Gem of an Idea.

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While their impact on the country may be immense, De Beers' diamonds do not actually spend much time in Botswana. Once unearthed, stones will spend a few weeks passing through De Beers' plants, and a few more in cutting and polishing, before they are flown to jewelry makers around the world--all told, about three months after coming out of the ground. The De Beers marketing slogan "A diamond is forever" is not quite true in Botswana. However, for the country's growth, for now, that's enough.