Why Diamonds?

Google/ABC ^ | Feb 14, 2004 | John Stossel

[WIladyconservative]

*Important Diamonds* are rare - the kind most of us purchase are not. *Important Diamonds* are those with a provenance to Royalty or scandal; with a hefty price tag to match.

The kind most of us purchase are not a good investment and certainly aren't important. DeBeers has created an entire culture of diamond giving to support their business. My great Aunt's engagement ring was an Alexanderite - and that was only 60 years ago - and Great Uncle was LOADED!

[muir_redwoods]

Diamonds are as common as pearls. DeBeers hoards them and buys up any finds as soon as the find is announced. About 15-20 years ago, the Soviet Union announced that they had a mine that would produce a goodly quantity of 1/4-1/2 carat gem quality diamonds, the staple of the market. DeBeers got in touch and offered to either buy up all the stock or they would flood the market with similar stones. The Soviets sold out to DeBeers.

I have seen a film of a warehouse with literally millions of carats worth of gems DeBeers is hoarding. Diamonds are an artificially priced commodity that should sell, in a free market, for lots less than rubies, emeralds or sapphires.

[bootless]

A diamond is just a fancy rock. A loving husband is a jewel beyond compare.

So beautifully said, and so true.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

That's why I buy them. And if they were dug out of the ground by slave labor they sparkle more.

Actually I prefer amber, garnets, tanzanite and amethyst.

Diamonds just don't do it for me unless they are colored diamonds which are indeed rare and quite out of my price range.

[rcocean]

Hmmm.. Shinny rock good.

[Grammy]

I have a very lovely, and very small, diamond that my darling Mr Grammy gave me nearly 34 years ago. I wouldn't trade it for a bigger one for anything. Small diamonds signify first marriages better than anything else.
8-)

He has given me other diamonds over the years now that we can afford them, but not rings. I have never asked him for diamonds, but it is important to him to show me how much he loves me..... and who am I to disappoint him!!!
The large diamond that was my mother's has been offered to junior Grammy to ask his honey's hand in marriage.

[EagleMamaMT]

Thank you.

[GeekDejure]

Which fish pond? I have a fake diamond locator !!!

[NRA2BFree]

I know one girl who'd like diamond-inlay on her CZ.

Are you talking about me? LOL ;-)

[meowmeow]

Whatever. I’m quite happy with my 2 carat platinum setting. Oddly, I get a lot of compliments on it from men. Women glance and act like they didn’t see it. It’s kind of amusing. I also hope it is a conflict diamond. I'm mean too >:)

[Wolverine]

'Blood Diamonds'

[Wneighbor]

This gal likes pearls and opals. I don't see any big deal about diamonds. If a setting is pretty it would be just as pretty with a CZ. But, I'd still rather have pearls.

[Wneighbor]

Actually I prefer amber, garnets, tanzanite and amethyst. Diamonds just don't do it for me unless they are colored diamonds which are indeed rare and quite out of my price range.

Yeah, color is much more interesting! :-)

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

Pearls are good too. And jade. I adore jade, there is nothing like the silky feel of a good piece of jade.

[Wneighbor]

And jade. I adore jade, there is nothing like the silky feel of a good piece of jade.

I like those smooth silky feels too!

And in my even simpler tastes, I really like malachite. Green is my favorite color so jade and malachite are really nice to me.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

A dear friend gave me the most beautiful piece of malachite and garnet.

It is even more lovely because he took the time to find out what I loved and get it for me.

[William Terrell]

Give her a diamond. Or a bunch of them. And she'll love you back.

I don't think that's entirely true. There's a lot of below awareness associations going on. What she loves is security.

The fact that you can give her a diamond means you can give her security. The fact that you gave her a diamond means you're hers, so the set of the behaviors that we know as an expression of love is directed at you.

Should you at some time lose all, with some evidence that you will never recover, she will divorce you and the reason given for the divorce will never be the above. She can't be forthcoming with the real reason because it is universally acknowledged to be bad and few will willingly think of themselves, and want others to think of them, as a bad person.

This is not bad. This is nature. It's the driver software that comes with the womb feature. Just as it's the driver software that comes with a man's linear/logical feature the makes him listen to a tearful problem and try to solve it instead of sympathizing with it.

There are exceptions but most of them reside as characters in works of fiction.

[usadave]

We tested that idea. We went to Grand Central Station in New York with two rings. One was a piece of cubic zirconia, worth about a dollar. The other was a $10,000 diamond. I asked people which they liked more. Most people could not tell the difference. Of dozens of people we asked, nearly half picked the cubic zirconia.

I'm sure that if they had done the same experiment with real Rolex watches versus fake Rolex watches, half the people would have said that they liked the fake Rolex watch more. If two items look exactly alike, and you can only compare the two items by looking at them, why should anybody be surprised that about 50% of the people would like one item and the other 50% would like the other item.

[Hardastarboard]

I'd like to think that a Jewish diamond merchant made money off of my purchase, and then gave part of the proceeds to Israel so they could kill members of the intifada. That's my contribution to whirled peas.

[Judith Anne]

I inherited a 3 carat marquis cut diamond solitaire ring from my MIL, it's really beautiful, but there's almost nowhere to wear it...not church, or work, going out casually...I never saw her wear it either...

I'm going to give it to my DIL for her 25th anniversary, in 11 years.

I also inherited a 18" strand of real pearls from my mother...Daddy gave them to me when she died, shortly before I had my first child...he said, "Mom wanted you to have these," and we both cried...those I will give to my daughter someday.