Many fans on social media reacted with outrage, after Beyoncé wore a 'blood diamond' in her new Tiffany & Co. campaign. The term applies to diamonds mined by people who were subjected to the kinds of conditions that Kimberley miners suffered during the 1870s - as with the Tiffany diamond that Bey modelled in her campaign.
The diamond was discovered in a colonial mine in Kimberley, South Africa, in 1877. This was during a time when the country and its mines were under British colonial rule. Back then, predominantly black migrant workers were forced to work in horrific conditions while receiving miniscule pay. The work was dangerous and unhealthy, often causing fatalities along the way.
Bey, who made an entire album dedicated to Africa, reportedly had no idea about the diamond's history, according to a source close to the singer. "Beyoncé is aware of the criticism and is disappointed and angry that she wasn't made aware of questions about its history. She thought that every final detail had been vetted, but now she realises that the diamond itself was overlooked."
I think we can all agree that no one in her team is talking to The Sun lol. And when researching a rare huge diamond like that one, the one thing most guaranteed to come up in the research is the gem's dark history. So the story isn't quite adding up. During the week, her mom Tina hit back at her critics.
Lady Gaga also wore the gem and didn't receive this type of backlash. A lot of emphasis was placed in the media about Beyoncé being the first black woman to wear it, which is the reason why the diamond got way more attention than it did than when others wore it. So it was inevitable that people would ask why it’s seen as an ‘honour’ for a black woman to wear a blood diamond.
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