by Alex Francis An installation featured at Audio Visual Arts in New York last month, titled Making a Record, is not your typical exhibition of precious gemstones. Melissa Dubbin and Aaron S. Davidson, the artists responsible for the innovative installation, selected a ruby, an emerald, a sapphire, and a diamond to be fashioned into styli [...]
by Alex Francis Photo by Kristina D.C. Hoeppner | Flickr.com The diamond district in Antwerp, Belgium, is considered one of the most-secure places in all of Europe. Trading $200 million in rough and polished gemstones every day, the district conducts countless identity checks, is outfitted with about 2,000 surveillance cameras, and is constantly monitored by [...]
Photo by FancyDiamonds.net | Flickr.com by Alex Francis If you didn’t know that diamonds could be naturally pink, don’t feel bad—you’re only slightly more out of the loop than the world’s scientists. The primary source of these pink diamonds is the Argyle Diamond Mine in Western Australia after which they are named, and they are [...]
by Alex Francis Photo by Katelyn Kenderdine | Flickr Valentine’s Day and Diamonds For decades now, the diamond industry has been the self-appointed sponsor of Valentine’s Day celebrations everywhere. And in a rather blunt article in the Huffington Post titled “Why I’m Not Buying Diamonds This Valentine’s Day,” diamond-aficionado Ira Weissman explains why it’s about [...]
by Alex Francis Photo by FancyDiamonds.net | Flickr.com. Despite the world’s publicized efforts to clean up the diamond trade, millions of dollars worth of the precious stones—more than 90% of those sold throughout the world—continue to pass undocumented through the city of Surat, India. The city’s lax regulations and cheap wages make it an [...]
by Alex Francis Photo by Rebecca Barray | Flickr.com. Christie’s New York is hosting its Magnificent Jewel sale on December 10, and this year, a trio of truly magnificent gemstones will be up for auction. In keeping with the Christmas spirit, a red diamond, a green emerald ring, and a D-color diamond ring will be [...]
by Alex Francis Photo by Kim-bodia | Flickr.com. The Kimberley Process Certification Scheme was established in November of 2002 as the result of efforts by the international diamond industry, governments, and civil society organizations to stop the trade in conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds, also commonly known as blood diamonds, are those that come from areas [...]
by Alex Francis In 2009, following the global financial crisis, Russia started stockpiling diamonds. About three million carats of diamonds were being washed and sorted by the diamond company Alrosa every month, but none of them were ever reaching the market. Instead, the state-owned company made the decision to stash the precious gems and has [...]
by Maya Bornstein The Eureka Diamond, the first diamond to be found in South Africa. The African continent has famously endured a terrible and seemingly endless scale of suffering owing to the diamond trade, and the neighboring countries of Liberia and Sierra Leone are crucial examples. With the indictment of former president of Liberia Charles [...]
