Lane the Artisan

lane, originally uploaded by staarkidd.

As many of you know, I have been opposed to the diamond industry ever since my visit to Angola in 2001 and saw how conflict diamonds had destroyed much of their society. Due to the globalized trade, it is almost impossible to buy a diamond with confidence that it was not mined unethically in Africa.

Jim and I decided to go a different route. We hired Lane, a local artisan to make a ring for us of reused elements. The process was complicated at times but a wonderful experience!

This ring is not only a symbol of all the traditional things a diamond ring has become recognized for, but also our deep value in reusing the things we own or the things around us, including local artisans. We are confident that no part of this ring has played a role in Africa's conflict or the current retail diamond industry. We really enjoyed working with Lane and his girlfriend Laura and would highly recommend them to anyone else in a similar quandary!