# What's so bad about diamonds?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 27, 2006, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064 "2006-10-27T03:00:30Z")
**Posts on this page:** 12
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/41 "2006-10-29T02:04:00Z")
Question about those lab-created diamonds-I’m reading a book about the Hope Diamond, and I wondered, do they also create blue diamonds? Because I’d so go for that.
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### Author:  [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)
#### Post date: [October 29, 2006, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/42 "2006-10-29T16:30:45Z")
[QUOTE=AskNott]
Diamonds embody support for modern day slavery. Is that how you want to start your married life?
[/QUOTE]
Well…some would also say that marriage itself is modern day slavery. 😃
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### Author:  [@Mrs\_Johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs_Johnson)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2006, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/43 "2006-10-31T03:15:37Z")
Wow! Some of the antique rings are beautiful but I’d much rather use that amount of money as a down-payment for a house.
Thanks for all the info!
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2006, 6:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/44 "2006-10-31T06:15:46Z")
> [@](#):
>
> It turns out that this process works to produce diamonds, not synthetic but entirely real diamonds, and its this process that De Beers sees as the greatest potential threat to its cartel.
I’m puzzled by the phrase “not synthetic but entirely real”. If they’re produced by a man-made process, they’re by definition synthetic. And if they’re tetrahedral-crystal carbon, they’re entirely real diamonds. There is no contradiction between the two.
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### Author:  [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2006, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/45 "2006-10-31T15:37:03Z")
[QUOTE=Chronos]
I’m puzzled by the phrase “not synthetic but entirely real”. If they’re produced by a man-made process, they’re by definition synthetic. And if they’re tetrahedral-crystal carbon, they’re entirely real diamonds. There is no contradiction between the two.
[/QUOTE]
It’s because the _term_ “synthetic diamond” has been used in the past for such things as CZ, which although every bit as nice as a diamond, isn’t a diamond at all. Man-made diamonds are diamonds. DeBeers is also trying to give out the idea that man-made diamonds are somehow “not real”.
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [October 31, 2006, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/46 "2006-10-31T18:51:14Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia]
My ideal ring would be a triple aquamarines gold ring. The stones would be emerald cut, since that’s my favorite-the center would be the largest, with two smaller aquamarines on each side, also emerald cut.
[/QUOTE]
I decided to buy my own “engagement ring” since I figured I wouldn’t get one from anyone, and it was an emerald-cut garnet (my favorite) with two tiny diamonds on each side. Best part: it was \<$300!
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### Author:  [@Poloin99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Poloin99)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2006, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/47 "2006-11-02T16:22:43Z")
[QUOTE=Anne Neville]
There are women who value their engagement rings as something other than their dollar value, y’know. I like mine because it is sparkly and pretty, and because I got it from someone I dearly love.
And some of us do actually have rings appraised so we can put a rider on our renters’ or homeowners’ insurance covering them. I had to put a rider like that on my renters’ insurance, because otherwise it only covers jewelry up to a certain amount.
[/QUOTE]
You should have bought a house with the money you wasted on the diamond 🙂
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2006, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/48 "2006-11-03T01:09:03Z")
Heh. I would love to have bought a house with the money my husband and I have spent on my diamond jewelry. Do houses really come that cheap nowadays? 😉
I have several pieces of diamond jewelry (rings, pendants and earrings), some older and some recent. I like diamonds and will buy more, I’m sure. I believe a couple of them are “certified” conflict-free, but who really knows? The older ones may have a more sordid history, I have no idea.
Why is that anyone’s business but my own, and why is it that so many people trip over themselves to make value judgments about strangers based on what they wear, eat or drive?
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2006, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/49 "2006-11-03T01:14:53Z")
Question-I know they say that the “scarcity” of diamonds is artificial, created by De Beers, but what IS actually the most rare, most valuable stone? I’ve heard that it’s actually rubies.
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### Author:  [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2006, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/50 "2006-11-03T01:53:22Z")
[QUOTE=EJsGirl]
I have several pieces of diamond jewelry (rings, pendants and earrings), some older and some recent. I like diamonds and will buy more, I’m sure. I believe a couple of them are “certified” conflict-free, but who really knows? The older ones may have a more sordid history, I have no idea.
[/QUOTE]
(Again, this is where I beat the drum for Canadian mined diamonds, which are laser inscribed to indicate which mine they came from)
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### Author:  [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2006, 2:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/51 "2006-11-03T02:31:23Z")
Actually, I am looking to replace a diamond that’s missing from a ring, and based on your posts I am going to ask about stones of Canadian origin!
Thanks!
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### Author:  [@Nicest\_of\_the\_Damned](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nicest_of_the_Damned)
#### Post date: [November 3, 2006, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-so-bad-about-diamonds/378064/52 "2006-11-03T02:33:42Z")
[QUOTE=Guinastasia]
Question-I know they say that the “scarcity” of diamonds is artificial, created by De Beers, but what IS actually the most rare, most valuable stone? I’ve heard that it’s actually rubies.
[/QUOTE]
That is a bit tricky to answer. The absolute rarest gems are not well known enough to be in great demand, so the rarest may not be the most valuable. Here is a list of some that you have probably never even heard of.
[http://www.curiousnotions.com/home/gemstones.html](http://www.curiousnotions.com/home/gemstones.html)
> [@](#):
>
> Some of the following are surprisingly affordable, simply because the general public doesn’t know or care about them and thus demand is relatively weak.
In general, I think the standard jewelers answer to your question would be emeralds. Other possibilities would be alexandrite or really fine quality opals. I would say ruby would probably be next. But so much of value is perceived value and that can fluctuate. Quality makes a big difference too. Poor quality emeralds might be relatively inexpensive, but since emeralds tend to have lots of flaws, one that is very clean should be very valuable. Opals are not terribly uncommon, but the really spectacular ones are much more rare.
You will probably find many different opinions and a good argument could probably be made for many of them.
DeBeers does seem to be changing its ways due to pressure from the public. There is a movie coming out soon called “Blood Diamonds” starring Leonardo DiCaprio. I have no idea how accurate the story is, but the jewelry industry is bracing itself for the backlash.
Interview with DeBeers:
[http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15187244/site/newsweek/](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15187244/site/newsweek/)
I found a Wikipedia article that claims there is a similar monopoly now for the tanzanite market, another rare gem.
> **[Tanzanite](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzanite)**
>
> Tanzanite is the blue and violet variety of the mineral zoisite (a calcium aluminium hydroxyl sorosilicate). The color is caused by small amounts of vanadium. Tanzanite belongs to the epidote mineral group. Tanzanite is only found in Simanjiro District of Manyara Region in Tanzania, in a very small mining area approximately 7 km (4.3 mi) long and 2 km (1.2 mi) wide near the Mererani Hills. Tanzanite is noted for its remarkably strong trichroism, appearing alternately blue, violet and burgundy de...
> [@](#):
>
> In April 2005, a company called TanzaniteOne Ltd. publicly announced that they had taken control of the tanzanite mine known as “C-Block”. Over the next year, this company established a De Beers-like control over the tanzanite market. This is the first time that a colored gemstone has been controlled in this way.
So much for progress.
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