# if women didn't want diamonds, would they be worth anything? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 28, 2013, 9:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902 "2013-04-28T09:07:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/21 "2013-04-29T04:36:45Z")
In _Cracked_ magazine this verse was published: _Rings on her fingers Rings on her toes Zsa Zsa loves diamonds Wherever they goes_ _MAD_ once parodied a diamonds ad with this line: **Memories…painted for all De Beers he could drink by Frank Kelly Freas** 😃 ---
**Author:** ![drew870mitchell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drew870mitchell/32/3946_2.png) [@drew870mitchell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drew870mitchell)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/22 "2013-04-29T05:25:10Z")
Here’s a great story about the true value of diamonds. Anyone interested in this thread should find it a good read. [http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/chap20.htm](http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/diamond/chap20.htm) tl,dr: [spoiler]A bank robber converted his cash into $8M of diamonds from a Russian distributor. When the guy was caught, the bank offered to pay for the investigation cost and customs tax to take possession of the diamonds, since appraisers assured them they were worth $13M+ on the retail market. The bank announced an auction of the diamonds and opened bidding at $7.5M. Nobody bid over the minimum. When they shopped the hoard of diamonds to retailers, nobody in the US wanted to buy them at any price. De Beers finally offered to buy them, through a mysterious shell company in Europe, and with no payment for eighteen months after delivery. And that’s for diamonds with a firm chain of ownership. The author includes one example of a guy who sold stolen diamonds, $50,000 retail, to a fence for $200.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/23 "2013-04-29T05:37:56Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > Linguists aside, this is spelled ‘sapphire’. And sapphires are not especially rare; there are some quite productive mines in Montana. Yogo sapphires are especially well-advertised around here. You obviously missed out the “(sic)” part :D. Anita Loos, in her book “gentlemen prefer blondes”, has her quintessential, gold-digging protagonist write “a kiss on the hand is very nice, but a diamond and saffire bracelet lasts for ever” (or words to that effect). At any rate, Loos’ deliberately uses the misspelling to show that her heroine does not need any education to get ahead, just her charms, wits and absolute lack of any morals whatsoever will do. I quoted her to show how far technology has put the today’s Lorelei Lees at a disadvantage. The modern day gold digger would do well to be satisfied with that kiss on the hand, because jewel quality sapphires have been lab synthesized (and hence cheap) for years, and diamonds are likely follow suite in near future. ---
**Author:** ![AaronX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/7bcc69/32.png) [@AaronX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AaronX)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 5:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/24 "2013-04-29T05:54:32Z")
> [@chiefwahoo01](#): > > meaning, besides industrial use, what would they be used for? and what would their value be? I don’t think women have much industrial use, but they could still be used for reproduction. ---
**Author:** ![bchris964](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f14d63/32.png) [@bchris964](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bchris964)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/25 "2013-04-29T06:47:27Z")
> [@chiefwahoo01](#): > > meaning, besides industrial use, what would they be used for? and what would their value be? beauty of women coupled with when she wears diamonds necklace. it can’t be ignored and if they refused to wear it so demand for diamond should be effected then only it can be use to cut only glass in the glass industry and several other uses. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 29, 2013, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/26 "2013-04-29T21:05:16Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Not sure about that last bit. I remember reading the four months’s salary rule in a P.G. Wodehouse novel, so even if it’s not “centuries of diamond mining in India” old, it’s old. Hmm, which P. G. Wodehouse novel? He was a very prolific writer pretty much right up to his death in early 1975, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that his reference to such a concept would have pre-dated its appearance in marketing campaigns. Also, I’ve read a lot of Wodehouse and don’t recall any such reference. Which is not evidence of its absence, but I’d still like to see your cite. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/27 "2013-04-30T00:33:00Z")
> [@AaronX](#): > > I don’t think women have much industrial use, _\_ What, you’ve never heard of “female connectors” for electronics and such? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![WhyWhyWhy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whywhywhy/32/7539_2.png) [@WhyWhyWhy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyWhyWhy)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/28 "2013-04-30T05:00:46Z")
> [@chiefwahoo01](#): > > meaning, besides industrial use, what would they be used for? and what would their value be? Shiny pebbles. I’d say 5 bucks. Tops. ---
