Issue link: https://bluemagazine.uberflip.com/i/25245
Russia South Afri ca DR Congo Angola Australia Canada 22 21 14 10 8 6 6 6 2 1·7 21 16 10 22 3·6 30 2·5 1.6 0.6 218 1,613 million 1,523 million 985 million 725 million 544 million 437 million 422 million 414 million 138 million 120 million SOURCE: THE WORLD BANK, CONFLICT DIAMONDS, BY LOUIS GOREUX, MARCH 2001 iamonds also come from ... Centra l African Republic, Venezuela, Brazil, Tanzania, Liberia, Cote d'ivoire, Ghana, China + Lesotho Each individual country produces less than 1% of total global export market, and less than $100 million in export production. THE CARTEL KNOWN AS DE BEERS . . . .. . WHAT'S HOT? - PRECIOUS GEM HIGHLIGHTS IN THE USA DIAMOND JEWELRY MARKET SHARE: 32.4 % LOOSE DIAMONDS MARKET SHARE: 15.1 % CARAT GOLD MARKET SHARE: 11.1 % Source: National jeweler / jewelers of America 2001 De Beers 2001 diamond revenue: $4.5 billion When US Congress banned De Beers from operating in the US: 1940S Name under which De Beers operates in the US: Diamond Information Center De Beers marketing arm: Diamond Trading Company (DTC) De Beers (DTC) marketing budget. 2001: $180 million • I I I HISTORY OF WEDDING RINGS AND DIAMONDS 1930: 1867: 1726: Diamonds are found in Brazil. 1796: Smithson Tennant discovers that diamonds are made of carbon . 56 Diamond deposits are discovered in South Africa. Large quantities are shipped to Europe, marking the birth of the modern diamond industry. 1888: The Kimberley Central Mining Company and the De Beers Mining Company merge to form De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited 1908: The discovery of diamonds in Namibia, triggers a mass immi· gration of Europeans. 1913: Diamonds are discovered in Angola. The first diamond is found in Sierra Leone. By 1937 the country is mining one million carats annually. 1956: Diamond smuggling is widespread in Sierra Leone and causes a general breakdown of law and order. When the government establishes security controls, smugglers begin moving goods to Liberia, prompting diamond merchants from Antwerp to establish offices in Monrovia. 1953: Swedish sci en· tists produce a synthesized diamond. 1955: Scientists at General Electric create a synthetic diamond from graphite and GE became the largest producer of synthetic diamonds. $3,240 $2,270 $3,160 $110 $220 $20,050 $19,320 $1,890 $130 $510