(WINC) - Welcome to edition 350 of WINC,
IDMA's Weekly Internet News Collection - May 22, 2021
Dear IDMA members and industry colleagues!
As you most likely know, the diamond and jewelry trade has been rather bothered by the recent announcement by Pandora and its decision not to use diamonds any longer in its fashion jewelry lines. Of course, many feel that we have talked about this enough, but an opinion piece in Rough & Polished by the British industry consultant - and former De Beers executive - Richard Chetwode caught my eye.
I liked Chetwode’s emphasis on our business being a people’s business, which makes the lives of countless others throughout our supply pipeline better.
He concludes his article with this:
“People involved in the natural diamond business, so many of whom are in the developed world, aren’t just faceless numbers, they are real people with hopes and dreams and fears just like all of us… and you haven’t just stopped buying their product to have a cheaper version made in Europe and the US; you unfairly risked damaging their future. Maybe a phrase to remember might be that ‘people who make cheap shiny trinkets shouldn’t throw stones at people in the developing world because they can make more profit’”.
Warning: it’s a ‘long read,’ but I urge you to take some time, read it yourselves, and draw your own conclusions.
Before signing off, I’d once more like to call upon our industry members to lend a helping hand to our Indian colleagues and their people. The Covid-19 pandemic is hitting beautiful India harder than ever before, and our hearts ache for the countless families who are battling the virus and mourning their deceased.
We are also greatly concerned about the well-being of our Israeli friends and colleagues. Lives were lost on both sides, and every life lost is a true tragedy. We do hope that hostilities will not resume and that reason will prevail soon.
Meanwhile, stay healthy, stay safe and stay tuned!
Ronnie VanderLinden,
President
