Stars Beyonce Knowles and Jennifer Lopez have been criticized by human rights groups for agreeing to promote the gemstone industry at last week�s Golden Globes.
In attempt to reverse the diamond industries tarnished image, the stars were asked to take part in the �Raise Your Right Hand� campaign in exchange for money donated to an African charity of the stars� choice.
This is one of the ways the diamond industry is combating the bad press it is receiving, especially after the release of Leonardo Di Caprio�s latest movie, Blood Diamond.
The movie is set in Sierra Leone�s diamond fuelled civil war where the �Romeo and Juliet� actor plays a South African mercenary in search of a rare pink gemostone.
Humanitarian groups such as Global Witness have called on Hollywood to halt the promotion of precious gems because of the way African rebels used amputation to threaten civilians into the precious stone industry.
Global Witness campaigner Alex Yearsley says, "It's rather disgusting if you think about Sierra Leone and the hands that got hacked off there.
"It's an attempt to hit back at the film. You can imagine the PR campaign that came up with it.
"But the industry didn't do much for the Sierra Leonean women with no right hand when all this was going on."
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