Poor Artisanal Miners threatened by synthetic diamonds

[GHtest]

From the Diamond Development Initiative:

More than a PR issue!
-How the recent FTC decision on synthetic diamonds might impact artisanally-mined diamonds
What exactly is a diamond, other than a girl's best friend? It's more than just a label.
A recent decision by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expanded the definition of diamonds to include synthetic, or lab-grown, diamonds-something most in the industry had argued against. That decision could have a big impact the artisanal market in the near future.
Although synthetics are not currently a big part of the worldwide market, there is a growing concern about them increasing in popularity. That could impact big producers but experts think it will mostly affect the artisanal market. For thousands of artisanal miners in diamond-producing countries in Africa, it could mean a huge dent in their livelihood.
Lab-grown diamond producers are touting their stones as ethical and environmentally-friendly. For those who haven't had the chance to read about it, this is exactly what the Maendeleo Diamond Standards are all about. In our opinion, the economic impact of the synthetic stone advertising is truly what is of utmost importance and what is at stake here.

Diamonds are a driver of development and the only hope for hundreds of thousands of families in Africa and around the world. Putting them out of business instead of working with them to improve standards makes no sense.
Our main issue remains the way the synthetic people advertise their product as "ethical", as though nothing else is. Furthermore, by allowing synthetics to be called "diamonds", the FTC made it more difficult for consumers to distinguish one from the other.
All the PR speak aside, you should be making sure the diamonds you purchase are not only ethical and traceable but also benefit miners and their communities.
***
IDMA continues support for DDI during banner 2018

Ottawa, Canada - The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) is pleased to announce another important yearly contribution by the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
"Getting an endorsement from such an important industry organization as IDMA means a lot to us," said Dorothée Gizenga, DDI's Executive Director. "With IDMA's contribution, we can sustain DDI, and provide more benefits to artisanal miners and their communities."

This year's support will continue IDMA's involvement, since 2012, in supporting DDI's work of bringing development support to artisanal mining communities.
"We, the IDMA members, are so proud and honored to support the amazing work of DDI and the communities they benefit," added Ronnie VanderLinden, IDMA's President.

Ronnie VanderLinden, IDMA's President
-30-
The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) is a non-profit organization that works to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development through education, policy, dialogue and projects working directly with artisanal diamond miners and their communities. For more info, visit ddiglobal.org.
The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) is committed to fostering and promoting the highest ideals of honesty and best practice principles throughout the diamond industry worldwide, as well as full compliance with all relevant national and international laws. It was founded in 1946 in Antwerp, Belgium. For more info, visit idma.co.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

As proud supporters of DDI through the years, we at Whiteflash are pleased that they are taking a stand and seeking to educate the market on this issue.

We have been clear in our position for several years that synthetic diamonds definitely have a place in the jewelry business. But marketing being done by some of the Lab Grown Diamond sellers around the issue of social responsibility has been misleading at best, unfairly demonizing the natural diamond industry.

By grossly overstating problems of natural diamond industry and completely ignoring its enormous contribution to millions of people and their communities all over the world, the synthetic sellers have sought to gain market share at the expense of the truth and to the detriment of many of the neediest people in our global community.

 

[OoohShiny]

From the Diamond Development Initiative:

More than a PR issue!
-How the recent FTC decision on synthetic diamonds might impact artisanally-mined diamonds
What exactly is a diamond, other than a girl's best friend? It's more than just a label.
A recent decision by the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) expanded the definition of diamonds to include synthetic, or lab-grown, diamonds-something most in the industry had argued against. That decision could have a big impact the artisanal market in the near future.
Although synthetics are not currently a big part of the worldwide market, there is a growing concern about them increasing in popularity. That could impact big producers but experts think it will mostly affect the artisanal market. For thousands of artisanal miners in diamond-producing countries in Africa, it could mean a huge dent in their livelihood.
Lab-grown diamond producers are touting their stones as ethical and environmentally-friendly. For those who haven't had the chance to read about it, this is exactly what the Maendeleo Diamond Standards are all about. In our opinion, the economic impact of the synthetic stone advertising is truly what is of utmost importance and what is at stake here.

