One Voice

My attitude and lust for diamonds has indeed changed. To be honest, at first I was a little bitter about the fact that I was pushed out of my bubble and had to look at diamonds in a completely different way than i used to. I will never be able to look at a diamond again without thinking of the people of Africa and wondering where that stone came from. But thank goodness I am no longer ignorant of this problem. I can still enjoy the beauty of diamonds. I still will make my way by the Cartier window every time I'm at South Coast. Only now I will not have my rose colored glasses on when I admire the stones.

There is so much information about the torment and torture of the African people who are suffering from diamond fueled civil wars. The trauma that they face far exceeds anything I can express through words. I can't even begin to touch upon the horrendous damage done to millions of people and what it's like for them. I 'm not in that situation. I can't possibly even begin to imagine how they feel. But what I do know is that blood diamonds is a real, sobering, and pertinent issue that CANNOT be ignored. I think it is extremely important to know about the heartless company of De Beers and its history. And I can put the blame on De Beers, on the U.N., on the soulless people of the R.U.F. But that won't solve anything. I said to myself when I first started this blog that my main goal of writing about this issue was to educate people. I can't bring De Beers down. I can't stop the killing, raping, torture or the brain washing of children that transforms their innocence into a nightmare of evil. But I can be a voice. I can educate myself and others on how not to feed the enemy by knowing how to purchase conflict free diamonds. I can spread the word about blood diamonds.

Be a Smart Consumer

I promised that I would post information about how to buy clean diamonds. I think it is incredibly important for a consumer to be knowledgeable about how to purchase diamonds so that they are not unwittingly supporting an institution that deals with blood diamonds. There are several ways to go about ensuring that the diamond retailer sells conflict free stones. For starters, here are four questions you should ask the company:

1. Do you know where your diamonds come from?
   
2. May I see a copy of your company's policy on conflict diamonds?


3. Can you show me a written guarantee from your diamond suppliers stating that your diamonds are conflict free?


4. How can I be sure that none of your jewelry contains conflict diamonds?
   

The retailer should be more than willing to answer these questions and give you all the documentation necessary. At the top is a sample of a System of Warranties statement that they should have on hand for customer warranties. It should be updated on a yearly basis. DiamondFacts.org is the web site that has a copy of this document in case you want a closer look at it.

I cannot express how important it is for consumers to make sure they are buying conflict free stones. If no one checks, and no one holds the company responsible for proving they don't deal with conflict diamonds, then they are just as guilty as the dealer. We as consumers hold the power. It's up to us to demand that our diamonds are clean.

BLOWING OFF SOME STEAM

Here’s a quote from Israeli diamond writer Chaim Even-Zohar, published in the Blood Diamonds book:

"The brave man would write that the whole issue of war diamonds can only benefit De Beers."

I’m going to go off on this issue again. Guess I need to blow off some steam. Look at these pictures. They are heart wrenching. And De Beers is taking this abominable issue and smugly using it as leverage above other diamond companies as a way to increase their profits. They are in a sense portraying to the public, “look everyone, we do not deal with conflict diamonds and we are the ONLY company that can guarantee that our stones are clean. You should buy from us. We are a squeaky clean corporation.” Too bad some of the public is ignorant (just like I was) to the dark history of De Beers and to the fact that they are taking this issue and spinning it in their favor. It is despicable. I loath the ethics of this diamond giant.

Yuck

Ok so now I’m really mad. I discovered that De Beers is selling off its stockpile of diamonds. I’m not sure if it has all been sold off, but it’s in the process. Remember how I said that diamond prices would go down and their profits would decress if this happened? Well to make up for that, De Beers in 2001 joined with French luxury retailer LVMH in a business deal that would enter De Beers into the retail market for the first time ever. That’s when De Beers began selling both its rough and polished diamonds, and was the sole company to sell both. And that’s when De Beers began selling as a brand. Now, De Beers has stopped buying on the open market because of the conflict diamond issue. This means that once the stockpile is sold off in completion, De Beers will be the only company whose stones will have been in its possession from when it was obtained in private mines in Africa to when the diamonds are sold to consumers. Because De Beers owns its own diamond mines, they will be the only, the only company able to guarantee that the jewelry it sells is clean.

So why does this piss me off? Well because in essence, De Beers was able to take the horror of blood diamonds and use it as a marketing tool. Apparently people being slaughtered, amputated, rapped, forced to flee their county is a good marketing tool. And that’s exactly how the company is treating the issue. De Beers isn't cleaning up its act because they want to, they are doing it because one, they have to, and two because it creates a beneficial marketing plan. Yuck. F that. God forbid De Beers takes a human approach and doesn't look at the issue of conflict diamonds as a PR tactic but rather as an issue that needs to be taken on for the well being of the African race.

A Scary Thought

Trying to dig up dirt on De Beers is like pulling teeth. It’s painful. Well painful in the sense that there’s little to no information that currently condemns the company. Most of the research that I’ve done and the facts that I have are all after 2001 or so. Granted there’s enough about the history and senseless dealings of De Beers that makes me want to vomit, but recent news all praises De Beers for becoming a conflict free company and not tolerating blood diamonds in any way. I happen to believe that the reason why they are so adamant now about proclaiming their stance against conflict diamonds is because it gives them a greater marketing tool. That’s a whole issue in itself. But back to my point on digging up recent dirt on the slimy company. While reading more into my Blood Diamonds book, I discovered something which was a little bit scary. Here’s what I found:

“On June 8, 2001, De Beers officially disappeared from the radar. All publicly owned shares of the company and its subsidiaries were purchased by a consortium of buyers collectively called DB Investments. The absorption of the company from the South African and London stock exchanges into private hands means that De Beers no longer has to make detailed public financial reports to securities organizations or shareholders.” - Greg Campbell, author of Blood Diamonds

How is this possible? Apparently it is, and I guess that gives reason to why I can find little damning evidence against De Beers. What a scary thought.

The Bushmen Video

There's a video that's posted on the boycott De Beers web site that is really moving. It's a bit long, but so worth watching. I had no idea about this issue... I really despise The De Beers Group.

Bushmen Video

A Boycott

I came across an interesting web site today that shed more bad light on De Beers. It’s a web site promoting a boycott of De Beers. It focuses on another issue besides that of the company’s dealings with conflict diamonds. The site talks about how De Beers in collaboration with the Botswana government has forced the indigenous people of the Kalahari Desert (located in the southern African country of Botswana) out of their land and into camps. These people are called the Bushmen. Unfortunately for them, they happen to inhabit a land that is one of the “richest diamond producing areas in the world.” De Beers owns all of the diamond mines in that area of Africa, and operates hand in hand with the Botswana government. Together they have forced The Bushman off their land and into camps outside the diamond reserves.

I am mortified by this accusation. I can’t believe that De Beers would be involved in forcing people off their own territory. Well, actually I can believe that they would do such a thing. I guess if De Beers has no problem with dealing in blood diamonds, then it's no surprise that the company with such an immoral soul would push an entire indigenous population off their land.