deposits there. This happens all over the Globe and places containing sufficient diamonds to be of economic interest are then mined. There are diamond mines in all four hemispheres of the world and in every continent except Europe and Antarctica; twenty three of these are major diamond mines. Gem quality diamonds are mined primarily in Russia, Botswana, South Africa, Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia and Australia. However 57% of major diamond mines are found in the Southern and Western part of Africa forming a clustered and concentric spacial pattern around this area. The rest of the Diamond mines are dispersed around the globe and create a slightly scattered spacial pattern.
After the process of mining, the rough diamonds are then sold to trading centers, where they go through the processes of evaluation, cutting and being sold. Major trading centers in the world are based in Antwerp, Mumbai, New York, Tel Aviv and Russia. More than 50% of the worlds production of rough, polished and industrial diamonds pass through Antwerp (in Belgium), 8 in 10 of all rough diamonds in the world are handled in Antwerp. This makes Antwerp the worlds diamond capital. However as of 2012, much of the gem