Diamonds are a driver of development and the only hope for hundreds of thousands of families in Africa and around the world. Putting them out of business instead of working with them to improve standards makes no sense.
Our main issue remains the way the synthetic people advertise their product as "ethical", as though nothing else is. Furthermore, by allowing synthetics to be called "diamonds", the FTC made it more difficult for consumers to distinguish one from the other.
All the PR speak aside, you should be making sure the diamonds you purchase are not only ethical and traceable but also benefit miners and their communities.
***
IDMA continues support for DDI during banner 2018

Ottawa, Canada - The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) is pleased to announce another important yearly contribution by the International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA).
"Getting an endorsement from such an important industry organization as IDMA means a lot to us," said Dorothée Gizenga, DDI's Executive Director. "With IDMA's contribution, we can sustain DDI, and provide more benefits to artisanal miners and their communities."

This year's support will continue IDMA's involvement, since 2012, in supporting DDI's work of bringing development support to artisanal mining communities.
"We, the IDMA members, are so proud and honored to support the amazing work of DDI and the communities they benefit," added Ronnie VanderLinden, IDMA's President.

Ronnie VanderLinden, IDMA's President
-30-
The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) is a non-profit organization that works to reduce poverty and promote sustainable development through education, policy, dialogue and projects working directly with artisanal diamond miners and their communities. For more info, visit ddiglobal.org.
The International Diamond Manufacturers Association (IDMA) is committed to fostering and promoting the highest ideals of honesty and best practice principles throughout the diamond industry worldwide, as well as full compliance with all relevant national and international laws. It was founded in 1946 in Antwerp, Belgium. For more info, visit idma.co.

Do you work for the DDI?

Is there a reason that all the links in your post are massively complicated tracking links, rather than direct links to the final destination page?

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Do you work for the DDI?

Is there a reason that all the links in your post are massively complicated tracking links, rather than direct links to the final destination page?

I don't think so.

BTW the info posted came from an email blast DDI sent to all their supporters. I just looked at the email I received and the link urls appear to be the same.

 

[OoohShiny]

I don't think so.

BTW the info posted came from an email blast DDI sent to all their supporters. I just looked at the email I received and the link urls appear to be the same.

Thanks for checking, kind sir!

I have just been on forums for too long and am very cynical, especially of low-post-count new members posting external links lol

 

[Texas Leaguer]

I understand your suspicion and had to click on his 5 other posts to see what was up myself. I suspect I know who it is and he's very legit.

 

[Bron357]

In the words of a future consumer (DD is 17)
I can see why consumers might prefer a man made diamond if it’s considerably cheaper than a mined diamond but there’s always been cheap diamond like alternatives.
There are plenty of synthetic rubies out there for $10 or so, and they are the exact same thing as a natural ruby yet most people still want the real ones and will pay thousands to have one.
It’s like the designer hand bag knock offs or fake Tiffany jewellery, most people still want the genuine article and not the replica even if it’s a lot cheaper.
I don’t see the environmentally friendly aspect of man made diamonds, the energy requires to produce them is probably from coal fired generators. I also don’t like the idea of owning something manufactured in a lab by machinery.
I would want a gem that came from the earth, that was difficult to find and i would much rather support ordinary people trying to make a living than a money making corporation.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Thanks for checking, kind sir!

I have just been on forums for too long and am very cynical, especially of low-post-count new members posting external links lol

So sorry. I posted this but used a testing login by mistake.
As Bryan says, all of us DDI supporters got this email and it does explain a view that many may find counter intuitive.
Leonardo Decaprio may think being paid to support synthetic diamond producers helps starving Africans. But that is pure BS

 

[ChristineRose]

I would much rather support ordinary people trying to make a living than a money making corporation.

