GemstonesGemstonesA gemstone or gem (also called a fine gem, jewel, or a precious or semi-precious stone) is a piece of mineral crystal, which, in cut and polished form, is used to make jewelry or other adornments.

A selection of gemstone pebbles made by tumbling rough rock with abrasive grit, in a rotating drum. The biggest pebble here is 40

mm long (1.6 inches).

GemstonesGemstonesAny non-metallic mineral or other natural material (e.g., amber, jet, pearl) that can be cut and polished for use in jewelry and related products.

Mineral gemstonesMineral gemstones include: sapphire, ruby, diamond, emerald, topaz, turquoise and opal

http://pubs.usgs.gov/

With the exception of diamonds, most gemstones are highly valued because of their:

BeautyBeauty

RarityRarity

TraditionTradition

Perception of permanencePerception of permanence

Why are some gems so expensive?Why are some gems so expensive?

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Aaron’s Ceremonial BreastplateAaron’s Ceremonial Breastplate"Fashion a breastpiece for making decisions—the work of a skilled craftsman. Make it like the ephod: of gold, and of blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and of finely twisted linen. It is to be square—a span long and a span wide—and folded double. Then mount four rows of precious stones on it […] Mount them in gold filigree settings. There are to be twelve stones, one for each of the names of the sons of Israel, each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. each engraved like a seal with the name of one of the twelve tribes. (Exodus 28)

New International Version

New American Standard King James Young’s Literal Translation

Contemporary English Version

New Living Translation

ruby ruby sardius sardius carnelian red carnelian

topaz topaz topaz topaz chrysolite pale-green peridot

beryl emerald carbuncle carbuncle emerald emerald

turquoise turquoise emerald emerald turquoise turquoise

sapphire sapphire sapphire sapphire sapphire blue lapis lazuli

emerald diamond diamond diamond diamond white moonstone

jacinth jacinth ligure opal jacinth orange jacinth

agate agate agate agate agate agate

chrysolite beryl beryl beryl beryl blue-green beryl

amethyst amethyst amethyst amethyst amethyst purple amethyst

onyx onyx onyx onyx onyx onyx

jasper jasper jasper jasper jasper jasper

http://www.biblegateway.com/

Original Publication Date: 1913

Claimed that the twelve stones on Aaron’s breastplate symbolized the 12 months of the year, not the 12 tribes.

The Hebrew calendar contains either 12 or 13 months in a year.

The Curious Lore of The Curious Lore of Precious StonesPrecious Stones

http://www.thaigem.com/

Janu

ary garnet rose quartzSiO2

Febr

uary

amethyst onyxSiO2

Mar

ch

aquamarine bloodstoneSiO2

http://www.thaigem.com/

June

alexandrite moonstone

Apr

ildiamond rock crystalSiO2

May

emerald chrysopraseSiO2

http://www.thaigem.com/

Oct

ober opal tourmaline

Nov

embe

r topaz citrine

Dec

embe

r zircontanzanite

SiO2

Annual Worldwide Natural Diamond Production

Mining

114 million carats raw diamonds

~ $7,000,000,000

All phases of production, distribution, and retail

2,000,000 workers

67,000,000 pieces of diamond jewelry

http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.com/

http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.com/

Region Value ($1,000) Market Share

AfricaAfrica 5,354,9105,354,910 68.2%68.2%

EuropeEurope (Russia)(Russia) 1,595,0001,595,000 20.3%20.3%

North AmericaNorth America(Canada)(Canada)

453,555453,5555.8%5.8%

AustraliaAustralia 360,600360,600 4.6%4.6%

South AmericaSouth America 76,45076,450 1.0%1.0%

AsiaAsia (China)(China) 16,48016,480 0.2%0.2%

TOTAL 7,856,995 100.0%

Botswana 27.0%

Angola 16.9%

South Africa 14.1%

Dem. Rep. Congo 7.4%

Namibia 5.3%

Guinea 1.3%

Sierra Leone 1.1%

Central African Rep. 0.9%

Tanzania 0.6%

Liberia 0.3%

Ivory Coast 0.3%

Ghana 0.2%

Lesotho 0.1%

Venezuela 0.6%

Guyana 0.0%

Brazil 0.4%

Diamonds would be moderately expensive for the same reasons other gemstones are (beauty, rarity, tradition, etc.)

