November 2006 – Conflict Diamonds and The Kimberley Process

Okay. Too soon for THE ring? Here are some gift ideas from CED, just in case you need them. We call them, “snacks.” Approachable and tempting, they can be served any time to warm the heart. They’re like comfort food, only better! No calories!!

(Bar drop earrings with pearls (14k) $360; Small cylinder dangle earrings (14k) $350 and petites $290; Square Bezel earrings with black pearl (14k) $460; Small solid hoops (Sterling) $120 and (14k) $400. For more ideas/details, call us at 800.313.9784.)

Modern Jeweler Magazine (October) – This great issue on men’s jewelry features CED men’s 18k white gold cufflinks with sapphire.

Events
November 18 (4:30-9:00pm) – The Orange Door Holiday Boutiquefeatures the mosaic arts of Luis Santos, jewelry from CED and a selection of other great gift ideas. 15315 Crenshaw Blvd., Gardena, CA 90249.www.theorangedoor.net

December 2 (10am-2pm) – The Holiday Trunk Show hosted by Ladies Who Launch will be held at the Santa Monica Bay Women’s Club, 1210 Fourth St., Santa Monica CA, 90401. It will feature a variety of holiday shopping from your local women launched businesses.

January 20 (6-10pm) – Save the Date for Commitment 2007 our annual client appreciation event chocolate martini party.

• The movie is set against the backdrop of civil war and chaos in 1990’s Sierra Leone. Blood Diamond is the story of a South African mercenary and a Mende fisherman. Both men are African, but their histories are as different as any can be, until their fates become joined in a common quest to recover a rare pink diamond that can transform their lives. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0450259/
• A conflict diamond (also called a blood diamond or a war diamond) is a diamond mined in a war zone and sold, usually clandestinely, in order to finance an insurgency or invading army’s war efforts.
• The United Nations has prohibited the export of conflict diamonds, arguing that their trade finances combatants, who may, at one time or another, be fighting for or against a government, but it is civilians who bear the brunt of violence. It points to the UNITA rebels in Angola and to the Revolutionary United Front rebels in Sierra Leone (who, it states, were financed by the government of Liberia, also through diamond sales) as purveyors of conflict diamonds.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conflict_diamond

The Kimberley Process

• In May 2000, Southern African diamond producing states met in Kimberley, South Africa, to come up with a way to stop the trade in conflict diamonds.
• In November 2002, after more than two years of negotiation, the efforts of governments, the international diamond industry and NGOs culminated in the creation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme.
• The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme is an innovative, voluntary system that imposes extensive requirements on Participants to certify that shipments of rough diamonds are free of conflict diamonds. The KP is composed of 45 Participants, including the European Community. Kimberley Process Participants account for approximately 99.8% of the global production of rough diamonds.http://www.kimberleyprocess.com

Other Facts About the Diamond Industry

Most people are unaware of the role diamonds play in bringing real benefits to people in the countries around the world where diamonds are sourced. Diamonds are driving economic growth and prosperity in countries around the world. Here are a few facts:

• An estimated 5 million people have access to appropriate healthcare in southern Africa, thanks to revenues from diamonds.
• Diamond revenues enable every child in Botswana to receive free education up to the age of 13.
• An estimated 10 million people globally are directly or indirectly supported by the diamond industry.
• The charity, Jewelers for Children, funds a community-based care program for orphaned children in South Africa.
• The revenue from diamonds is instrumental in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
• The diamond mining industry generates over 40% of Namibia’s annual export earnings.

Resources: www.Diamondfacts.org.

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