I don't think that's fair. All these diamonds end up end the hands of big corporations and you can't buy directly from small miners. And the synthetic makers hire plenty of people who are also trying to make a living.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

According to DDI:
Up to 20% of the world’s gem-quality diamonds are produced by artisanal miners – people who dig for diamonds using rudimentary equipment. Often the whole family is involved, including children. There are 1.5 million artisanal miners in Africa and South America, working in 18 different countries.

According to wikpedia:
Gemesis has the world's largest facilities for both the high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond production methods.

According to this site, Gemesis (which changed name to Pure Grown Diamonds) has less than 50 employees.
https://glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Pure-Grown-Diamonds-EI_IE973658.11,30.htm

 

[sledge]

I don't think that's fair. All these diamonds end up end the hands of big corporations and you can't buy directly from small miners. And the synthetic makers hire plenty of people who are also trying to make a living.

Yes, many companies (through various stages of mining the diamond to selling at a retail location) also profit from naturally mined diamonds. No one is denying that. Nor is anyone denying the fact we can't buy directly from miners. The difference being, our dollars do eventually funnel to the miners and those dollars feed their livelihood.

As @Texas Leaguer pointed out, lab grown stones requires less workers to do the same work, as manufacturing processes already exist and will be further developed and improved upon to keep overhead costs as low as possible. This is just fancy talk for more machines, less people. After all, synthetics primarily exist because of their low cost.

Then you have issues of miners that are now displaced workers because their skill sets do not transfer to other available industries. Having actual experience drilling holes in the earth (called drilled shafts) to support bridge structures I can tell you that drilling/mining in the earth is a much different skill set than being a factory worker.

In a sense, it's like boycotting fruits & vegetables because you can't buy directly from the farmer. How does that help the situation? Now granted, I live in the South and still occasionally see farmers on the side of the road. When such events happen I make sure I have cash, and swing by for (IMO) some of the best tasting food plus at a much more economical price. The local farmer is happy because he is moving crops and probably at a slightly higher profit margin than dealing with larger companies.

Yet, it's impractical to think Farmer Fred will be available at every corner during every season to fulfill the needs of every person needing or wanting vegetables & fruits. Hence, many of us buy from various grocery stores.

 

[pearaffair]

Maybe this is a better question for a brand new thread... but I’d be curious to know how the environmental impact compares.

 

[TreeScientist]

Yes, many companies (through various stages of mining the diamond to selling at a retail location) also profit from naturally mined diamonds. No one is denying that. Nor is anyone denying the fact we can't buy directly from miners. The difference being, our dollars do eventually funnel to the miners and those dollars feed their livelihood.

As @Texas Leaguer pointed out, lab grown stones requires less workers to do the same work, as manufacturing processes already exist and will be further developed and improved upon to keep overhead costs as low as possible. This is just fancy talk for more machines, less people. After all, synthetics primarily exist because of their low cost.

Then you have issues of miners that are now displaced workers because their skill sets do not transfer to other available industries. Having actual experience drilling holes in the earth (called drilled shafts) to support bridge structures I can tell you that drilling/mining in the earth is a much different skill set than being a factory worker.

In a sense, it's like boycotting fruits & vegetables because you can't buy directly from the farmer. How does that help the situation? Now granted, I live in the South and still occasionally see farmers on the side of the road. When such events happen I make sure I have cash, and swing by for (IMO) some of the best tasting food plus at a much more economical price. The local farmer is happy because he is moving crops and probably at a slightly higher profit margin than dealing with larger companies.

Yet, it's impractical to think Farmer Fred will be available at every corner during every season to fulfill the needs of every person needing or wanting vegetables & fruits. Hence, many of us buy from various grocery stores.

I like the farmer comparison, as a lot of my mom's side of the family are farmers in Nebraska. For most of the farmers out there, selling their crop through a distribution channel just makes sense. Do they make as much per ear of sweet corn selling through a distribution channel as they do selling direct to consumer at a farmers market? Of course not. But, using one of my cousin's as an example, it would also be damn near impossible for him to move 50 acres of sweet corn (about 40-50 of their 300 acres are typically sweet corn) selling 10 ears of corn at a time to passersby on the street.

