The positive impacts of purchasing diamonds on our environment and communities

Lisa Levinson is currently the UK Head of Marketing and Communications for the Natural Diamond Council. Her career began in South Africa where she worked with rough diamonds, before joining the De Beers Group. She introduced the diamond jewellery brand, Forevermark, to British jewellers.

Her exceptional knowledge and love for diamonds makes Lisa Levinson as rare as the diamonds she works with. I met Lisa during a talk she gave at the GIA’s London campus. Ever since then, I’ve followed her on social media and continued to learn about the diamond industry through the stories and facts she shares.

Expectations has changed dramatically in the last decades about luxury products in the sense that we understand our own purchasing power and we seek ethical options. 

Few tangible things mirror more our personality than our jewels.  

Good luxury is guilt free. People want to show their values behind their conscious decision, feel good about their purchase and the diamond industry supports just that.

F: Why do customers choose Good Luxury when buying a Diamond?

L: The Natural Diamond Council commissioned an independent study to look at the socio-economic and environmental impacts of large-scale diamond mining. The study, which included the world’s seven largest diamond mining companies that make up 75% of the rough diamond production, showed a net contribution of $16 billion of which a large proportion directly benefitslocal communities and improve the opportunities for many people. Botswana is one of the most obvious examples due to the country’s tremendous success story. Moving from one of the poorest countries in the world to becoming a very affluent nation in southern Africa. Over the past fifty years they have had one of the fastest growing economies which is an impressive development.

Something familiar happened in Canada in the North Western territories, where diamonds were discovered and added great value to the communities there. The same goes for Australia, where diamonds not only added a great value to the country but also uplifted the cutting and polishing industry in India which has gone on to become a world leader in diamond cutting and polishing. Areas other than employment have been affected, seeing access to medical care and schooling for thousands of children that would not have access without the impact of the diamond industry. It is amazing to see how diamonds have helped communities.

Diamonds have helped to develop and flourish throughout the pipeline. I feel very proudly to work with diamonds as they are a tangible value. For example, the tax contributions to Yakutia in Russia can be in excess of $1 billion per year. It is different from the many peoples’ view that the proceeds of diamond mining are leaving the countries where the diamonds are mined. The three diamond producing nations – Canada, Botswana and Russia – use the proceeds from diamonds wisely and reinvest in their communities.

Franka’s conclusion:

Buying diamonds always provoke more thoughts because we want to look at our new purchase as a proof of our sensitivity to the environment and our communities. Conscious choices can bring us closer to nature, future generations, communities, supporting education and good causes.

This informative video is one of my favorites: