TranceAddict Forums (www.tranceaddict.com/forums)
- Chill Out Room
-- Why diamonds suck
Pages (2): [1] 2 »

Why diamonds suck

Diamonds are mined and sifted under horrible conditions by workers in "third world" countries who earn very little money (and in some cases no money at all). Nearly the entire supply of natural diamonds is controlled by one company, De Beers, which can do pretty much whatever the hell it wants, having no competition. True to the sociopathically efficient nature of corporations, it prices diamonds at an artificially high level.

The diamond's "mystique" and its association with love, courtship, and marriage are the products of a sustained advertising campaign designed to make these shiny pebbles required "tokens" and "signs" of affection for young couples so that the outrageously inflated prices could look more "justified."

quote:

The diamond invention is far more than a monopoly for fixing diamond prices; it is a mechanism for converting tiny crystals of carbon into universally recognized tokens of wealth, power, and romance. To achieve this goal, De Beers had to control demand as well as supply. Both women and men had to be made to perceive diamonds not as marketable precious stones but as an inseparable part of courtship and married life. To stabilize the market, De Beers had to endow these stones with a sentiment that would inhibit the public from ever reselling them. The illusion had to be created that diamonds were forever -- "forever" in the sense that they should never be resold. ... Although it could do little about the state of the economy, N. W. Ayer suggested that through a well-orchestrated advertising and public-relations campaign it could have a significant impact on the "social attitudes of the public at large and thereby channel American spending toward larger and more expensive diamonds instead of "competitive luxuries." Specifically, the Ayer study stressed the need to strengthen the association in the public's mind of diamonds with romance. Since "young men buy over 90% of all engagement rings" it would be crucial to inculcate in them the idea that diamonds were a gift of love: the larger and finer the diamond, the greater the expression of love. Similarly, young women had to be encouraged to view diamonds as an integral part of any romantic courtship.

Fortunately, real diamonds (not cubic zirconium) can now be made artificially and there have been some diamond discoveries outside the sphere of control by De Beers, so hopefully the bastards can be put out of business or at least have their unethical practices corrected by genuine market competition.

I never understood why people like diamonds. I wouldn't pay more than 25 cents for a shiny piece of rock. Maybe if it's properties were put to use to make something practical, but not to wear around a freakin' finger.

Diamonds do have some great properties: they're great for saw blades since they're so hard to scratch, and they have uses in electronics. But the "diamond ring" thing is an awful sham from top to bottom.

My girlfriend told me that'd she'd beat me up if I gave her anything that doesn't have a practical use. So cute!

That's awesome.

When you know 10 kids (preferably AIDs infested pre-teen girls) have died to put that shit on your hand, it's worth some serious shit. It's like killing a baseball player to get instant value on your baseball card.

blood diamond is a good movie.

what about diamonds that are mined in canada?

what about manmade diamonds?

That's one of the new areas that De Beers doesn't completely control, so it's good.

quote:

Originally posted by Orbax what about manmade diamonds?

Yeah, I linked to an article about them.

quote:

But the sudden appearance of multicarat, gem-quality synthetics has sent De Beers scrambling. Several years ago, it set up what it calls the Gem Defensive Programme - a none too subtle campaign to warn jewelers and the public about the arrival of manufactured diamonds. At no charge, the company is supplying gem labs with sophisticated machines designed to help distinguish man-made from mined stones.

So jewellers can tell "natural" diamonds from manmade ones, for all the snobby twits who would hold themselves higher for getting a "real" one.

my diamond engagement ring is a family hierloom that eli inherited and i am quite fond of it.

There's nothing wrong with diamonds. I have some diamond earings and a diamond bracelet( & I only wear mine on special occasions ). As long as someone doesn't go over board with them, it's fine.

conspiracy theory!

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie There's nothing wrong with diamonds.

I guess that makes sense, as long as you think there was nothing wrong with northerners buying cotton grown with southern slave labor before the U.S. Civil War.

No matter who you are , you're going to find something wrong with something in life.

quote:

Originally posted by Frenchie No matter who you are , you're going to find something wrong with something in life.

I think that makes awfully light of something that is a really bad situation. Somebody might complain when one of his french fries falls on the ground, sure, but pointing out situations like this is hardly comparable.

Welp, ok.

Right. Diamonds from anywhere else are "ok" so long as they aren't from De Beers. So among the other 40% of the diamonds that are "ok" how many of those sellers have likewise signed on to the Kimberly Act to limit the trade in conflict diamonds much like De Beers has?

Most of De Beers diamonds come from South Africa and Botswana ... both countries that don't trade in conflict diamonds and benefit quite lucratively from their relationships with De Beers and actually funnel that money down to the people in social programs. Botswana boasts one of the highest income per capita in Africa where education and health care are provided by the state. Its only national industry is diamond production.

I don't understand the animosity towards companies like De Beers. It's not faciliating the exploitation of 3rd world workers more than any other major company (boycott Chinese goods why don't you) ... it's a monopoly of a luxury good so who the hell cares (boycott oil why don't you)? Let people buy diamonds if they want. Yea it's not necessarily true market value, but than that's their choice if they want to pay inflated prices for a piece of rock.

Most of the new discoveries are not happening in countries that trade in conflict diamonds anyway (Canada? Russia?).

quote:

Let people buy diamonds if they want. Yea it's not necessarily true market value, but than that's their choice if they want to pay inflated prices for a piece of rock.

Sure. Might as well point out how the cultural attachment to them is a Madison Avenue-created sham while I'm at it, though.

I don't have a problem with diamond production at all, and it's great that countries like Botswana are making money off of it, but I think it's worthwhile to point out the labor conditions and the reasons diamond prices are so high and diamonds are popularly considered "valuable."

And how on earth is oil a "monopoly?"

Diamonds, clothes, shoes....have shitty labor conditions.

Yeah, and two of those are necessary. Guess which one had most of the demand created for it out of thin air by ad agencies.

quote:

Originally posted by MrJiveBoJingles Most of the new discoveries are not happening in countries that trade in conflict diamonds anyway (Canada? Russia?).

And De Beers is actually engaging in consulations with Canada to develop their diamond mining. Yea it's a retarded monopoly but it's actaully shrewd marketing imo ... I don't think industrial demand is driving prices up, it would appear to be largely driven by the public perception of their worth. Kudos to De Beers for playing on the stupidity of the masses. If this were a commodity that had some significant utilitarian value, I might be upset. But it's a freaking rock on your finger. Good for de beers. Logic should dictate less demand.

quote:

Sure. Might as well point out how the cultural attachment to them is a Madison Avenue-created sham while I'm at it, though.

Dumb people deserve to have their money taken from them.

quote:

Originally posted by occrider Dumb people deserve to have their money taken from them.

Hehe, I agree.

Powered by: vBulletin
Copyright © 2000-2021, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.