[woofer]

Yes, Bat, gold always has, and has had, some barter worth throughout the history of civilization, almost without cultural boundaries.

But, it's heavy. If the downfall descends into migratory or nomadic lifestyle, diamonds would be more desirable as a portable wealth.

Personally. I'm securing much brass and lead (in the .177 (Pellets), .17 and .223 calibers), and a good knife along with a handful of small diamonds, a water filter with hand pump, knowledge of salt deposits near the surface, fire starting tools...y'know small portable resources

[Batrachian]

Gold is heavy, but in situations where gold is used as currency, it's worth a lot more than you might think, so you don't need all that much of it. For example, in ancient Rome, 4 gold pieces bought you a slave. In the American West in 1876, a gold coin would get you a horse, and another would get you a gun and a month's provisions. These are only some examples of the true value of gold in the right situation.

As for diamonds, they would be useless in a barter situation, unless you're bartering in the diamond district of New York or Amsterdam, and then all you would get for them is (a lot of) cash. Diamonds can not be thought of as a medium of exchange like gold.

As for small portable resources, it never hurts to have a bug out bag ready.

[aNYCguy]

Just FYI, diamonds are a terrible store of wealth in both reality and a post-civilization fantasy. They’re largely indivisible, destroyable, very non-liquid, and extremely subjective in value. If you ever get around to selling them it’s unlikely you’ll get what you paid.