Can Jewelry Save the World?

About three years ago, I made my first trip to Sierra Leone. The idea was to succeed at creating a socially responsible diamond-mining company in a country known for a sketchy diamond industry, corruption, and civil war. I envisioned diamond and gold jewelry incorporating rough diamonds that would communicate a mine-to-market connection to consumers. Little did I know when I embarked on this project that a movie was in development depicting an awful portrayal of Sierra Leone and the diamond-mining industry there. Our company represents the antithesis of that movie and is a model for change in the diamond mining industry.

As I prepared for landing on that first trip, I took a few deep breaths. The Sierra Leonean airport is located at Lungi, a peninsula across the bay from Freetown, the capital city. There are three ways to cross the water to the capital: helicopter, hovercraft, and ferryboat. That first trip, we took the ferry. I was met at the airport by two Sierra Leoneans who were to drive me to our mining site. Aboard the ferry, I snapped several photos with my digital camera, asking permission each time and quickly showing the result to the person, always receiving a warm smile in return. My first impressions of the country were amazing: lush landscapes, the beautiful North Atlantic coast, very attractive, friendly people, all with their day’s goods in baskets that they would carry on their heads, singing, smiling, dancing, and preparing for their day’s work on the 45-minute ride. How many other white-skinned people do you think I saw that morning? Answer: zero. The people on the ferry were as curious about me as I was about them, and I found myself engaging in interesting discussions right off the plane.

Once we arrived in the capital, traffic seemed to be moving, albeit slowly (there are no traffic lights in the entire country—and the capital alone has 2.5 million residents). We arrived at the hotel in Freetown and I was impressed with the service, the comfort of the room, CNN International on the TV, and hamburgers on the room-service menu. I saw several white-skinned faces. I would say hello; the response nearly always revealed an accent different from mine. In all my trips to Sierra Leone over the past few years, I have met many white-skinned people. Very few are American. Of the Americans I have met, only one works at an NGO focused on poverty alleviation. The five or six other Americans I’ve met there are mostly filmmakers visiting Sierra Leone to make documentaries. There is not a lot of American ingenuity at work building businesses.

So here is the idea incubated over four years ago: Create a line of fine jewelry. Use certified recycled gold and silver. Give the customer lots of information about the mines and the working conditions of the miners, polishers, and manufacturers. Connect the emotion of the purchase to the village where the diamonds come from. Be transparent regarding the amount of money donated to charity from each piece (10%). Educate our consumers on how far their dollar goes in the Third World. Partner with groups in impoverished countries in Africa working to build local capacities. Build loyalty to the brand.

Can jewelry change the world? I believe your purchases will, and I promise to connect you to the villages and projects you are supporting. Some of the hottest designers in the world have joined forces with Ruff&Cut to create an amazing collection of jewelry. Use your consumerism to become an activist. In turn, I promise you, we will change the world for the better!

Warmest Regards,

Wade Watson