The Mazzel Ritual: Culture, Customs and Crime in the Diamond Trade

232 Pages·2009·2.61 MB·English

by  Dina Siegel (auth.)

Dina Siegel
The Mazzel
Ritual
Culture, Customs and Crime
in the Diamond Trade
The Mazzel Ritual
Dina Siegel
The Mazzel Ritual
Culture, Customs and Crime
in the Diamond Trade
123
DinaSiegel
UniversityofUtrecht
WillemPompeInstitute
Janskerkhof16
3512BMUtrecht
Netherlands
[email protected]
ISBN978-0-387-95959-7 e-ISBN978-0-387-95960-3
DOI10.1007/978-0-387-95960-3
SpringerDordrechtHeidelbergLondonNewYork
LibraryofCongressControlNumber:2009930377
©SpringerScience+BusinessMedia,LLC2009
Allrightsreserved.Thisworkmaynotbetranslatedorcopiedinwholeorinpartwithoutthewritten
permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York,
NY10013,USA),exceptforbriefexcerptsinconnectionwithreviewsorscholarlyanalysis.Usein
connectionwithanyformofinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,
orbysimilarordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdevelopedisforbidden.
Theuseinthispublicationoftradenames,trademarks,servicemarks,andsimilarterms,eveniftheyare
notidentifiedassuch,isnottobetakenasanexpressionofopinionastowhetherornottheyaresubject
toproprietaryrights.
Printedonacid-freepaper
SpringerispartofSpringerScience+BusinessMedia(www.springer.com)
ToEmanuelMarx
Preface
The academic study of diamonds is as multifaceted as the precious stones them-
selves. Mineralogists and geographers have written about them, as have historians
and economists and students of art and fashion. They each shine their light on a
different aspect of this source of luminous radiance. But who would venture to
describetheentirecomplicatedworldwidesystemstartinginthediamondminesof
Africa and ending with the consumers of Western metropolises? Social scientists?
To them, the world of diamonds has remained a mysterious arena. The diamond
tradehasalwaysbeenespeciallydifficulttoapproach,closedandsecretive.
DinaSiegelisaculturalanthropologistwhopracticesherdisciplineinthefield
of criminology. With this study, she simultaneously goes beyond two professional
roles.Asananthropologist,shemightbeexpectedtoconfineherselftodeveloping
countries, ethnic minorities, or small and clearly defined communities. As indeed
she does in her field work among the Jewish diamond dealers of Antwerp. Who
coulddosobetterthananethnographerwithnofewerthanfourrelevantlanguages
at her command, Russian, English, Dutch, and Hebrew? The topic of her study,
however, exceeds this level. The diamond trade, in the words of Charles Tilly, is
a system of ‘trust networks’, extending all across the globe. These networks are
included in the analysis. In this sense, this study might be referred to as global
ethnography.Criminologistsareexpectedtokeeptheirsightsfixedonstreetcrime,
white collar crime, organised crime, and the like. Not that various manifestations
of these forms of crime do not emerge involving robberies from diamond dealers
or museums, theft by employees wherever diamonds are cut or polished, or the
arrestsoftransnationalsmugglingorganisations.Siegelgoesfurtherthoughandalso
studiestheroleofbigbusiness(DeBeers)intheformationofcartels,andofnations
ortheirrulersinpoliticalcrime.Thisstudyisthusagoodexampleofanewbranch
ofthecriminologytree,thatis,globalcrime.
Criminologistsusuallylaunchtheirresearchoncrimeinsomespecificbusiness
where one or more scandals have given a certain branch of the economy a bad
reputation.Organisationaldeviancewasstudied,forexample,aftercourtcasesand
media attention focused on the oil industry, the second-hand car trade, waste dis-
posal, or the pharmaceutical industry. The standard questions are: What are the
criminogenicfactorsandwhatistheopportunitystructureforcrimeinthiseconomic
sector?
vii
viii Preface
Siegeltakestheoppositeapproach.SheusesthelogicdevelopedbyMooreinthe
anthropology of law with her theory on semi-autonomous social fields. The main
question there is: What rules are followed in this branch? And only then can the
questionderivedfromitbe:Arethererisksofcrimehere?FromMoore’sperspec-
tive, there are separate worlds below the state level where participants adhere to
theirowncustomswiththeirownentranceceremonies,regulationofrelationships,
and dispute settlement institutions. A social field of this kind is semi-autonomous
because everyone there has to remain within the context of the official law of the
land.Inthiscaseofcommerceonaglobalscale,itismorecomplicatedbecausethe
legal systems of any number of countries need to be dealt with. The professional
group of diamond dealers consists of ‘middlemen minorities’, Jews and Indians
from Gujarat, who have organised their networks all across the globe and need
to keep the considerable legal differences in mind. But as all smugglers know,
thesedifferencesandinformationaboutthempresentallkindsofopportunitiesfor
financialprofits.
