I don’t know how long this link will last, but if anyone wants to see
Jo-Ann on TV, try this link:
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=assignment_7&id=4832990
It’s about conflict diamonds and the new movie…
http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=assignment_7&id=4832990 It's about conflict diamonds and the new movie...
Here’s a good article I found somewhere about “Blood Diamonds”
Blood diamond. The very name wells up anger in the most apolitically
motivated individual. That image of the young girl with her hands
chopped off that is seen on the WebPages of the United Nations. And
the pictures of children carrying AK-47 assault rifles into battles
they cannot possibly comprehend. It’s enough to make even the most
battle hardened soul weak at the knees at the sheer human misery
being caused.
And you know what? It’s all true. True to the sadness caused by the
insanity of those individuals who would dismember children, feed them
as cannon fodder to battles, and use them for any purpose they wish
because the children are easy prey to those fools. The real victims
in any war are the children.
But what about the diamonds? How are the diamonds to blame for this
travesty of justice? And can we really reach out and heal those
African children by attacking the local retail jewelry store? By
making movies that sensationalize the idea of blood diamonds? By
inflaming the ire of the common ordinary person on the street by
making wild, outlandish accusations against an entire industry?
Before
we light up the torches and flame the local retail jeweler, let’s
take just a few minutes and put some common sense, and a little
history, into the mix and see if we can get a clearer perception of
what these blood diamonds really mean.
Since the 1880’s the world diamond markets have been controlled by a
South African (read: British) company named DeBeers. And these guys
have worked to maintain a market monopoly on the world diamond
production since Cecil Rhodes purchased his first diamond claim.
Their purpose is to rule the world of diamonds. And they have done a
damn fine job of it for over a century. In fact, they got themselves
in trouble during World War II by trying to play the Axis Powers
against the Allied Powers in the bid for the very important
industrial diamond supply. A little action, we should add, that got
them indicted by the US government that kept all DeBeers
representatives out of the US for decades for fear of being
arrested. But that is another story. Ours is about blood diamonds,
and how DeBeers has created far more than a diamond market.
The truth is…DeBeers has made themselves rich at the expense of
just about everybody in their realm. These guys have gone into
countries like Angola, Botswana, Sierra Leone, and others…and
maneuvered themselves into a position to take out the mineral wealth
of the country while paying a pittance to the local population for
doing the manual dirty work. And for many decades they made
themselves rich by literally creating a market for these diamonds
that has nothing to do with a supply/demand market, but is rather a
strict monopoly with DeBeers holding all the cards.
In the course of time, DeBeers has danced with whatever Devil would
allow them to mine the diamonds from the country. Or else they would
deal with anyone who could supply the diamonds regardless of what it
took to get the diamonds to the DeBeers buying tables.
And that is where the real story of blood diamonds comes to our
table.
The fact is DeBeers has ruthlessly created this thing we call blood
diamonds. The world has had a demand for diamonds dating back
several hundred years when the only source was the Golconda region of
India. And even during the diamond bonanza days of Brazil in the
early 1880’s the world population was fascinated with diamonds. But
the Golconda and Brazilian diamond markets were not run as monopolies
trying to control the entire world production. The diamonds from
those locations were sold based on supply and demand…just like every
other commodity on the world markets.
It took DeBeers to really make the idea of blood diamonds a reality.
For decades now, DeBeers has controlled every aspect of the world
diamond markets. And truth be known, there is not a diamond producing
location on the face of the earth that is not under some kind of
pressure from DeBeers and their world domination. And that includes
the war torn countries of Angola, Botswana, and Sierra Leone among
others. Blood diamonds would not be possible without DeBeers somehow
being involved in the movement of the diamond rough through the
supply chain since, it is indeed DeBeers who owns that supply chain
and who was buying the blood diamonds.
But what about the local retail jewelers?
Well, here is where you have to stop for a few minutes and take a
serious look at the situation. There has been a high demand for
diamonds in the United States and other countries for centuries. And
where there is a demand, there will be someone to fulfill that
demand. This is how the retail jewelry industry was first established
centuries ago.
The problem with diamonds since the 1880’s however, is that everyone
had to play DeBeers game…or you did not get to play at all. And the
local= retail jeweler is simply the end of a very long and nasty road
in the diamond market supply chain. In reality, your local retail
jeweler has as much to do with the actions of DeBeers in the conflict
countries supplying diamonds, as your local florist has to do with
the fertilizer used in the rose beds of Colombia.
The truth is…there is no causal link between your local retail
jeweler and blood diamonds.
None.
The local retail jewelry industry has had no part in the actions of
those people in Africa who have done such nastiness to the children.
Yet, the local retail jewelers are taking the brunt of the
accusations, the calls to action, and the potential destruction of
their market only because they are at the end of a supply chain over
which they have no control.
In reality, it was the local retail jewelers around the world who
called for the Kimberly Process to control the movement of rough
diamonds around the world markets. And today it is estimated that
less than.02% of diamonds in the market are coming from these warring
factions who sell so easily through the DeBeers supply chain. And
why? Because it is the local retail jeweler who shares your concern
regarding the abuse of children at the hands of mercenaries and
thieves. And it is the local retail jewelers around the world who
have forced the market to change to help protect those innocent lives
so terribly destroyed by people who have such little thought of
killing and maiming. And it is the local retail jewelers of the
world who have caused laws to be passed, systems to change, and
markets to move in order to better control the funds generated by the
rough diamond markets.
Is the system perfect? No. Are all diamonds now controlled? No. But
are positive changes happening? Absolutely.
It is unfortunate that Hollywood is trying to cash in on this new
movie: The Blood Diamond. Even the title is inflammatory. And the
strange thing about this movie is that the writers know nothing about
the diamond markets. Their writing resumes are better suited to
writing daytime soap operas than real accounts of the diamond
markets. And yet the sensationalism of Hollywood again takes the
front stage over common sense and truth, and the potential harm that
their actions could do to a professional group of jewelers who have
worked so hard to resolve the very problem that they are now being
accused of creating…may well be lost in the hype.
Because of the efforts and actions of the local retail jewelers of
the world, blood diamonds have been virtually wiped out.
Because of the local retail jewelers of the world, the controls on
the movement of rough diamonds have virtually eliminated the
profitability for the vermin who cashed in on DeBeer’s undying greed.
It is the local retail jewelers of the world who have brought about
changes in the diamond markets to stop the madness of blood diamonds.
In fact, the odds are only 2 in 100,000 that you could even find a
blood diamond in any local retail jewelry store if you tried…
because of the controls the local retail jewelry industry has
demanded of the diamond distribution markets and cutting centers.
So if you want to point a bloody finger at the real culprit, look to
the folks at DeBeers.
But you are not going to strike back at DeBeers by laying blame with
your local retail jeweler. All you are going to do is hurt some good
neighbors who have worked hard to provide a service that is vital to
every community.