HE’S one of the most sparkling celebrities on the red carpet.
Now Leonardo DiCaprio has become a true shining star as he invests in a green diamond project in Spain.
The Hollywood legend, 46, has joined the Diamond Foundry company, which uses plasma reactors and renewable energy to artificially create diamonds.
Based in Trujillo, Extremadura, it will produce the stones in just two months.
DiCaprio took a keen interest in the industry while filming Blood Diamond in 2006.
The industry is to blame for numerous atrocities and wars in Africa.
This prompted the Hollywood star’s involvement in the Diamond Foundry organisation which aims to produce diamonds with little environmental impact.
The factory will be built at the Arroyo Caballo industrial estate.
Plasma reactors will run 24 hours a day and a 120-megawatt solar plant requiring around 200 hectares of land will need to be built close by.
The factory will employ 650 local workers when running at full capacity.
New advancements in technology allow the Diamond Foundry to create the gems artificially in six to ten weeks in contrast with the thousands of years they take to form underground.
This requires lots of energy which is why the company has carefully chosen its sites in order to create as much renewable energy as they can.
Martin Roscheisen, the co-founder and CEO of the company said, “the availability of solar energy is very high in Extremadura” suggesting why this region of Spain has been chosen for the new location.
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