Conflict Diamonds
"Blood Diamonds"

The film "Blood Diamonds" is due out on 8th December 2006, released by Warner Brothers. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio as a diamond smuggler and is set in the 1990’s when the situation in Sierra Leone and other parts of Africa affected by conflict diamonds was much more volatile and uncontrolled than now and before the diamond industry and the UN had really got a grip on the problems.

There is a worry in the diamond mining industry that this film will portray the conflict and problems, but none of the resolutions that have been made since and also that audiences will think the situation is still as volatile and uncontrolled now as it was when the film was set.

Harriet Kelsall Jewellery Design would like to add its voice to the view that any boycott of the diamond industry by worried film viewers would have a detrimental affect on the areas of Africa concerned. The chairman of the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme and the deputy secretary of Botswana's Ministry of Minerals Kago G. Moshashane has expressed his concerns and is worried that a consumer boycott could damage Botswana’s efforts to boost education and healthcare since the diamond sector accounted for around half of government revenue.

The situation is now very different to that period depicted in the film and now and refusing to buy diamonds that have been mined in Africa will not solve the problem and could actually be harmful to those communities who rely on the diamond trade to survive and deny them much needed jobs, infrastructure and facilities.

Conflict diamonds overview >
What are conflict diamonds? >
What is the Kimberley Process? >
Our position on conflict diamonds >
Customers sourcing their own stones >
The film "Blood Diamonds" >
The Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices >