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Motiganz debuts Botswana-made diamonds in U.S.

November 13, 2008

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New York—Motiganz Diamond Group, a Diamond Trading Co. (DTC) sightholder, announced on Thursday that it has begun selling diamonds sourced, cut and polished in Botswana to U.S. retailers.

This is the first time in history that diamonds that have been not just sourced but manufactured in Botswana have been sold in the United States, the company said in a release.

Designed to bring new jobs and momentum to the African nation's economy, the "Made in Botswana" program is funded and operated by Motiganz and is fully compliant with the Kimberley Process, a certification system designed to stem the flow of conflict diamonds worldwide.

Motiganz has been a DTC sightholder since 1991, and since 2007, has been a DTC sightholder in Botswana, where the company has built a state-of-the-art factory that employs local residents.

"Our effort to give back to the people of Botswana is a personal mission for us," said Moti Ganz, chief executive officer and chairman of the Motiganz Diamond Group. "Botswana is a great country and we're honored to be getting even more involved in the community."

World-class diamond mining and new diamond-export initiatives such as the "Made in Botswana" program have helped transformed Botswana from one of the poorest countries in the world to a middle-income country with one of the fastest per capita income growth rates, the company says.

Day's Jewelers, a jewelry chain with locations in Maine and New Hampshire, is one of the first retailers to distribute the diamonds and has organized a gala event to fete the historic "Made in Botswana" program for its new, 10,000-square-foot store in Portland, Maine, on Nov. 15.

To ensure consumers that the diamonds are actually from Botswana, Motiganz is also using the Gem Certification and Assurance Lab Gemprint technology, a process for finding a diamond's unique optical fingerprint.

Motiganz will also be partnering with non-profit organizations to benefit Botswana and its people through diamond sales. The company sponsored the national champion football team and the Miss Botswana pageant, for which it donated jewelry and trained the pageant contestants. The reigning Miss Botswana is currently the company's local spokeswoman.
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