February 2023 | Diamond Pulse

22 | February 2023 | Diamond Pulse | The Diamond and Jewelry Resource Book Mailed to 24,000 Jewelers Monthly - To advertise call (888) 832-1109 | February 2023 | 23 www.samuelsylvio.com (212) 921-2800 hen diamonds have been picked-free from a mining site, that mine permanently closes. Disasters close mines too, be it temporarily. The ground that delivers diamonds can also deliver death. Recent dam breaks have killed local miners and villagers alike. Human rights groups and anonymous mining workers complaints claim some mines are reopening too quickly. This may have resulted in over double the death toll from two similar mining accidents. In Tanzania, the recent catastrophes are dam breaks - sudden, massive mud eruptions resembling tsunami-like conditions. Tones of muck explode though rusted restraining systems. Gushing dirt waves contain glass shards, broken pieces of equipment, and broken people. Petra, a majority site holder sharing ownership with the Tanzania’s government, has had to deal with the death toll. The company has consistently denied any involvement of its own employees in any of the situations and underlined they were in the past. Pay Dirt to Payout. Petra has diligently worked to repair that which is repairable. Last year, Petra paid approximately $4.9million in a settlement surrounding repeated human rights abuse allegations, most aligned with a lack of safety protocol. Petra acknowledges its smaller mines attract the most desperate of the locals to illegally dig. These poverty-stuck individuals don’t come with training or the proper tools. What they do bring is years of resentment from being unemployed. Frequently being a one-parent family, these non-licensed diggers also have their infants in tow. Seated close to their working parent, these children can face the same horrific death their parent does when accidents erupt. 2015 saw the collapse of the Fundao Dam, owned by BHP & Vale, a Brazilian-based iron ore mining giant. That tragic event killed 19 people. Four years later, another dam-related failure killed over 270, seriously harming many more, when Vale’s Brumadinho dam broke in 2019. Equipment neglect and weakened safety protocol noted, perhaps the most recurring culprit to artisanal mine breeches stem from the famine-ridden who live at or around Williamson, Tanzania’s largest diamond mine, primarily owned by Petra. Feeling shunned by their own land, lacking education, a license and the right tools to dig for diamonds, these distressed people watch slightly more fortunate neighbors eke out a living. Between 2012 and 2020, there were over 7,100 recorded violent incidents resulting in over 1,700 arrests of illegal diggers giving rise to a heightened mined diamond dilemma. Dan Scott is the founder and brand architect of New York/metro’s Luxe Licensing, a digital original content production facility, marketing and licensing agency catering to established, newly launched or relaunched luxury and demi- fine brands. Current and past clients include Chanel, Gucci, Harry Winston, Studio by Henry Dunay, Crevoshay, Tess Sholom Designs and other non-jewelry based properties. Dan welcomes conversation and may be reached through www. LuxeLicensing.com, dans@luxelicensing.com or texting +1 201 294 3697 . A horrific irony: Shovels used for artisanal diamond mining also dig human graves. Diamond-related deaths in Tanzania may have less to do with failed mining equipment as thousands of vigilante-like illegal diggers revolt in resentment to officials shooting them off the site. Photo: International Finance Corporation (IFC) Dense media separation washing screen at Williamson mine plant. ( Image courtesy of Petra Diamonds. )