However, the price of diamonds is artificially high due to the blatant and highly successful manipulation of the world’s largest diamond conglomerate: DeBeers.

The company maintains a virtual monopoly on jewel-quality diamonds, controlling the supply to keep the price high.

The company also has a series of highly successful marketing campaigns (e.g., “a diamond is forever”) to keep demand high.

Why are some diamonds so expensive?Why are some diamonds so expensive?

Summary of the SettlementSummary of the Settlement

De Beers is the largest supplier of rough diamonds in the world. Beginning in 2001, Plaintiffs in several states filed lawsuits against De Beers in state and federal courts alleging that De Beers unlawfully monopolized the supply of diamonds, conspired to fix, raise, and control diamond prices, and issued false and misleading advertising. De Beers denies it violated the law or did anything wrong.

The Settlement Agreement provides that $22.5 Million be distributed to the Direct Purchaser Class, and that $272.5 Million will be distributed to the Indirect Purchaser Class. De Beers also agrees to refrain from engaging in certain conduct that violates federal and state antitrust laws and submit to the jurisdiction of the Court to enforce the Settlement.

Claims must have been filed before May 19th, 2008.

https://diamondsclassaction.com/

http://www.adiamondisforever.com/

“A Diamond is Forever”

http://www.adiamondisforever.com/

Right “Right Hand Ring” Advertising Campaign

“Your left hand rocks the cradle. Your right hand rules the world.”

“Your left hand says ‘we’

Your right hand says ‘me’”

Besides their questionable business practices, DeBeers:

DeBeers and Injustice in AfricaDeBeers and Injustice in Africa

Officially “rejected” apartheid in South Africa, but exploited the system to the benefit of the company (although not the workers).

Continued to engage in apartheid practices at its South African mines long after the apartheid government fell.

Supported the forced removal of the Basarwa people from their traditional lands in Botswana, virtually ensuring the destruction of their culture.

http://www.playahata.com/pages/eyecalone/blingbling.html

http://archiviofoto.blog.excite.it/img/BRITAINBOT.jpghttp://www.survival-international.org/

http://www.zambezi.co.uk/

“The Government was justified in removing the Basarwa [‘Bushmen'] from the Reserve... It is sensible of Government to take such action. Otherwise who would always want to remain in the Dark Ages while others move forward?” Louis Nchindo, Managing Director, Debswana (De Beers's Botswana subsidiary).

http://archiviofoto.blog.excite.it/img/BRITAINBOT.jpg

http://www.zambezi.co.uk/

Update: 1/7/08

After years of international boycotts and protests, DeBeers sold its mining operations in Botswana to Gem Diamonds. The new owners have vowed to treat the Bushmen as equal partners and seek their legal consent before any further development.

In 2006, the Botswana High Court ruled that the Bushmen could return to their ancestral lands. However, the Botswana government has denied the Bushmen everything they need to live in the Kalahari (hunting rights, access to water, herding rights).

http://www.survival-international.org/tribes/bushmen

The diamond trade has also supported both war and terrorismThe diamond trade has also supported both war and terrorism

Conflict DiamondsConflict Diamonds

Bankrolled some of most vicious civil wars in Africa over the last few decades.

Was and perhaps still is used by al-Qaeda groups to raise and move funds.

http://www.amnestyusa.org/

BotswanaBotswana

AngolaAngola South AfricaSouth Africa

Dem. Rep. CongoDem. Rep. Congo

NamibiaNamibia

GuineaGuinea

Sierra LeoneSierra Leone

Central African Rep.Central African Rep.

