[Jewelry making - Article 00016] - Re: [Orchid] Tanzanite mis-information

[Lee Einer]

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Hi, Ron-

    OK, lets get real. How many jewelers and gem dealers currently selling
    tanzanites would stop purchasing and selling them if it turns out that
    sales of these stones  support terrorist activities? I ask, because
    despite some recent talk of "conflict diamonds" I am not hearing much
    about a change in purchasing habits. And why would I? Back when the
    prime source of diamonds was apartheid South Africa, when De Beers
    diamonds were the product of virtual slave labor by black Africans
    for the enrichment of white Afrikaners, I did not hear much about that
    issue either. 

    The truth is, a lot of the stones and jewelry currently sold, while
    they may not support terrorist organizations, certainly support unsafe
    working conditions, child labor, starvation wages, smuggling, and
    other unsavory practices. This is no secret. Based on that
    observation, it seems fairly clear that the gem and jewelry industry
    as a whole, when forced to choose between ethics and income, opts for
    income. 

    So I'm with you, Ron, let's get real, and lets get real about
    motivation. If those in the jewelry and gem trade really made
    purchasing decisions on the basis of right conduct rather than
    immediate profit, the industry would look a whole lot different. 

    I'm curious; how many of you will commit publicly to stop trading in
    tanzanites if proof is produced that the sale of this gemstone
    finances terrorism? 
-- 
Lee Einer
http://www.members.home.net/appealsman 

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