What's so bad about diamonds?

[Guinastasia]

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.

[msmith537]

@AskNott

Diamonds embody support for modern day slavery. Is that how you want to start your married life?

Well…some would also say that marriage itself is modern day slavery.

[Mrs_Johnson]

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!

[Chronos]

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.

[DrDeth]

@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.

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”.

[gigi]

@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.

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!

[Poloin99]

@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.

You should have bought a house with the money you wasted on the diamond

[Moirai]

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?

[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.

[GingerOfTheNorth]

@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.

(Again, this is where I beat the drum for Canadian mined diamonds, which are laser inscribed to indicate which mine they came from)

[Moirai]

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!

[Nicest_of_the_Damned]

@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.

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

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/
I found a Wikipedia article that claims there is a similar monopoly now for the tanzanite market, another rare gem.

Tanzanite

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.