(REUTERS) 8 September 2006:

The fact that diamonds are a girl’s best friend is so well known that it was even used as the title of a Bond movie. Traditionally, men have bought them and women have worn them. Purchases of diamonds have declined a bit in recent years as consumers have learned that “conflict diamonds” are believed to fund bloody rebel groups in Angola and Sierra Leone.  So much so that the new Leonardo Di Caprio movie, ”The Blood Diamond” will explore this gleaming gem’s part in human suffering.

Fortunately, both for those who like to buy and give them and those who like to wear them, such conflict diamonds now make up less than one percent of the world market, down from four percent a few years ago. So girls can still have best friends perhaps?