I just saw an ad. on National Geographic channel in Asia which showed
two boys kicking a ball around in a sort of dry rocky piece of land.
Then after one boy made a score between two sticks, they went over
and pulled the ‘sticks’ out of the ground and it turns out they were
actually two guns. They then walk off carrying their guns. Then the
sentence below is printed in big letters across the screen while the
boys walk off into the distance.
“African children lose their childhood because of global demand for
diamonds.”
I don’t use diamonds myself but enjoy looking at them and it started
me thinking who is paying for this ad. Someone has to benefit to pay
for it. The ad. did not say who paid for it or who sponsored it. I
started to think who would the ad benefit, a 'clean diamond
company", or an emerald selling company, or…
What do you people think?
Sharron in hot Dhaka where not too many diamonds are sold.
i’m always wondering about the whole diamond rarity " myth"
perpetrated by the larger diamond pushers…er…dealers. with some
countries holding millions of carats, how can diamonds actually be
rare?
as well as trying to wrap my head around the numbers of diamonds
already set and on displays in stores, fingers, ears, etc…
Someone has to benefit to pay for it. The ad. did not say who paid
for it or who sponsored it. I started to think who would the ad
benefit, a 'clean diamond company", or an emerald selling company,
or..
It could also be any of the several organizations, up to and
including the United Nations, that hope to curb trade in “blood”
diamonds in the interest of peace. In that case, the people who’d
benefit from that ad might be kids like those shown in the ad who
might not then be recruited as child soldiers or mining slaves. While
we’re often apt to assume a monetary gain in any advertising
message, there are occasionally the altruistic public service ones
that actually are exactly what they appear. Public interest…
Peter Rowe
Hi I live in Venezuela and as you might know we also have natural
diamonds in the south, what I have seen is the illegal miners get to
Guayana looking for diamonds and they dig huge lagoons killing all
the trees, killing animals as their food resource, paying local
authorities to let them look for the stones and much more, the same
applies to gold hunters but worst, they use mercury and contaminate
the waters with it so many of the rivers are actually poisoned with
mercury, violence is also an effect because miners arm themselves to
protect their sites and many killings take effect doing so, so
looking a diamond is nice but you don’t know where those diamonds
come from and what sad history is behind the scenes. Remember the
movie, it is also the same here in Venezuela.
Thor Hedderich
Hello all
I have to agree with Thor.
I’m from Guyana and it is really bad in the interior of Guyana. From
all the ‘services’ that the Brazilian ladies offer and all the
’medical’ issues that go with that… To down right killings just
to get to the source of the diamond crystals. Many uncuts then go
back to Brazil and are then labelled as Brazilian when their path is
less than clean.
For anyone thinking to go there to 'pick up a few uncuts…you may
well do fine in the country but on your way to the airport you may
loose your life because someone has been following you the whole
time.
This is beyond the wild/savage west. People are sometimes literally
skinned…I’m sorry to present such an image.
As far as Gold and exploration. I am ashamed to say that a Canadian
Gold Co dumped tons of mercury into the river and it has affected
many lives…understatement…for decades. The shameful thing
was that the company paid enough people and never had to clean up or
compensate the Amerindians.
It really is important…as much as possible… to keep our
awareness and ethics up of the products that we do use to create our
wonderful work.
Having said that…many lives have been improved by exports. We just
need to find a balance between source and consumption…while making
a reasonable living… Long fix…no easy way.
Paz
Simone
i'm always wondering about the whole diamond rarity myth
Diamonds, taken in total, aren’t as rare as is, perhaps, commonly
portrayed. Quality diamonds on the other hand… well, that’s
different. In just a few minutes I can find diamond abrasive
material for $0.89 per carat. That price tells me that diamond
material is relatively inexpensive. I don’t think you’ll be selling
that to some prospective bridegroom though.
Is there some management of diamond supplies in an attempt to guide
prices? No doubt, and many jewelers believe its not such a bad thing
since it helps stabilize prices within a narrower range.
Mike DeBurgh, GJG
Alliance, OH