Earth’s Treasures

by Abe Sherman – CEO, BIG – Buyers Intelligence Group

August 10, 2021

Earth-mined has become an accepted term in the diamond industry’s nomenclature. Used throughout the industry presumably to clear up any misconception between diamonds which are natural and those that are “made by man”. I would like to challenge our industry to re-think the use of the term.

In my humble opinion, natural gemstones are miracles of nature. It is from this perspective that I have an appreciation for the range, varieties, colors and beauty of natural gemstones. Having such a deep appreciation of what nature produces (primarily, it seems, only for our enjoyment) I abhor challenges to 120 years of gemological nomenclature and our fascination with beautiful natural gemstones.

Do you really want to identify your diamonds as earth-mined? Then you need to also identify all natural gemstones you sell in your stores – as earth-mined! But then, so is all of the platinum, gold and silver in your showcases! Our entire industry is about bringing nature’s miracles to consumers around the world, all of it, by the way, from the earth. For those of you who don’t have an appreciation for the nature of gemstones and how miraculous genuine gems are, just take a look around the place you work at the things that you sell every day. Take note of how much of it is earth-mined (yeah, all of it!) and then decide how you want to position your business and the products you sell, especially diamonds.

There are jewelry stores with names like Earth Treasures, The Gold Mine, or Diamond Mine, or La Mine D’Or. Perhaps, the reason these businesses have positioned themselves this way is to remind consumers, from a branding perspective, that the gemstones they carry occur in nature, are genuine and remarkable. Each gem stone has a story, should you take the time to learn them, about where in the world they came from and the varieties, colors and qualities they occur in. Museums dedicate resources to display them, sharing these gifts with audiences around the world. Millions marvel at their beauty because they are true wonders of nature.

If others want to trash the mining methods for diamonds, then let’s report on mining methods of, well, everything. Anything. All of it. And not just what we use in the jewelry industry, but anything made from oil or metals of any kind. It doesn’t sound like much fun to me.

Mined from the earth in a wide variety of ways may make some people unhappy with some of those methods, but if you really object to mining methods, it’s time to stop buying… anything earth-mined, which really becomes virtually anything we have that is now above the earth’s surface! Perhaps it’s time to rethink the use of this derogatory term.

The term “earth-mined” is intended to denigrate natural diamonds, not to clear up the differences between lab-grown and one of nature’s miracles. Not to mention that diamonds are the backbone of our industry. We should be better than this – we should be celebrating what are literally, Earth’s Treasures.