Honestly, it usually isn't even worth their time to sit on the roadside selling to consumers. They'll usually take a small bit of the very last of the harvest and set up a roadside stand once all of the work in the fields is completely finished, by that's mainly just for shits and giggles. Then the lucky passersby can get 10 ears of delicious sweet corn for $1.

Now tell me, how on Earth would a diamond miner be able to pull the diamonds out of the Earth completely by himself (without a mining company to plan the site), then cut the diamonds to perfect precision using diamond mapping software, polish them up, craft the jewelry from the finest metals (which he would need to source from other one-man mining operations), and set up an E-commerce site with good SEO to get the product out to consumers. If you find a man out there that is capable of doing all that in the 16-18 waking hours in a day, well then I'll say you have found a true modern day renaissance man.

...And this is why there are distribution channels.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Maybe this is a better question for a brand new thread... but I’d be curious to know how the environmental impact compares.

There has been issues in the past dacades where villagers mainly in Sierra Leonie and Angola were forced to mine leaving devastated areas with topsoil washed away.
In those countries the governments are now better at managing and most mining is done by local village consortium's. They apparently are doing better and a lot of NGO's like DDI are providing advice and assistance.

Harder to know how much electricity is consumed in the man made industry.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

Maybe this is a better question for a brand new thread... but I’d be curious to know how the environmental impact compares.

Approximately 80% of natural diamonds come from 'big digs' that have central control and oversight. The operations are subject to the environmental laws of the country in which they operate. Moreover, on a global scale, these digs are very few and far between.
Artisanal mining (20%) is far more difficult to regulate as locations tend to be scattered and remote. However, this is essentially pick and shovel mining so environmental degradation is self-limiting. That said, this is where DDI is focusing their efforts on the social, economic and environmental issues of this sector.
Are there challenges with both sectors that require continued attention, effort and investment? Certainly.
But the benefits to millions of people and their communities are well worth it.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

According to this site, Gemesis (which changed name to Pure Grown Diamonds) has less than 50 employees.
https://glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Pure-Grown-Diamonds-EI_IE973658.11,30.htm

50 well educated well paid employees burning a tanker full of oil or 2 of coal every month

 

[MelloYello8]

As a consumer who mostly avoids new mined diamonds with the exception of gifts, what prevents me from from purchasing from the new mined diamond market is the lack of origin information that comes with them. I currently live in a place where all food is clearly marked with what country, and in some cases, what city the item came from. If I am told where my $2/kilo carrots come from, I don’t see why the diamond industry can’t provide same given the money involved in each item unless they’re willing to turn a blind eye to stones procured in less than humane avenues.

I was first exposed by what some may consider propaganda for lab mined diamonds back before they were ubiquitous in the early 2000s while in one of my first jobs working in a major international organization’s headquarters to combat small arms trafficking, mostly in Africa. Lab diamonds to me saved me from a life of rocking moonstones and cz.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

As a consumer who mostly avoids new mined diamonds with the exception of gifts, what prevents me from from purchasing from the new mined diamond market is the lack of origin information that comes with them. I currently live in a place where all food is clearly marked with what country, and in some cases, what city the item came from. If I am told where my $2/kilo carrots come from, I don’t see why the diamond industry can’t provide same given the money involved in each item unless they’re willing to turn a blind eye to stones procured in less than humane avenues.

I was first exposed by what some may consider propaganda for lab mined diamonds back before they were ubiquitous in the early 2000s while in one of my first jobs working in a major international organization’s headquarters to combat small arms trafficking, mostly in Africa. Lab diamonds to me saved me from a life of rocking moonstones and cz.

