Brilliant Earth: conflict-free diamonds and recycled gold

Yesterday’s freebie newspaper, the Examiner (Peninsula edition), profiled a woman named Beth Gerstein who co-founded Brilliant Earth with her husband. I’m always interested in businesses who succeed in both “doing good” and doing well, so I found the interview with her an interesting read. Unfortunately, the article is nowhere to be found online, so I’ll have to quote blocks of it from the newspaper:

“Brilliant Earth, headquartered in The City, sells diamonds at prices ranging from $400-$30,000 direct to consumers, along with rings and other jewelry manufactured form recycled gold — a move that sidesteps the environmental and social problems associated with gold mining.

Gerstein believes that the Kimberley Process, an accord designed to ensure conflict-free diamonds from Africa, is a flawed self-policing system. So her company sources its diamonds exclusively from the two working Canadian diamond minds, the Ekati and Diavik mines.

Those mines, in Canada’s Northwest Territories, are not without concerns from local aboriginal groups and envrionemtnalists concerned about water quality an declines in caribou herds. But Canada has stringent environmental review and public-process laws in place to work on these issues.” (Original article by Kate Williamson)

Their Diamonds for Africa Fund also accepts cash and funds from diamond donations to help African communities affected by “gem-financed wars”. According to the company’s website, 5% of profits are also donated to the Fund.

Personally, I’m not as into diamonds as the rest of the world, but it’s nice to know that if I were, there might actually be a fair place to buy one. I’m happy enough with the free cubic zirconia necklace I received this week. Gotta humor my girlish side somehow, right? :P

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