10.15.2006

Leo's new film publicizes conflict diamonds

Diamond retailers are worried that Leonardo Dicaprio's new movie about conflict diamonds in South Africa might hurt jewelry sales this Christmas. Blood Diamond is the story of two South Africans who find a rare pink diamond after Sierra Leone's diamond mines were seized by rebels who sold the gems to buy weapons - weapons which were used to slaughter and harm thousands of people. De Beers, one of the world's largest diamond sellers, has launched a massive media campaign in an attempt to distance themselves from "conflict diamonds." The company even asked the film's producers to add a disclaimer to the film claiming the story to be fictional and that "blood diamonds rarely end up on the market," but they refused. "If the film can continue to increase awareness, it will have surpassed my expectations," a rep for the film told the LA Times.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

DeBeers are full of crap - they've refused to guarantee that the diamonds they sell are 'clean' for years.

Anonymous said...

This movie looks really good. Leo looks hot and surprisingly appropriate for this gritty role (at least for me, I never thought of him like that before.) And Jennifer Connelly is in it too. I love her!