In a remote small-scale informal mine in Kono, the diamond region of Sierra Leone, men work bare-chested, tirelessly, under the heat of the sun. The mud from the well is sifted and removed with shovels.

Daniel, foreman, shows me the gravel he is checking with his fingers. “We put it in water and wash it,” he says. “If there is something like a diamond or any shiny stone, we can see it.”

Daniel and five other men search only for small fragments, but the harvest is meager. "I haven't made much money yet. Sometimes you don't get anything all year," he explains.

"It is by the grace of God that a diamond is found. In reality, we are just dreaming. But we still have that hope."

Conflict and informality

Such informal mining has increased in Kono following the closure of Koidu Holdings, the country's largest diamond mine, last year. The closure meant the loss of 1,000 jobs after a complex labor dispute over miners' salaries.

Officially, the company says it closed due to the cost of the conflict and security concerns, but privately, insiders also acknowledge that the weakness of the global diamond market also played a role.

In the last four years alone, the retail price of polished natural diamonds has fallen by around 40%. The main factor has been the rapid growth of the laboratory diamond industry.

These factory-made diamonds, produced from crystallized carbon, are chemically and physically identical to mined diamonds.

Manufactured mainly in India and China, using two different technologies – HPHT (high pressure, high temperature) and CVD (chemical vapor deposition) – they cost up to 70% less.

Kono Governor Augustine Shekho says the sharp drop in the global price of natural diamonds has severely affected the region over the past five years.

“The declining value of diamonds has reduced miners' income, limited investment and weakened local economic activity.”

Diamond mining has been the lifeline of this area of ​​West Africa since the 1930s, and thirty-five years ago it became the epicenter of a brutal and protracted civil war in Sierra Leone. The story was immortalized by Leonardo DiCaprio in the 2006 Hollywood film “Blood Diamond.”

Kono became a target due to his diamond wealth. Shekho described the multiple atrocities committed in the region, including the murder of his own mother, as armed factions vied for control.

“They shot at random, killed people, burned the entire city,” he says. “All the houses were mined.

"It was a war of terror... She, my mother, unfortunately, was a victim of that... It was a nightmare. I really don't want to think about it."

It is estimated that by the end of the 11-year conflict, more than 50,000 people had been killed and hundreds of thousands more maimed or displaced.

“What have those diamonds contributed to our community?”

The Kimberley Process, an international diamond certification system backed by the United Nations, was launched in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the mainstream diamond market. However, the sector has struggled to contain the damage to its reputation.

“For me, diamonds have failed us,” says Abubakar Amara, a primary school teacher in Kono. "What have those diamonds contributed to our community, to Kono, to Sierra Leone? We are considered the poorest in the world."

The British multinational De Beers, specialized in the extraction and marketing of diamonds, is determined to change this perception. In Sierra Leone, it has launched a project called Gemfair, offering local artisanal miners more transparent equipment, training and prices for their finds. It could be considered a kind of fair trade program for diamonds.

"The idea is to connect with the markets so they can find a place to sell their diamonds, and also empower them, give them training. We provide them with skills," says Raymond Alpha, local Gemfair representative.

But for De Beers, perhaps its most important role is to protect its reputation, allowing retailers to tell the story of the origin of every diamond they sell.

“We are seeing growing interest from consumers,” says David Johnson, a De Beers representative. “As people increasingly want to know where their coffee, cotton or chocolate come from, it is not surprising that they also want to know where their diamond comes from, one of the most emotionally charged purchases.”

While greater traceability could attract more customers to mined diamonds, some argue that lab-grown alternatives will only continue to gain popularity.

Rohit Mehta, CEO of Forlink Ventures, a commodities company based in Surat, the Indian capital of lab-grown diamonds, says these diamonds are not only cheaper, but also more ethical and better for the environment.

“People are more aware of climate change and the overexploitation of the land,” he says.

But the argument that lab-grown diamonds are “green” doesn't convince everyone. Unlike natural diamonds, laboratory-grown diamonds consume an enormous amount of energy, as large amounts of electricity are required to produce a single rough carat.

“These reactors operate at the temperature of the sun,” says Stanley Mathuram, a US-based environmental consultant who has studied the growth of the laboratory diamond industry. "They're like data centers. That's the kind of power they require."

Price vs size

However, that concern about energy consumption does not seem to be deterring buyers. The global lab-grown diamond market was valued at $29.5 billion last year, and is projected to grow to $91.9 billion by 2034, according to a study.

The figure for lab-grown diamonds by 2025 surpassed the $20 billion that De Beers estimates as the total annual international value of mined natural diamonds used in jewelry.

In the U.S., engagement rings with lab-grown stones account for 61% of all sales, according to the “2026 Real Weddings Study” by wedding planning website The Knot.

The report notes that this is a more than doubling increase from 2022, with lab-grown diamonds by far the most popular choice. He states that this change is, “driven by economic pragmatism and the evolution of values, since 40% of couples affirm that it is especially important that their stone be grown in a laboratory.”

Doug Meadows, co-founder of David Douglas Diamonds, a jewelry store in Atlanta, says people opt for lab-grown diamonds because they can afford a larger stone.

"Everything revolves around the stone. They look for the most striking jewel they can afford. Years ago, the expensive thing was the diamond.

“With the price of gold rising to $4,500 or $5,000 an ounce, the setting is now becoming much more expensive, and the diamond is becoming the cheap part.”

Meadows adds that he is receptive to the idea of ​​promoting natural diamonds, with a history rooted in the earth, and the experience of poor West African miners. But it's not an easy sell.

"Trying to raise consumer awareness about the value of a natural diamond is a new challenge. I still don't know how we will do it, but I hope the sector will give us some ideas."

Back in Sierra Leone's diamond belt, Daniel discards another sieve full of gravel.

“Unfortunately, there are no diamonds here,” he says with his head bowed, staring at the blue-gray mud of the well. “I'll try my luck again,” he adds as he resumes digging.

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