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Canadian Ethical Diamonds and Identity Obsession: How Consumers of Ethical Jewelry in Italy Understand Traceability

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Sustainable Luxury

Part of the book series: Palgrave Advances in Luxury ((PAAL))

Abstract

Through an ethnographic survey of Italian ethical jewelers and representative customers, this study focuses on how the topic of traceability in the Canadian diamond industry is communicated and negotiated within two representative Italian ethical jewelry stores in Milan and Bologna. To better understand communication strategies deployed by jewelers to convey the concepts of ethical jewelry, the authors explore themes related to traceability in the context of Canadian ethical diamonds (CEDs). A specific dominant narrative built around CEDs is identified that leverages customer concerns about the violation of the safety and human rights of workers on the diamond supply chain. To more deeply analyze how information about the traceability of CEDs successfully mitigates consumer concerns about the ethics of jewelry supply chains, the authors explore the role of identity obsession (Remotti, L’ossessione identitaria. Laterza, Rome, 2010) in ethical jewelry purchase decisions by Italian consumers. They further discuss rationales for the general resistance of many Italian jewelers to offering ethical jewelry in local stores, to better understand why, to date, ethical jewelry remains a niche market segment in Italy, with most Italian consumers unaware of the degrading environmental and sociological impact of such products as blood diamonds.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge receipt of a Social Sciences and Humanities Research council 435-2013–1211. “This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement no. 837190, as well as the European Union emblem”.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Management, University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, BC, Canada

    Linda Armano & Annamma Joy

  2. Department of Management, Università Caʼ Foscari Venezia, Venice, Italy

    Linda Armano

Authors
  1. Linda Armano
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  2. Annamma Joy
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Correspondence to Annamma Joy .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK

    Claudia E. Henninger

  2. School of Business, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK

    Navdeep K. Athwal

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Armano, L., Joy, A. (2022). Canadian Ethical Diamonds and Identity Obsession: How Consumers of Ethical Jewelry in Italy Understand Traceability. In: Henninger, C.E., Athwal, N.K. (eds) Sustainable Luxury . Palgrave Advances in Luxury. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06928-4_8

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