The Diamond Information Center wants a hand. Actually a few hands. Preferably famous hands.
The DIC is donating $10,000 to celebrities who will Raise Their Right Hand at events during awards season. Hands that will have right hand diamond rings on them. And "Blood Diamond" director Ed Zwick is disgusted.
The campaign is designed to raise $100,000 for charity, increase the popularity of the right hand ring (denoting women's ability to buy bling for themselves rather than wait for some silly man to give it to them) and possibly divert attention away from Zwick's film's message about conflict stones -- an issue that the diamond industry insists is ancient history.

Compliant stars can pick an African charity to receive the "Blood" moola. According to the DIC, Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez and Patricia Arquette raised right-blinged right hands at the Golden Globes. More actresses are expected to raise their right hand at the Grammys and the Oscars.

At a press conference, Zwick noted the cruel irony of the DIC campaign. "The raising of one's hand and the using of one's hand to vote was the prompt for the Revolutionary United Front to chop off hands in Sierra Leone. It's either some colossal cluelessness or remarkable indifference to that reality that would somehow try to equate raising one's hand with a diamond on it as a promotional counter-measure to the effect of the film."

It's pretty much a given that "Blood"'s Oscar-nominated actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou won't be raising up their right hand bling at the Oscars. But they may be wearing something else to help get the movie's message out . More news as soon as I get it.

Photo Credits: Here's Beyonce's amazing $10 grand hand job at the Golden Globes.
Steve Granitz/WireImage