Beer bottle

not an emerging issue. Starting back in 1867, when a large discovery of diamonds was found in the poverty stricken Cape Colony, De Beers claimed ownership of these mines and gained a monopoly. In order to drive the prices up and to make the gem more valuable, they withheld a majority of the supply. He created the illusion that diamonds were rare (Blood Diamonds). De Beers is the company…

A Vacuum of Death Greg Campbell’s Blood Diamonds is a didactic narrative of the atrocities that have pursued throughout the Sierra Leone over the natural resource of diamonds. Campbell gives vivid detail into the realities behind the beauty of diamonds through the tales of smugglers, RUF victims, and his investigative research on this valued resource. This piece illuminates the key issues of exploitation and corruption that are carried out by smugglers and rebel fighters, and fueled by…

from several observers. This viewer watched the De Beers diamond ads continuously by the founder Cecil Rhodes and the (CSO) persuading and scamming men to make purchases to express their love. The De Beers diamonds created a visual image for advertising as an appeal for a metaphor of how a diamond gives value as a lifetime commitment to a potential or future wife by paying over value market price for an engagement ring. During this time the De Beers diamond cartel had smuggled millions of…

Purple is known to be the hue which is between crimson and violet. We have heard people associating it with royalty, power and wealth for centuries. ‘Queen Elizabeth I forbade commoners, except only a few close relatives of the royal family, to wear the colour’. So why is this elite and sophisticated status given to this colour? The reason is actually associated with the limited availability of the colour. This rarity, lead to the colour being outrageously expensive, so much so that only the…

Blood diamonds is film, produced by Edward Zwick, released in 2006 that shows the perspective and a first person view on the war in Sierra Leone. The war consist of the rebels and the government, the rebels own diamond camps that force slaves to pan any jewels in rivers. The rebels will invade villages and kill thousands to show their dominance, they will also kidnap young children to turn them into young soldiers. Big diamond corporations will secretly buy these diamonds for a lower price than…

Blood Diamonds Conflict diamonds are a great concern in Africa especially with the bloodshed they cause. Blood diamonds, or conflict diamonds, are jewels mined in Africa and sold by rebels to gain military force. This has been a tremendous problem during the different civil wars in some countries in Africa. However, they are now being used in Liberia at rates never seen before. These diamonds are usually mined in northern and western regions of Africa. In some areas, diamonds would be placed on…

Monopolies of the Past and Present The United States has had its fair share of history with businesses that are considered to be anticompetitive. These types of businesses are known as monopolies and their common characteristic boils down to creating a lack of competition in a market. This lack of competition is known for stifling innovation and usually results in high prices of the product or service. In an attempt to foster competition in the United States economy, The Sherman Anti-Trust Act…

The old saying is “Two months’ salary for an engagement ring.” Obviously with the divorce rate rising above 50-percent for marriage in the United States calling this an “old” saying is almost old itself. However, it still goes on, the buying of expensive diamonds without recognizing who may have been killed, exploited or maimed just to get you that diamond…Blood Diamonds uses violence, labour, environment and many more. It is mostly a process using labour. Menes in Africa and especially Congo…

Diamonds Are Forever. Or so the De Beers mining company would like to remind us. For a century, if you purchased a diamond, there was a 90% or higher chance that The De Beer mining company brought it to market—a true monopoly. The last three and a half decades have not been so kind to the firm, with market share crashing to a “mere” 35%. This company was founded by none other than Cecil Rhodes. Rhodes was archetypically imperialist. We are given a small glimpse of Mr. Rhodes’ brand of…

The Mughals ruled northern India from 1526 – 1857 AD where the Lodhi’s was the last dynasty to rule India. The invasion started all because of India's reputation of being the only known source of diamond mines in the world and it's flushing International trade attracted many invasions. “North Indian kingdoms resisted invasions by Arab and Turks for centuries, but soon small Islamic empires or Sultanate were established in several parts of the north. Before these invasions, Muslim trading…