TanzaniaTanzaniaLiberiaLiberia

Ivory CoastIvory Coast

GhanaGhana LesothoLesotho

African Diamond Producing CountriesAfrican Diamond Producing Countries

First Liberian Civil War (1989-1996)(over 200,000 killed)

Guinea-Bissau Civil War (1998-1999)

Lesotho Intervention (1998)Lesotho, South Africa, Botswana

First Congo War (1996-1997)Dem. Rep. Congo, Rwanda, Uganda (over 200,000 civilian killed)

Great War of Africa (1998-2003)Dem. Rep. Congo, Zimbabwe, Angola, Rwanda, Uganda, Namibia, Chad, Libya, Sudan, Burundi (5,400,000 deaths)

Angolan Civil War (1975-2002)(over 500,000 military casualties)

Sierra Leone Civil War (1991-2002)(~75,000 dead)

Wars in African Diamond-Producing Nations Since 1990

Second Liberian Civil War (1999-2003)(~150,00 killed)

Ivory Coast Civil War (2002-2007)

http://www.msu.edu/course/pls/461/stein/refugees.htmhttp://www.msu.edu/course/pls/461/stein/refugees.htm

Patients at a clinic in Freetown. Their hands were chopped off by rebels (RUF) in the Sierra Leone Civil War.

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/sierra/index.htm#http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/sierra/index.htm#

Human Rights Abuses by RUF (Sierra Leone rebel group)

Massacres, Individual Murders, and Fire-Related Deaths Burning Alive The Use of Games to Maximize Terror Mutilation and Amputation Rape and Sexual Assault Abduction

Targeting of Particular Groups The Use of Civilians as Human Shields The Use of Drugs by the RUF and Forced Drugging of Civilians Treatment of Prisoners Violations of Medical Neutrality

Human Rights Watch, 1999. Getting Away with Murder, Mutilation, Rape: New Testimony from Sierra Leone 11: 3(A).

http://www.hrw.org/reports/1999/sierra/index.htm#

Human Rights Abuses by RUF (Sierra Leone rebel group) “Some of the atrocities committed by the RUF rebels were unthinkable. Infants and children were thrown into burning houses, the hands of toddlers as young as two were severed with machetes, girls as young as eight were sexually abused, and hundreds of children of all ages were traumatically separated from their communities and forced to walk into the hills with strangers whom they had seen kill their family members.

In some cases children, many of them originally abductees, participated in the perpetration of these abuses. Child combatants armed with pistols, rifles, and machetes actively participated in killings and massacres, severed the arms of other children, and beat and humiliated men old enough to be their grandfathers. Often under the influence of drugs, they were known and feared for their impetuosity, lack of control, and brutality.

Human Rights Watch, 1999. Getting Away with Murder, Mutilation, Rape: New Testimony from Sierra Leone 11: 3(A).

Photo: ©UNICEF / Giacomo Pirozzihttp://www.un.org/ecosocdev/geninfo/afrec/vol15no3/153chil2.htm

UNICEF estimates there were 5,400 child soldiers in the RUF, but the number could have been as high as 10,000 or more

Many former RUF child soldiers are currently being recruited for wars in other western African nations (e.g., Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea).

Human Rights Watch, 2005. Youth, Poverty and Blood: The Lethal Legacy of West Africa’s Regional Warriors 17:5(A).

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars MoreGlobal Witness, April, 2003

http://www.globalwitness.org

100 page report on how terrorist groups Hezbullah and al Qaeda used diamonds to support their activities, including:

1. Fundraising2. Avoiding financial sanctions3. Money laundering4. Transport of funds

Report also addresses al Qaeda’s use of other commodities like gold and the gemstone tanzanite

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More

August 7, 1998 - 10:30 a.m.

Simultaneous bombing of U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing 224 and injuring 4,500. An FBI investigation blamed many members of al Qaeda, including terrorists connected to several companies involved in the diamond trade.

http://www.globalwitness.orghttp://archives.cnn.com/2000/LAW/10/20/embassy.bombings.01/

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More

After August 7, 1998

Al Qaeda diamond operatives flee Tanzania, taking their experience in the diamond trade to their new homes in West Africa - particularly Liberia and Sierra Leone.

