‘May I see a copy of your company’s policy on conflict diamonds?’

by Admin on December 4th, 2006

RAPAPORT…  In a joint statement distributed by Amnesty International and Global Witness, with the support of the director and cast members of the movie Blood Diamond, the message for buying diamonds this Christmas season is “consumers should demand conflict-free diamonds.” More

Africa: Only conflict-free diamonds, please

by Admin on December 4th, 2006

Ghana, implicated in trafficking conflict diamonds, has been given a three-month reprieve by a global watchdog set up to eliminate the trade in so-called blood diamonds. Ahead of the four-day closed-door session of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme (KPCS) plenary in Botswana’s capital, Gaborone, which ended on Thursday, delegates came under pressure to act against Ghana, which was identified as a conduit for Cote d’Ivoire diamonds by the United Nations Panel of Experts. About 300 delegates, representing the diamond industry, producer countries and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from 70-odd countries, gathered for the annual review of the trade, worth about US$37.6 billion a year. More

DiCaprio: Buy Conflict Free Diamonds

by Admin on December 4th, 2006

In what seems like a certain turn of heart, Blood Diamond lead actor Leonardo DiCaprio is advising diamond jewelry buyers to ask retailers for proof they are offering only conflict-free diamonds. In a recent Time magazine interview, he said he would no longer let any date of his wear diamonds.

At a time when the diamond industry is keeping its collective fingers crossed that the fall-out from the movie will be minimal, it is naturally sensitive to any public proclamation by the Hollywood star. After the statement closing his interview with Time magazine was published, some in the industry feared that DiCaprio would be an advocate for not buying diamonds. More