Viral Spiral: Martin Binder Jeweler

You may not know that we have spent time in Western Africa test mining for diamonds.

Jeweler's Circular Keystone magazine, JCK, follows Martin Binder Jeweler's owner, Robert Flude and our store's quest for rough diamonds in Africa.

JCK's Senior Editor calls his video sharing of Sierra Leone, a "viral spiral." Posted on YouTube, one particular video received more than 4,000 unique views.

Read more on JCK's website and see videos of us washing diamonds in Africa, on Martin Binder's YouTube channel.

Images of Sierra Leone article quoting our owner Robert Flude

Images of Sierra Leone Volume 17-Issue 3-Summer 2008
Story and photos by Ric Taylor, a diamond dealer and friend of Martin Binder Jeweler who also recently travelled to Sierra Leone. Read the complete published article here.

"Conflict diamonds came to the attention of the jewelry industry in 1999 when rebels overran the capital of Sierra Leone and the stories of the atrocities they committed became known to the rest of the world. The stories of civilians with hands and legs amputated sparked the issue and prompted the Kimberley Process, a system created to stop the illegal smuggling of rough diamonds and deter the funding of weapons for the wars in Sierra Leone and Angola.

Although the situation in Sierra Leone is so difficult for its people, I did see relief organizations trying to help. There's a great need for better food, water and medical supplies, but I didn't see much evidence of improvement while I was there.

I do know that there are some individuals in the gem and jewelry industry who are trying to make a difference. Bob Flude, of Martin Binder Jewelers, in Valparaiso, Indiana, for example, is running a mining operation near Koidu. He pays his workers $3 a day and provides food and medical attention.
Flude said he originally went to Sierra Leone to establish his own supply of diamonds, but quickly became sympathetic to his workers' conditions. "An extra dollar a day doesn't cost me a lot more, but it does improve the lives of the miners," he said. "There is a great need."