Social responsibility is incredibly important to me, as the owner of a lab-grown diamond jewelry brand, and as a human being who shares the world with so many others. I have been raised by my beloved hard-working parents, who always taught me to appreciate every little good thing we have in life and no matter how poor or wealthy we are, we can always find something to share with the less fortunate ones. Back in the day, no one called this “social responsibility.”

I believe all businesses today must have a commitment to social responsibility, which simply means behaving ethically and contributing to economic development — while improving the quality of life of workers, their families, their communities, and society at large.

That’s why I began to grow worried when my work in the mined diamond industry in Africa exposed me to a trade that doesn’t always fairly distribute its benefits to the workers, countries, and societies where diamonds are mined. Moreover, I saw corruption, conflicts, and human rights abuses in the mining and trade of diamonds that greatly troubled me.

While today’s diamond industry is far better, with many reforms instituted and places where diamonds are engines for growth and sustainability, I still worry about those left behind. As a result, I founded and chaired the Life Diamonds Foundation, a South African charitable trust with the goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education, combating HIV/AIDS, and working towards environmental sustainability.

And today, at AIDIA, we strive to be socially responsible in every aspect of our lab-grown diamond jewelry business. First, by selling lab-grown diamonds, AIDIA is working to avoid the environmental and human rights issues that trouble so many diamond consumers. Second, where possible, AIDIA uses recycled gold for our jewelry, rather than newly mined metal, which can also be fraught with issues.

Finally, I plan to launch the AIDIA AID Foundation later this year. It’s a commitment I’ve made that AIDIA will become a leader in community involvement and corporate social responsibility initiatives. As we get closer to the launch date, I’ll update you on our plans. Stay tuned.