The diamond jewelry industry is braced to handle potential negative fallout from the release of a movie starring Leonardo DiCaprio that might tarnish consumers’ images of the gems during the holiday season.
In “Blood Diamond,” which hits theaters Friday, DiCaprio plays a fictional mercenary in Sierra Leone in the late Nineties who tries to find a rare pink diamond during a civil war in which rebel groups seize control of the diamond mines to help them finance the conflict.
Release of the film has triggered media scrutiny of the diamond industry, particularly of so-called blood, or conflict, diamonds that have been mined and traded to finance illegal activities and violent conflicts.
However, the World Diamond Council, a group of industry organizations founded in 2000 that seeks to eradicate such diamonds, has estimated they now constitute less than 1 percent of diamonds mined. That’s because of industry guidelines such as the Kimberley Process, a certification plan intended to ensure that diamonds are ethically mined and distributed. In addition, there is Source Veritas Passport, a document from the Gem Certification & Assurance Lab, which serves as an independent source verifying the provenance of a diamond.
Still, the industry wants to be proactive in the face of possible negative publicity, including a published report that the politically minded DiCaprio won’t allow his dates to wear diamonds.
“It’s possible that actresses will shy away from wearing diamonds on the red carpet this season,” said a source who has helped to outfit many of Hollywood’s leading actors in diamonds. “Actresses like Natalie Portman and Sophie Okonedo already refrain from wearing new diamond jewelry because of conflict diamonds.” (Portman wears estate.)
At Thursday’s screening of the film, co-star Jennifer Connelly was quoted as saying, “I came away thinking it’s unconscionable, for the sake of vanity, to wear jewelry that I know has contributed to the destruction of a country.”
The World Diamond Council sees the film as an opportunity to publicize the efforts to eradicate conflict diamonds. The WDC has reduced the volume of conflict diamonds in the market by 3 percent through the Kimberley Process.
“This movie is a terrific opportunity to tell the story of what we’ve been doing for the past six years to end conflict diamonds,” said Cecilia Gardner, general counsel of the WDC. “And we’ll continue to do so even after the publicity ends. Part of the reason that the World Diamond Council has been so proactive is that people appreciate the reality of the diamond industry and that it employs millions of people around the world.”
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Cartier North America president and chief executive officer Frédéric de Narp said the company has had a zero-tolerance policy concerning conflict diamonds for years. Nonetheless, Cartier sales staff is prepared for questions from consumers.
“We didn’t wait for the movie and have been active on this issue for many years now,” de Narp said. “We have taken measures to regularly inform and train our sales staff ever since December 2002, right after the Kimberley Process was ratified. With the upcoming movie, we have, of course, once again reissued information to our sales staff concerning our corporate responsibility policy, and our diamond purchasing policy in particular, so that they can provide reassurance to our clients.”
Charles Fieramosca, president of Bailey, Banks & Biddle, based in Irving, Tex., said the jewelry retailer has reading materials for consumers who ask questions. At the firm’s annual sales training program in August, the staffers were educated on how they should respond to consumer inquiries.
“We’ve had a policy in place for some time that has required our suppliers to certify that goods are conflict-free,” Fieramosca said. He added that he isn’t concerned that the movie will have a negative impact on holiday business. “Diamonds are an important part of everyone’s business, and it’s important that the real facts be known. Obviously, we all have to be involved. It’s a serious deal, and it should be.”
The sales team at Harry Winston also is prepared for the possible backlash. “We’ve sensitized our sales force and sales executives on the importance of the issue and are prepared to talk to our customers about the provenance of Harry Winston diamonds, which come from completely legitimate sources,” said Tom O’Neill, ceo. “Our feeling is that [the movie] is actually something quite positive. Diamonds have been put into the spotlight of public opinion….It’s not something negative. It could be something positive if customers know the provenance of diamonds. I’m less concerned about that for Harry Winston. We are very clear and open about the provenance of our diamonds.”
Thierry Chaunu, president of Leviev, a one-year-old diamond jewelry brand known for its exceptional white and colored diamonds, concurred. “Lev Leviev [founder of Leviev] has been taking an active role early on in not only the Kimberley Process, but his own initiatives,” said Chaunu, adding that the customer-jeweler relationship is a bond of trust and assurance. “If [the movie] educates the public, that’s a good thing. Everyone expects to maintain a meaningful dialogue with consumers.”