Beyoncé has received some pushback for a Tiffany & Co. photoshoot alongside Jay-Z where she was draped in a rare diamond owned by the company, which many say harkens back to South African colonial days.
Now Bey’s mother Tina Lawson has taken to the comments of one post to defend her daughter, highlighting the hypocrisy of people criticizing the pop star when they’ve possibly purchased or own unethical jewelry as well.
“How many of you socially conscious activist own diamonds? I thought so!” Lawson wrote in the comments of the Grio’s post. “Well guess what did you go to try to check to see where the diamond came from? Probably not! So when you guys get engaged you won’t have a diamond you gonna put on a sterling silver band And you better check out where it came from and the origin of where came from and why you add it check out the calls for the Leather that you weird because they made it came from another country to to ban and not buy diamonds right because your righteous!!”
After Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s photoshoot dropped this week, it was noted that the vaunted Tiffany Diamond had only been worn by three other women since it was discovered in 1877, and that the Lemonade artist is the first Black woman to don it.
Many on social media pointed out the valuable stone was likely mined by slaves in South Africa when it was originally retrieved.
Some fans particularly focused on the fact Beyoncé has centered her recent efforts around African culture with her film Black Is King and album The Lion King: The Gift.
Also featured in the photoshoot with Jay and Bey is a never-before-seen Basquiat painting.
