Eight Killed at Guyana Diamond Mining Site
By B. Earth | June 27, 2008
Reuters and Rapaport are reporting that unknown assailants shot as many as eight people at a remote diamond mining camp in Guyana, burning the bodies afterwards. Criminal gangs operating in the area are known for other similar attacks. They sometimes take refuge in the mineral-rich eastern jungles popular with small scale miners seeking gold and diamonds.
Topics: Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Mining Issues, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Maximize Center Stones with Beauty and Balance
By Beth L. | June 24, 2008
Looking to maximize the appearance and size of your center diamond? Hoping to create balance and lend a sense of delicateness to a large gem? “Halo” settings that wreath the center stone in diamonds are the perfect choice for all sizes and shapes of gems.
Topics: Style Watch, Uncategorized | 2 Comments »
Fake Kimberley Process Certificates Surface
By Deepthi | June 23, 2008
Rapaport reports that fake Kimberley Process certificates have been identified as a threat to the global tracking system for conflict diamonds.
Topics: Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Venezuela Withdraws from Kimberley Process
By Deepthi | June 20, 2008
Close upon the heels of numerous calls by NGOs like Global Witness and Partnership Africa Canada that Venezuela be expelled from the Kimberley Process, Venezuela has made it an easy decision by voluntarily withdrawing themselves for the next two years.
Topics: Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Your Green Life Features Brilliant Earth
By Deepthi | June 18, 2008
Your TV20 is one of the few remaining independent television stations offering in-depth local coverage in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Brilliant Earth is thrilled to be a part of their trail blazing green programming initiative that helps Bay Area viewers stay informed with simple tips that anyone can use to live a more sustainable life.
Brilliant Earth is showcased on Your Green Life, a series that focuses on sustainable and eco-friendly practices in our lives, including business, home, building, remodeling, consumer products as well as the greater community. Watch Beth and Eric describe what makes Canadian diamonds eco-friendly and conflict free.
Topics: Company News, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Renewed Calls for Venezuela’s Exit
By Deepthi | June 9, 2008
Venezuela is a charter member of the Kimberley Process, the certification system which oversees the global trade of diamonds and tries to keep those tainted by conflict out of general circulation. Despite their voluntary participation since 2003, Partnership Africa Canada reports that Venezuela has submitted no statistical information and no annual reports after the first quarter of 2005. Venezuela annually produces an estimated 150,000 carats of diamonds, but has officially exported none since January 2005.
Topics: Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Eric on KQED Radio’s Forum
By B. Earth | June 6, 2008
What sets the new generation of social entrepreneurs apart? KQED Radio’s public affairs program Forum investigates with a round table discussion including Eric, Brilliant Earth’s illustrious co-founder! The program brings together an author who’s written a book about social entrepreneurism and three Bay Area entrepreneurs motivated by environmental concerns and social equity.
[LISTEN]
Topics: Company News, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Tara Kirk in the San Francisco Chronicle
By B. Earth | June 5, 2008
Olympic swimming medalist and Stanford graduate Tara Kirk proudly shows off her conflict free ring from Brilliant Earth in SF Gate’s Olympic Notebook.
Topics: Company News, Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
New Standards for Sierra Leone
By Beth G. | May 27, 2008
The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) announced today the release of its Standards & Guidelines for Sierra Leone’s Artisanal Diamond Mining Sector. The release, in partnership with Sierra Leone’s Network Movement for Justice and Development, is the first comprehensive guide to a sector that was until recently plagued by armed rebellion and horrific violence. Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Conflict Diamond Issues, In the News, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Q&A: Artisanal Mining
By Deepthi | May 14, 2008
A Customer Asks…
I’ve been hearing about “artisanal” mining and how it’s a big part of the jewelry industry. What exactly is it?
Brilliant Earth Answers.
Very few consumers and even retailers know exactly what artisanal mining is, and how important it is to the jewelry industry. The technical term is artisanal and small-scale mining, often shortened to ASM. A global industry typically found in rural areas of developing countries, artisanal mining of deposits of valuable minerals and gems offer communities and families a way to make a living in areas where few alternatives exist.
There is very little large-scale colored gemstone mining, which means that artisanal miners are the main producers of colored gemstones worldwide, and significant producers of diamonds as well. But because artisanal miners are not organized, very very few people buy directly from the artisanal miner. This is one of the main reasons why colored gemstones are so rarely tracked from mine to retail store, which makes it virtually impossible to know where your stone originates from or what conditions it was mined in.
Topics: Customer Qs, Mining Issues, Uncategorized | No Comments »
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