They're Ancient, Glitter, Sparkle -- They Kill
1,684 views · Published 29 September 2008 · 3:04 · Indexed 21 October 2026
Channel: Voice of America · 2008 · Travel & Events
The trade in precious stones is a multi-billion dollar business worldwide. These gems adorn kings, queens, movie stars and millionaires, but also serve as that special gift for a birthday or a young bride. The gem trade -- a business that begins in the bowels of the earth and ends up in the glittering shops of Hollywood's Rodeo Drive or New York's Fifth Avenue -- brings joy, wealth and glory to some, badly needed income to others and prolonged war and devastation to still more. In this series, we follow gems - from the diamond mines of South Africa to Antwerp, where trading diamonds is big business, to the workshops of Mumbai where many stones are cut, polished and then sold to jewelers. We'll explore the economics of the gem trade and its human cost. VOA's Sonja Pace begins the series in London with an overview of the gem trade.
