Jewels of Social Change

"You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing models obsolete."
-Buckminster Fuller

Reading the news lately it seems like diamonds are a dictator's best friend. From Mugabe's blood diamonds out of Zimbabwe to the 'dirty pebbles' of Liberia's Charles Taylor on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. So who's making a difference for the diamond industry and its future?

I met Mike Angenent in his Maastricht office in the Netherlands after reading in Fair Jewelry Action about his resignation from the Responsible Jewellery Council over the Kimberly Certification of Zimbabwe diamonds mined out of devastation and tragedy in the Marange fields of Zimbabwe.  Angenent founded Open Source Minerals (transparency matters) to supply the industry with ethical and traceable diamonds, gems and precious metals.  He started his own dream brand Wishes-Jewels and with others founded the Jeweltree Foundation which guarantees supply chain transparency, social responsibility, ecological sustainability, and supports small scale mining and jewelry [or jewellerey as spelled in the UK] related initiatives in developing countries.  The Foundation includes many international advisors interested in developing new ways of business for this global industry.

Developing diamonds for peace generates new potentials of what's possible for the 'luxury' industry.  I remember in Buddhism the story of Padmasambhava  - a guru of the three jewels of Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. Born miraculously- he is said to have appeared as a beautiful seven year old child in the middle of a lotus flower on a lake - like the sudden spontaneous nature of an enlightened mind - its beauty and freshness suddenly in front of us. When Padmasambhava came to Tibet - a country ready for change - many forces opposed this new religion and were depicted as demons.  But unlike the West where 'demons' would have been exterminated in grim witch-hunts - these demons were not annihilated but transformed instead to guardians and protectors of the new religion.  In Buddhist scholar Jane Hope's words perhaps in the future rampant consumerism will be characterized in demonic form.  A societal rite of passage - for everyone - partaking in luxury items or not.  From the fashionista to the recessionista - together we discover and create new ways the world does business - open to change what a brand stands for, what it does - and what it can accomplish.  That's the real luxury - sharing peace, poetry - all of us - jewels of social change.