Thursday, 25th May 2006 (1360 views)

Jewellery industry experts have struck out against a film about the gem industry that could be misleading for viewers.

The upcoming movie "The Blood Diamond", starring Leonardo DiCaprio, concerns smuggling in Sierra Leone, a country that endured a bloody civil war that killed thousands and ended in 2002. The film suggests that the illicit gem trade fuelled the west African country's troubles, Reuters reports.

However, Peggy Jo Donahue, public affairs director of the Jewellers of America trade group said there was a danger that people would think the situation portrayed in the film is still ongoing today.

"We're going to educate our jewellers about the issue," she told Reuters. "There's lots that's not understood."

An international certification programme established several years ago, the Kimberley Process, has written to the producers of the film to ask that it provide an epilogue explaining the steps taken to eradicate the illicit gem trade.

A new body, the Council for Responsible Jewellery Practices, was set up in May last year and works to promote responsible business practices throughout the whole supply chain.

The council "aims to maintain consumer confidence in diamond and gold jewellery products".

 

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