Diamonds
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Parody of WDC site states 'real diamond facts'
By Susan Thea Posnock
October 19, 2006
New York—Realdiamondfacts.org, whose parent organization is Diamonds for Africa Fund, has launched a supposed parody of the World Diamond Council's (WDC) Web site, Diamondfacts.org.
The site, www.realdiamondfacts.org, copies the design template of the WDC site, but where Diamondfacts.org presents information on the good diamonds do for Africa along with information about conflict diamonds and the Kimberley Process, the Diamonds for Africa site has harsh statements against the industry such as "the Kimberley Process has glaring problems and does not address important human rights abuses, including child labor, state-sanctioned violence, environmental destruction and poor working conditions." The site encourages consumers to purchase Canadian diamonds.
Information on the site is sourced from news outlets such as BBC World and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) such as Global Witness, Amnesty International and Partnership Africa Canada (PAC). It provides details on conflict diamonds, diamond-related labor, and environmental and human rights issues related to countries such as Sierra Leone, Angola and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
The WDC, in response to the site, issued the following statement:
"The World Diamond Council created Diamondfacts.org to help the industry, consumers and the media understand the vital impact the diamond industry has on the millions of people who rely on it for employment, education, healthcare and overall improvement of quality of life," said WDC Chairman Eli Izhakoff in the statement. "We were saddened to see that any organization would make a parody of something as serious as the issue of conflict diamonds. The story of conflict diamonds is a story that must be told, so that as an industry, and as mankind, we can make sure that this does not happen again...that is why we created Diamondfacts.org.
"At no point does the WDC dispute the atrocities of the past African conflicts, but to ensure that this never happens again, and for the continued growth and development of counties such as Botswana, Namibia and Sierra Leone, we must educate people as to the important role diamonds play in Africa," Izhakoff continued. "The WDC and the industry along with its partner governments and NGOs should be proud of their efforts. The flow of conflict diamonds has almost been wiped out with significantly more than 99 percent of diamonds today certified as being from conflict-free sources."
The Diamonds for Africa site points visitors to the Web sites of Canadian diamond retailers such as San Francisco-based Brilliant Earth. Earlier this year, the retailer announced 5 percent of its profits would go to the Diamonds for Africa Fund, which it co-founded.
The fund encourages consumers to donate their diamonds or money for the cause. According to its Web site, the donations are used to assist "African communities ravaged by the diamond trade."
PAC, which has been at the forefront of pressuring the industry on the conflict diamonds and alluvial mining issues, sent a letter to Diamonds for Africa stating concern that the group's efforts could be misguided.
"We have corresponded with Beth Gerstein of Brilliant Earth about the wisdom of promoting and selling only Canadian diamonds, and of giving charity to Africa as a solution to African diamond problems. While getting to a stage where artisanally mined African diamonds really benefit diggers and their communities is going to be a long haul, we think that is the best place to put our efforts. We certainly do not want to make life harder for African diamond diggers and their families," PAC stated in the letter obtained by National Jeweler.
The letter goes on to say that what's needed is for governments with authority to be held accountable.
"Attacking the industry with stories from five years ago and sending charity to African NGOs will not solve this problem," the letter states.
PAC also asked that its name be added to the site's current disclaimer, which states that the site is only affiliated with Diamonds for Africa and is not affiliated with the World Diamond Council or De Beers.
Ian Smillie of PAC said the group indicated they would act on the request, but thus far have not.
Beth Gerstein of Brilliant Earth says her store helped to start Diamonds for Africa, but the retailer is only involved in an advisory role.
"The Realdiamondfacts.org site was launched by Diamonds for Africa and is not affiliated with Brilliant Earth," she says. "We support the objective of the site to educate the public about human rights abuses that exist in diamond-mining areas."
She defends her store's practice of selling only Canadian-sourced diamonds.
"Diamond sales from places such as Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo are exploiting workers who are often making as little as 30 cents a day and working in dangerous conditions. In many West African countries, wealth from diamonds is not trickling down to the mining communities themselves. We refuse to perpetuate these practices. Until there is a fair trade option from Africa that can be verified, we will continue to buy Canadian diamonds," Gerstein says.
At press time, representatives of Diamonds for Africa and Realdiamondfacts.org had not returned phone calls or e-mail messages.
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Diamonds
Jewelers of America is calling on the Kimberley Process to fully and quickly implement a work plan to address the serious concerns surrounding Zimbabwe's non-compliance with the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme, the system designed to keep conflict diamonds out of the international trade, and the reported human rights abuses in the Marange diamond fields. Read More
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