http://www.globalwitness.org

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More

Al QaedaAl Qaeda

RUFRUF Diamond TradeDiamond Trade

http://www.globalwitness.org

Charles TaylorCharles Taylor Former president of Liberia, currently being tried in the Special Court for Sierra Leone at the Hague for war crimes (8/21/08)

http://www.globalwitness.org

http://afp.google.com/

For a Few Dollars MoreFor a Few Dollars More

Estimates of the amount of money raised for al Qaedaal Qaeda by the diamond trade vary, ranging somewhere in the tens of millions of dollars. After the 9/11 attacks, all parties in the diamonds-for-arms dealing in Sierra Leone and Liberia claimed they did not know they were dealing with al Qaeda operatives.

http://www.globalwitness.org

“In order to fully combat the scourge of conflict diamonds, on November 5, 2002, fifty-two governments ratified and adopted the final Kimberley Process Certification Scheme [… and …] have agreed that they will only allow for the import and export of rough diamonds if those rough diamonds come from or are being exported to another Kimberley Process participant.

The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme requires that each shipment of rough diamonds being exported and crossing an international border be transported in a tamper-resistant container and accompanied by a government-validated Kimberley Process Certificate. Each certificate should be resistant to forgery, uniquely numbered and include data describing the shipment’s content.”

World Diamond Council, 2002. The Essential Guide to Implementing The Kimberley Process. PDF: http://www.worlddiamondcouncil.com/

Angola, Australia, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Côte d’Ivoire, People’s Republic of China, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Holland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, India, Israel, Japan, Republic of Korea, Lesotho, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Namibia, Norway, Philippines, Russian Federation, Sierra Leone, Socialist Republic of Vietnam, South Africa, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, United States of AmericaUnited States of America and Zimbabwe (12/20/02)

The Kimberley ProcessThe Kimberley Processhttp://www.kimberleyprocess.com/

27% of shops were able assure us that they had a policy on conflict diamonds. 30% of the shops that said they had a policy were unable to produce a hard copy or explain it.

13% of shops provided warranties to their customers as a standard practice. 37% of the shops claimed to be aware of the conflict diamonds issue, but 54% of them reported an inaccurate definition of the crisis.

28% of the shops were aware of the Kimberley Process. 29% of those who were aware of the Kimberley Process had only a minimal or limited understanding of it.

When asked whether consumers inquired about conflict diamonds, 83% of respondents answered rarely or never.

110 shops refused outright to take the survey. http://www.amnestyusa.org/business/action_update.html

National Day of Action on Conflict DiamondsSeptember 18, 2004

Amnesty International surveyed 246 stores in 50 U.S. cities:Amnesty International surveyed 246 stores in 50 U.S. cities:

12/20/06

The release of the movie “Blood Diamond” prompted DeBeers (through their major trade organization) to launch an extensive website lauding the diamond industry as a force for good in the undeveloped world:

http://www.diamondfacts.org/

Among other questionable statements, it includes the fact that approximately one million people are employed by the diamond industry in India. What it doesn’t report is that up to 10% of those workers are children (12-13 years old), and many of those are “bonded” – a polite word for children sold into slavery.

http://ihscslnews.org/view_article.php?id=61

http://www.globalwitness.org/media_library_detail.php/549/en/global_witness_amnesty_international_uk_diamond_re

The majority of the top-selling US retail jewelers that provided information to Global Witness and Amnesty International do not have adequate policies in place to combat blood diamonds. A survey, conducted by Global Witness and Amnesty International between December 2006 and February 2007, queried the 37 jewelry retailers listed collectively by National Jeweler magazine as The $100 Million Supersellers on their policies to stop the trade in blood diamonds.

56% of respondents had no auditing procedures to combat blood diamonds.56% of respondents had no auditing procedures to combat blood diamonds.57% of respondents had no policy posted on their websites.57% of respondents had no policy posted on their websites.50% of these huge retailers did not respond at all.50% of these huge retailers did not respond at all.

The survey also noted that a few industry leaders such as Helzberg Diamond Shops, Sterling (Signet) and Tiffany & Co. have taken stronger measures to combat conflict diamonds.

Conflict DiamondsConflict DiamondsUS jewelry retailers still not doing enoughUS jewelry retailers still not doing enough

Published February, 2007