Beyoncé’s Tiffany Campaign Sparks Controversy After Fans Accuse Her Of Wearing A ‘Blood Diamond’
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A new Tiffany campaign starring Beyoncé and Jay-Z has sparked controversy over an alleged ‘blood diamond’ was featured in the ad.
The power couple are Tiffany & Co’s newest ambassadors, and were revealed as the faces of the company’s new ‘ABOUT LOVE’ campaign earlier today in a series of shoots inspired by Audrey Hepburn and her iconic film Breakfast at Tiffany’s.
In the ads, Beyoncé pays homage to Hepburn by wearing her iconic hairdo, black dress and elbow-length gloves, and in one mirror sings Moon River at a piano while her husband films her.
But it’s the diamond around the star’s neck that has caught people’s attention, as fans were quick to notice that it wasn’t just any old Tiffany’s rock, but the iconic $30 million canary yellow diamond worn by Hepburn herself in the film.
According to Vogue, Beyoncé is only the fourth woman ever, and the first Black woman, to wear the diamond, with Lady Gaga having most recently worn it in 2019.
But the stone itself has long been the subject of criticism over its less-than-transparent origins. Many believe the 128-carat stone to be a ‘blood diamond’ – a term used for diamonds mined in conflict zones and sold (often illegally) to private buyers, funding warlords and propping up unethical mining systems that often rely on child labour and slavery.
The diamond in question here was discovered in 1877 in a colonial diamond mine in South Africa, and later sold to Tiffany founder Charles Tiffany.
And while many are praising Beyoncé and Jay-Z for becoming the faces of such an iconic brand, others have expressed disappointment in the use of the diamond.
‘Beyoncé doing a Tiffany’s campaign wearing a blood diamond doesn’t sit well for her brand,’ one person tweeted, while another wrote, ‘I can’t be fascinated and just look past the inherent history of a 150 yo blood diamond just because it’s on Beyoncé lol.’
Meanwhile others have pointed out that the checkered history of the diamond isn’t on Beyoncé, with other artists having also worn the diamond without facing similar criticism. ‘It was a blood diamond, then too,’ one user wrote. ‘The shame is on Tiffany’s, not Beyoncé, though. I have no quibble with her wearing it for an ad. Not like she owns it.’
The campaign controversy doesn’t end there, with Tiffany also facing criticism for using a never-before-seen Jean Michel Basquiat in the ad, after the company was accused of ‘hiding away’ the late-artist’s work.
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