There are some cutter suppliers who do provide this information. De Beers were also allowing this until about May, but for some unknown reason they told their customers to stop saying which country, and only allow the list of them with no specific one (Canada, South Africa, Namibia and mostly Botswana).
But there is no infrastructure for artisanal miners to do the same because that would assume major buyers and that was part of the blood conflict diamond issue when De Beers tried to 'mop up' the African diamonds from sellers on the streets of Antwerp. They dd that to maintain their monopoly, not because they wanted to help rebels buy guns. Sadly, and little known, there was also back then a major and respected US firm doing the same thing, probably assisted by US govt secret services. But that never got reported - I wonder why?

 

[MelloYello8]

Apparently there are some programs in the works to use blockchain to track a diamond’s provenance. This level of transparency would likely convince me to purchase a mined diamond if/when I’m in the market again.

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Yes, but it is not nearby for these poor people. So Mellow you wouldnt buy any diamond unless you knew it was from an artisanal poor miner? Not even one with known big company provenance cut and polished by one of the poor Indian's who cut 90% of the worlds diamonds?
The very same big companies that demand top working conditions for those poor Indians?

 

[Bron357]

It will be quite ironic if in 100 years time when “perfect” lab made diamonds are everywhere and cheap to buy that people who want the “rare ones from the earth” will be demanding diamonds with natural inclusions to be sure of “natural origin”.
Maybe now is the time to start stocking up on those flawed ones no one wants “yet”.

 

[TreeScientist]

It will be quite ironic if in 100 years time when “perfect” lab made diamonds are everywhere and cheap to buy that people who want the “rare ones from the earth” will be demanding diamonds with natural inclusions to be sure of “natural origin”.
Maybe now is the time to start stocking up on those flawed ones no one wants “yet”.

It's funny you should mention that, because that seems to be the one knock against lab-made sapphires and rubies that I currently hear. That they're "too perfect."

 

[MelloYello8]

I’m more concerned about my purchases adding to the demand for mined diamonds in spite of lackluster measures to regulate than I am in bolstering the job market of “poor Indians” (which has an enviable GDP at 8 fold more than that of my country of heritage but since I’ve been fortunate in my own life circumstances that’s neither here nor there.) I’m perhaps uselessly hoping if the diamond mining industry realizes they’re losing a significant enough market share because of the lack of transparency it would be incentivized to change its practices. I don’t really understand why people who own sapphires or other gemstones know specifically which mine the stone came from but the same can’t be said for diamonds.

Maybe it’s a little bit crunchy but yes I like farmer’s markets and when I can, happily pay the premium over the supermarket. Some of my most prized possessions are ones that had been made by a person I met, sometimes in their home workshop. I’d like to know where a diamond comes from, so while I know nothing about artisanal mining if I knew I could make the purchase from one, it’s an option I’d explore.

 

[Johnbt]

If diamonds were labeled, would the labels be honest? How would anyone know? Having a law in place wouldn't make any difference.

Have you ever read any of the studies of retail seafood sales? Forget country of origin (or even body of water), most of what is sold as red snapper and tuna isn't even what the label says it is.

https://oceana.org/sites/default/files/reports/National_Seafood_Fraud_Testing_Results_FINAL.pdf

Just a sample... "DNA testing found that one-third (33 percent) of the 1,215 samples analyzed nationwide were mislabeled, according to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines.
Of the most commonly collected fish types, samples sold as snapper and tuna had the highest mislabeling rates (87 and 59 percent, respectively), with the majority of the samples identified by DNA analysis as something other than what was found on the label. In fact, only seven of the 120 samples of red snapper purchased nationwide were actually red snapper. The other 113 samples were another fish. Halibut, grouper, cod and Chilean seabass were also mislabeled between 19 and 38 percent of the time, while salmon was mislabeled 7 percent of the time."

 

[Texas Leaguer]

I certainly share the sentiment expressed by others here that it would be great to know the exact provenance of every diamond. While the very nature of pure carbon makes "DNA" testing challenging and expensive, and the portability and value of diamonds provide incentive to break the rules around chain of custody structures, there is more that can be done. Some initiatives have been undertaken and more are in the works. We should all support those efforts.

However, we need to keep in mind the greater good. Natural diamond mining is beneficial to millions of folks around the world, and the industry (with the help of NGO's and responsible governments) is making progress in making it ever more equitable and socially responsive.