**Author:** ![dougie\_monty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@dougie\_monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dougie_monty)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/29 "2013-04-30T07:26:57Z")
_Shiny pebbles (Shiny pebbles) In the wine (In the wine) Make me feel happy (make me feel happy) Make me feel fine (Make me feel fine)_ 😃 Veziketoj… ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/30 "2013-04-30T15:23:21Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > Hmm, which P. G. Wodehouse novel? He was a very prolific writer pretty much right up to his death in early 1975, so it’s not a foregone conclusion that his reference to such a concept would have pre-dated its appearance in marketing campaigns. > > Also, I’ve read a lot of Wodehouse and don’t recall any such reference. Which is not evidence of its absence, but I’d still like to see your cite. I couldn’t tell you. ☹ I read most of his _oeuvre_ when I was much younger - about 10, I think. I’m almost certain it was one of the Drones Club short stories not involving Jeeves and Wooster (I didn’t like the Jeeves stuff at the time). Possibly _Bachelors Anonymous_? The only reason I remember the reference is that it was the first time I’d heard of the rule, and had to go and ask my dad if people were serious about that. Apropos of nothing, I spent about a month’s salary I think. ---
**Author:** ![minor\_details](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/74df32/32.png) [@minor\_details](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor_details)\ **Post date:** [April 30, 2013, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/31 "2013-04-30T23:49:12Z")
Diamond has some really useful properties… Diamond windows are used for spectroscopy, as they transmit quite well in the infrared, visible and UV. These windows are made of synthetic diamond (using chemical vapor deposition). Diamond is also an excellent electrical insulator, while also being an excellent heat conductor, which makes thin diamond films useful in microelectronics. See [http://www.iiviinfrared.com/Optical-Materials/cvd-diamond\_substrates.html](http://www.iiviinfrared.com/Optical-Materials/cvd-diamond_substrates.html) and click on the pdf link for relevant plots. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/32 "2013-05-01T02:50:22Z")
> [@StJoan](#): > > You obviously missed out the “(sic)” part :D. In this context, “sic” usually means “I strongly suspect this is spelled incorrectly but I am not going to look it up.” ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/33 "2013-05-01T07:25:04Z")
Are there synthetic gem-quality diamonds? Is there demand for them; if not why not? BTW, [astronomers have discovered a diamond of more than a sextillion gigacarats, not very far away.](http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/3492919.stm) ---
**Author:** ![StJoan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@StJoan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StJoan)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/34 "2013-05-01T09:29:39Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > In this context, “sic” usually means “I strongly suspect this is spelled incorrectly but I am not going to look it up.” Sigh, in this context “sic” means you’d be better off looking up the original text, instead of arguing with a perfect stranger on the internet. Haven’t you anything else to do today? ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/35 "2013-05-01T14:10:55Z")
Regardless of context, **sic** means the error being quoted was present in the original text. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/36 "2013-05-01T14:13:47Z")
> [@Derleth](#): > > In this context, “sic” usually means “I strongly suspect this is spelled incorrectly but I am not going to look it up.” So you’re badgering StJoan for using “(sic)” _correctly_, basically. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2013, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/37 "2013-05-04T23:43:40Z")
> [@Acsenray](#): > > So you’re badgering StJoan for using “(sic)” _correctly_, basically. I’m not badgering anyone, and I’m sorry if it came across that way. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/38 "2013-05-05T00:50:57Z")
“Sic” (properly put in square brackets, and preferably italicized), is used to mean “so in the original”, as for example “The Congress shall Chuse _[sic]_…” or “…to dig the dirt encloas’d _[sic]_ here…” It is used when one reproduces a quoted text verbatim, to show it is not an introduced error but a faithful reprodiiction of the quoted text. The SDMB custom when one is unsure of spelling is to put a question mark in parentheses after the possibly-misspelled word, inviting correction by someone more sure of the correct spelling. At times this is necessary, e.g., “psychophant” for “yes-man” rather than the correct “sycophant” would never be found by consulting a dictionary, AFAIK. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/39 "2013-05-05T06:47:20Z")
Sign on a college noticeboard: “There is no 11:00am physics lecture today as Professor Wilkins is il [_sic_].” ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2013, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902/40 "2013-05-05T07:01:18Z")
I generally think the value or worth of anything is defined by how much someone else is willing to pay for it. Oh, and did I mention I’m in a position to offer someone a good deal on a tulip bulb? And I like Ron White’s take on DeBeers advertising. Paraphrased, he says _“DeBeers says Render her speechless.”_ which is their way of saying _“This ought to shut her up… for a while.”_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-women-didnt-want-diamonds-would-they-be-worth-anything/656902.md?page=3)