Firstandforemost,thefieldofthediamondtradeisasurvivalsystemtoprotect
itself from crime from outside. The secrecy and adherence to traditions are func-
tionalinfendingoffallthemagpieszoominginontheshinygems.Inthisanalysis,
this would make the diamond trade more an agency of victimology than of crim-
inology. In her discourse on the political context diamond dealers have to operate
in,Siegel’sdescriptiontakesanunexpectedbutessentiallyclassicalanthropological
turn. After all, how many ethnographers don’t wind up defenders of their people?
After the 1998 Global Witness Report, the branch has been the target of criticism
fromNGOsabletomobilisetheUnitedNationsandnumerousnationalgovernments
tointroduceinternationalmeasuresagainstthetradeinconflictdiamondsorblood
diamonds.Thathasgiven theentirebranchabadreputation.‘Whatiswrongwith
diamondsanyway?’Siegelseemstobeexclaimingwhenshedescribesthistendency
asmoralpanic.Thedealersthemselvesdon’thavethatmuchtodowiththenegli-
gible percentage of diamonds that are exchanged by warlords and kleptocrats for
armsandluxurygoods.Whatismore,theinternationalmeasures(KimberleyCer-
tificationScheme)haveprovedtobeineffective.Butthemostimportantargument
againsttheconductoftheNGOs,atanyratetheonethatworksbestforme,isthe
objectionthatorganisationsofthiskindoperatewithoutanydemocraticlegitimacy.
Thismagnificentglobalethnographyshouldevoketheoreticalaswellaspolitical
debate.
UniversityofUtrecht
Utrecht,TheNetherlands FrankBovenkerk
Acknowledgements
Itwillnotbeprobablysuchanoriginalconfession,butitistrue:Ilovediamonds.
Ilovetolookatthem,totouchthem,totalkaboutthem,toownthem,andtowear
them.Ialsolovetowriteaboutthem.ActuallyIdidnotwanttofinishthisbook:the
longerIstudieddiamonds,themoreIadmiredthem,theirirresistiblebeauty,their
mystery, their spectacular history. Finishing this study meant cooling down a spe-
cialexcitementwhichdiamondsawokeinme,orwakingupfromabeautifuldream,
or even losing somebody significant. This book became a part of me, of my own
experiences, feelings, expectations, and disappointments. My mind was occupied
with diamonds during the research. Writing, rewriting, structuring, re-organising,
and brushing up the chapters of this book were similar in my experience to dig-
ging,cleaning,cutting,andpolishingaroughdiamond,inhopethattheendproduct
would glitter, shine, and bring joy to other people. I enjoyed studying diamonds
andIenjoyeddescribingandanalysingthegathereddata.Formeitwasanintellec-
tualandaestheticaltrip.ThroughdiamondsIhavealsolearnedaboutbureaucracy,
corruption, provocation, cruelty, and passion. I discovered how this small colour-
less stone could cause enormous pain, but also plenty of joy, and how it could be
connectedtowarandtolove.
However,itwouldbeimpossibleformetomakeallthesediscoveriesandactually
towritethisbookwithouttheassistanceofmanyotherpeople.Notallofthemliked
diamonds, (which is of course incomprehensible to me), but most of them were
curious and enthusiastic about my research and helped me a great deal, directly
and/orindirectly.
Mygreatestappreciationgoestothemanydiamantairs,menandwomen,indif-
ferentcountries,whowereinvolvedinthisstudyandhelpedmeimmenselyduring
my fieldwork. It would be impossible to mention the names of all the diamantairs
whoassistedmeinonewayoranotherduringtheresearch.Iassuredmostofthem
that they would not be identifiable. Therefore I decided not to thank them openly
here, but I did it personally. They know how much I am obliged to them. They
sharedwithmethesecretsofthediamondbusiness,theyintroducedmetothemys-
tery of the diamond world, they provided me with valuable information, and they
sentmee-mails,collectedwrittenmaterial,andtoldmetheirideasanddoubtsabout
differentdevelopmentsinthediamondtrade.
ix
x Acknowledgements
Iamalsogratefultorepresentativesofvariousgovernmental,nongovernmental,
and commercial organisations and professional diamond institutions. I would like
tothankpoliceinvestigators,gemologists,mineralogists,lawyers,anthropologists,
andcriminologists,whosharedwithmetheirknowledgeandexpertiseondifferent
diamond-relatedsubjects.