At this point in time, consumers voting with their dollars on synthetics as 'the socially responsible alternative' will be supporting a handful of silicon valley entrepreneurs, investors, and technicians.

As the Lab grown sector evolves, there will also be downstream benefit to cutters, jewelers, and merchants allowing them to produce beautiful and affordable jewelry. This should also be embraced. It is not necessary (or socially responsible) for consumers to boycott natural diamonds, and it is certainly unethical for lab growers and LGD merchants to demonize the natural diamond mining industry.

 

[MelloYello8]

If diamonds were labeled, would the labels be honest? How would anyone know? Having a law in place wouldn't make any difference.

Have you ever read any of the studies of retail seafood sales?

Yes, I know the fish studies although I don’t see the misidentification of fish type whether it be from the fisherman or the restaurant to have the same gravity— I imagine it’s not easy to label each fish correctly at the pace of business since there are so many species and all of them look the same to me. I am however cautious about avoiding seafood from Asia by trying to buy local, unfrozen fish because of rampant reports of human trafficking in Southeast Asia to work on fishing boats.

If diamond provenance were tied to the grading authorities like GIA, EGL, IGI etc, it would behoove them and their reputations to ensure the origin was as accurate as the 4Cs they were claiming.

I don’t understand supply chain to understand why diamonds are different from Spanish olive oil, French wine, Italian shoes, Egyptian cotton, Burmese rubies, New Zealand steaks, or any other product that states its origin; “DNA testing” not needed.

 

[Johnbt]

"I don’t understand supply chain to understand why diamonds are different from Spanish olive oil, French wine, Italian shoes, Egyptian cotton, Burmese rubies, New Zealand steaks, or any other product that states its origin"

I suspect that a great many of those products have phony labels. When there is money at stake there will be people watering things down, substituting cheaper products and just generally cutting corners to make a buck. Or a million.

My first google search returned this...

www.oliveoiltimes.com/olive-oil-business/europe/spain-seizes-120-tons-of-fake-olive-oil/51684

How many bottles in 120 tons of fake Spanish olive oil?

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I don’t really understand why people who own sapphires or other gemstones know specifically which mine the stone came from but the same can’t be said for diamonds.

One reason is those gems have been 'grown' close to the earths surface and have localised identifyable inclusions and variances.
All diamnds come from 100 to 300km from below the surface and possibly only from 2 or 3 actual sources so identifying them post cutting is impossible.
But I checked and one large cutter has changed back to ID on their stone rough source - De Beers must have relented.

 

[MollyMalone]

* * * According to wikpedia:
Gemesis has the world's largest facilities for both the high-pressure high-temperature (HPHT) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) diamond production methods.

According to this site, Gemesis (which changed name to Pure Grown Diamonds) has less than 50 employees. [emphasis in Texas Leaguer's original post]
https://glassdoor.com/Overview/Working-at-Pure-Grown-Diamonds-EI_IE973658.11,30.htm

50 well educated well paid employees burning a tanker full of oil or 2 of coal every month

I bet that "1 - 50 employees" classification refers to those working at the corporate headquarters, which is an office building adjacent to a Renaissance hotel. I drive by there several times a year en route to the Menlo Park Mall & I'm sure that they ain't burning coal or oil (or otherwise producing their inventory) at that location. Here's the GoogleMaps street view:

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

I bet that "1 - 50 employees" classification refers to those working at the corporate headquarters, which is an office building adjacent to a Renaissance hotel. I drive by there several times a year en route to the Menlo Park Mall & I'm sure that they ain't burning coal or oil (or otherwise producing their inventory) at that location. Here's the GoogleMaps street view:

That seems to be the shell of a company revitalised as a marketing company. The original firm was bought by an Indian family that now grows diamonds in Singapore and Malaysia.
Pure Grown have become a distribution firm it seems. I met one of their trainers in Vegas in June who has been an industry gemology teacher for many years.