Jewelry News
The One Percent Myth: Debunking a Diamond Industry Statistic, Part II
Thursday, December 1st, 2011In our last blog, we discussed how the diamond industry is misleading consumers by suggesting that “considerably less than 1%” of diamonds are conflict diamonds. We explained how the only diamonds that the diamond industry counts as conflict diamonds are those from Côte d’Ivoire, where rebels are using diamonds to finance a lengthy civil conflict. Using only diamonds from Côte d’Ivoire in its calculations, the diamond industry suggests that conflict diamonds make up just 0.2% of the global diamond supply. What is the diamond industry leaving out? Let’s start with diamonds that the diamond industry has no basis [...]
The One Percent Myth: Debunking a Diamond Industry Statistic
Monday, November 28th, 2011With the holiday shopping season now underway, many jewelry consumers are learning about conflict diamonds for the first time. We encourage our customers to read the Conflict Diamond Issues section on our web site and to seek out information from other sources as well. But we offer a word of advice: not all the information that’s publicly available is reliable. In particular, we’d like to call attention to one highly inaccurate statistic: a statistic that has long been promoted by the World Diamond Council (WDC), an organization representing the global diamond industry. According to www.diamondfacts.org, a site maintained by [...]
Negotiations on Zimbabwe End, But Not Controversy
Friday, November 11th, 2011It’s now official. The Kimberley Process, the international diamond certification scheme, has decided to permit the export of diamonds from the controversial Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe. The decision brings an end to a long-running debate that, over the past two years, has nearly torn the Kimberley Process apart. But is this controversy really over? We don’t think so. Not with human rights organizations threatening to leave the Kimberley Process, and not with billions of dollars in tainted diamonds about to be released into the international diamond supply. As we’ve noted on this blog before, human rights [...]
In Burma, Hope for an End to Blood Rubies
Tuesday, November 1st, 2011Promising democratic reforms are taking place in Burma, a small country in Southeast Asia long run by ruthless military generals. At Brilliant Earth, we’re following this news closely. Burma’s ruby trade, which supplies 90 percent of the world’s rubies, is one of the most shameful aspects of the entire global jewelry business. A democratic Burma could mean improved human rights conditions in Burma’s ruby mines, not to mention a better future for all of Burma’s people. Famous for having a distinctive “pigeon blood” hue, Burmese rubies truly are coated in blood. Ruby mines in Burma, which is also known as Myanmar, [...]
Gold Rush Destroying Amazon Rainforest in Peru
Tuesday, October 11th, 2011The state of Madre de Dios in southeastern Peru is spectacularly rich in biodiversity. Located almost entirely within the Amazon rainforest, this area is home to river otters, anteaters, colorful parrots, spider monkeys, anacondas, jaguars, and other exotic creatures. In Madre de Dios’s largest national park, more than 800 species of birds and 200 species of mammals can be found. In just one area of the park, more than 1,300 butterfly species have been counted. For most of its history, Madre de Dios has been lucky to escape the development pressures destroying other areas of the Amazon. But suddenly, [...]
Rebels Clash Over Diamonds in Central African Republic
Friday, September 30th, 2011Violence over diamonds has erupted once again. This time, the location is the Central African Republic (CAR), a small impoverished country in the geographic heart of Africa. In the past month, fighting has flared up between two rebel militias. Both militias are seeking to control diamond-rich territory near the town of Bria, in the eastern part of the country. So far, the violence has left close to 50 people dead. Why is this violence occurring? Some clues are available in a report issued in 2010 by the International Crisis Group, an organization dedicated to preventing deadly conflicts. The report, [...]
Shosholoza: The Mining Song that Moved a Nation
Friday, September 23rd, 2011It’s easy to become discouraged about the problems facing the gold and diamond mining industries. From violence, to child labor, to toxic mercury emissions, the problems plaguing these industries are both serious and difficult to fix. When will things ever change? And how do gold and diamond miners themselves maintain hope? One way they have done so, at least historically, is through music. Tomorrow is National Heritage Day in South Africa, which makes this a good opportunity to listen to a traditional South African mining song. The song is called “Shosholoza.” This joyful melody was once sung by South [...]
Brilliant Earth Partner Wins Human Rights Award
Tuesday, September 20th, 2011Every year, a handful of courageous individuals receive the Alison Des Forges Award from Human Rights Watch, a leading international human rights organization. The award, according to Human Rights Watch, “celebrates the valor of individuals who put their lives on the line to protect the dignity and rights of others.” This year, Human Rights Watch has chosen seven human rights advocates from around the world to receive the award. We are pleased to report that one of these advocates, Farai Maguwu, is the director of an organization we are supporting through our non-profit fund. The award recognizes Farai’s tireless [...]
BBC Report: Zimbabwe Running Torture Camps for Diamond Miners
Friday, August 26th, 2011An investigation by the BBC has revealed the existence of torture camps near the valuable Marange diamond fields in eastern Zimbabwe. According to the article, the main torture camp is located just a mile away from one of the principal Marange diamond mines. Local diamond miners who refuse to hand over their earnings to Zimbabwean soldiers are typically brought to the camp, a collection of military tents surrounded by razor wire, for a period of several days. Men are subject to abuses including dog attacks, whippings, and mock drownings. Women prisoners are usually released earlier than men, but are often [...]
A Year Later, Conflict Minerals Law Provokes Debate
Wednesday, August 17th, 2011It’s not very often that Congress passes new legislation aimed at breaking the link between violence and gold mining. So last summer, when Congress approved a law aimed at stopping the export of certain “conflict minerals”—gold, as well as tin, tantalum, and tungsten—from the Democratic Republic of Congo, we expressed our strong support. Now, with debate about the effects of the law becoming heated, we would like to reiterate that support. To begin, it’s important to remember why the law was passed. Since 1998, Congo has been embroiled in a terrible civil war. More than 5 million lives have [...]
