Blood Diamond; Movie Concerns Industry - June.2006
The US jewelry industry is gearing up to counter any negative effects from
the upcoming film "The Blood Diamond." The film is due to star
Leonardo DiCaprio as a South African mercenary jailed for smuggling in Sierra
Leone, during its civil war that lasted until 2002 and killed 50,000 people.
"The danger is that people will think the situation in the film is
continuing today," Peggy Jo Donahue, public affairs director of trade group
Jewelers of America told Reuters recently.
She noted that a new website on diamonds is being set up to answer queries
from consumers.
The chairman of the Kimberley Process, Kago Moshashane of Botswana, wrote the
producers of the film asking that it include an epilogue explaining the measures
taken to stem the illicit trade.
He said Botswana was worried that a consumer boycott could damage its efforts
to boost education and healthcare since the diamond sector accounted for around
half of government revenue.
Consumers worried about this issue should look for companies like the Diamond
Registry who has set policies against dealing in conflict stones and has been
actively involved with the efforts to stop this trade. v
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