There are, however, a few individuals whom I would like to mention by name.
Frank Bovenkerk is the perfect combination of classic anthropology and cultural
criminology.Ihavelearnedalotfromhim,andhisfriendshipisveryimportantto
me.HenkvandeBuntwasveryinterestedinthisprojectandIamgratefultohim
forhishelpfuladviceandsuggestions.
Thanks to all my colleagues in the Department of Criminology, VU University
Amsterdam,forcreatingapleasantintellectualenvironment.Ipresentedsomeofmy
ideas,particularlyoncrimeandconflictdiamonds,alsotomystudentsofcriminol-
ogy,andIappreciatetheirenthusiasticresponseandendlessdiscussions.Oftenthese
discussions continued even after the class was dismissed, at my office or through
e-mail.
Thefollowingfriendsandcolleaguesweresokindtoassist(eitherincomment-
ing,advising,criticising,orprovidinginformation)ondifferentpartsofthisstudy:
Inna Baron, Hans Nelen, Menachem Amir, David de Vries, Joris van Wijk, and
Hendrik-Jan Schwencke. The gatherings of the Cultural Criminology Club espe-
ciallywereveryinspiringinthelasttwoyears.Iacknowledgewithgreatrespectits
members:FrankvanGemert,JanineJansen,DirkKorf,MarcSchuilenburg,Damian
Zaitch,TimBoekhoutvanSolinge,RenevanSwaaningen,andRichardStaring.My
conversationswithMikePresdeewereveryusefulforabetterunderstandingofcul-
turalcriminologyandtheenormousenthusiasmofKeithHaywardduringhisvisit
totheNetherlandswasinfectious.ThelateHansTennekesoncesentmeintoawide
scientificworldwithamissiontoapplyanthropologicalmethodsandinsightsinto
otherdisciplines.Ihopetocontinuedoingthis.
My family and especially my sons Yaniv, Eyal, and Itai have always been my
inspirationtocontinuethisstudy.IamgratefultoFrancesGilliganformakingmy
Russian-Israeli English more readable and to Welmoed Spahr from Springer for
usefulcommentsandsuggestions.
Ialmostfinishedthemanuscriptand,asusualinmyscientificcareer,Idecidedto
sendit‘forinspection’toEmanuelMarx.ThereactionIreceivedwascrucialforthe
finalresult:Iactuallyhadtorewritemanypartsofthemanuscript.Idonotregretthat
Ididitandthatittookmeanotherfewmonthsdealingwithdiamonds.Emanuel,as
always,remainedmyteacher:critical,butveryinspiringandencouragingnotonly
in all my scientific, but also in many of my life projects. I will always admire his
joiedevivre,hiscuriosity,originality,sharpness,andsoftness.Thisdiamondisfor
him.
Utrecht,
TheNetherlands DinaSiegel
Contents
1 TheoryandResearch:AnAnthropologicalJourneyinto
theDiamondIndustry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
MultisiteAnthropology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
BreakingTaboosAboutJews,theMafia,andOtherDangers
ofFieldwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
CulturalCriminologyandSemi-AutonomousSocialFields . . . . . . 11
2 From Marco Polo to the Syndicate: The History of a
MultilevelOrganisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
HistoricalDevelopmentoftheDiamondBusiness . . . . . . . . . . . 16
TheDevelopmentoftheDiamondOrganisationinEurope . . . . . . . 17
DiamondPipeline−StructureandOrganisation . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
ProductionCountries−ControlandCriminalisation . . . . . . . . . . 21
DistributionofRoughDiamonds−MarketingMethods . . . . . . . . 25
ProcessingCentres . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
BanksandBourses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
NotWithouttheSyndicate! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
ControlandMobility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
IllegalActivitiesofDeBeers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
AnOldMonopolyinaNewWorld . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
3 TheKingofGems:HowtheDiamondBecametheMost
PreciousStone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
LegendsandSymbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
TheValueofa‘Rare’Stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
SmugglingforSurvivalandEmigration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
RomanticsorBusiness?ConsumerisminPostmodernTimes . . . . . . 50
WomenandDiamonds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
Organisation of Preservation of the Value of Diamonds
bytheDiamondIndustry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
4 TheMazzelRitual:Trust,Loyalty,Risk,andtheCultureof
theDiamondTrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
TheCultureoftheDiamondTrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
xi