diamond buying guide
A Girls Guide to diamonds
Are you a sucker for sparkles? Do diamonds do it for you?
by
The diamond is a busy geological rock formation, playing a massive role in women's imaginations and creating a global billion dollar industry. The sparkly little rock is supposed to be everything from a girl's best friend to the eternal symbol of love (not to mention a little piece of financial security for women).
But is the value of diamonds all a crock of marketing crap and girly emotions?
Rob Parsons, who has worked for premium auction house Christies, says
diamonds were not considered a valuable gemstone until De
Beers invented the 1947 advertising slogan: A Diamond Is Forever. Once the
marketers and advertisers shamed men into thinking they were lame-os if they
didn't spend two months salary buying a stone for their beloved, the diamond
industry was set to rake in the profits.
"Diamonds
can be commercially manufactured to a higher standard than natural diamonds,
but if your boyfriend bought you a commercially made diamond not a real one,
you would be miffed and think less of him," he says.
And did you see that movie Blood Diamond, which dramatised the small section of the diamond trade which funded war, misery and child labour? The guilt of wearing a so-called conflict diamond would be enough to make you want to chop your selfish, manicured fingers off with a machete.
The not so pretty side to bling has also played out at the war crimes trial of the former Liberian president Charles Taylor in The Hague. According to Reuters, a Canadian expert on the trade in "blood diamonds" told the trial that Sierra Leone's Revolutionary United Front rebels earned up to $US125 million a year from the trade.
So if you don't want to be wearing the blood of some poor exploited African on your ring finger, what should you do? Politely ask your jeweller if he's been helping the Machiavellian evil slave trade while he's been polishing stones?
"Yes," according to Robyn Ellison, Rio Tinto Diamonds's communications manager. "As a consumer you should feel good about your diamond purchase. A reputable jeweller should only use suppliers who can provide a guarantee that their diamonds are from sources free from conflict."
You can click here to learn more about conflict-free diamonds, but the general selection criteria for buying a glitzy sparkly stone still applies: the four Cs.
CUT: The way a craftsman cuts and polishes the stone adds to the value of the stone. The ideal is a cut that highlights the brilliance and fire of the diamond.
COLOUR: Most diamonds appear colourless, but often contain trace elements that give them a slight tinge of yellow or brown. Ellison says D-colour diamonds are the most valuable in the white range, but plenty of diamonds come out of the ground in vivid pinks, reds or yellows and these can also be extremely pricey.
CLARITY:
The more blemishes, the lesser the shine. Clarity measures the flaws within
a natural stone like a diamond.
CARAT: "One carat equals 0.2 grams. The price of a diamond does not increase linearly with weight," Ellison says. The most exxy price increase happens once a diamond weighs one carat, where you can pay a gob-smackingly higher price for an equivalent diamond quality that weighs 0.95 carats.
So bling-a-ding-ding: tell me whether diamonds are your thing? Or not ...
The Skull is covered by 8601 pave-set diamonds weighing 1106.18
carats and was created by artist Damien Hirst
... beautiful, or not?
Comments:
I don't like diamonds. Besides the fact that I've know about the inflated prices of them since young I just reckon they don't look that great. Glass sparkles too and whilst many might say - oh but not in the same way, I don't think it's a difference to justify much more cost.
It would have to be my least liked gem. I find Opals to be far more beautiful and individualistic. And there are a myriad of other precious stones that have interesting characteristics rather than looking ummm... clear.
It's such a wonderful marketing ploy. Convince people that diamonds are
the best, restrict the flow and then sell a cheap stone for rediculous mark
ups - it's a wonderful business strategy. And now there's a serious PR
campaign around putting down synthetic diamonds which to the naked eye is
exactly the same as real diamonds - and people are falling for it.
 | Posted by: MikeT on January 23, 2008 2:07 PM |
My husband proposed to me without a ring on offer. That didn't stop me from saying yes.
We also had a small civil service wedding, where we actually required a ring for the service. Otherwise, our Indian culture does not demand a wedding ring at all. In fact, we show our marital status in other ways, such as the red vermillion in the middle hair parting and the black and gold beaded wedding necklace.
However in saying that, my husband recently bought me a 7stone eternity ring to match my 2 piece wedder set. I look at my rings every 5 minutes. Not just because its pretty and shiny. But because it reminds me of who I've married, how we came to be together and our future together. It reminds me of our ups and downs, our good times and what our future will be like.
For me, its not just an object, it is a reminder of my hubby, of us, of our marriage and our relationship.
I've never taken it off my finger and it literally will be there 'til death do us part'.
Regarding conflict diamonds, I didn't even know about it when we bought our ring. However, thanks to the movie Blood Diamond, I will definitely ask the question.
It is not right for others to judge. I enjoy my purchase and what it means to me and too bad for those who think otherwise.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but that doesn't mean I have to let it affect my decisions, my life.
| Posted by: babs on January 23, 2008 2:02 PM |
Stacey - I'm glad you feel loved and secure in your relationship!
That said, let's crunch the numbers.
Assume a $2000 ring. (This number bears no resemblance to anyone in general, and specifically not you. Scale it up or down as necessary.) Where does the money go? Let's do a back-of-the-envelope calculation.
$30 - mining and transporting the diamond
$30 - cutting, polishing and setting the diamond
$40 - gold band (based on current price of gold, plus generous markup)
$200 - 200% markup for the retailer
So, what's left?
$1700 - pure profits for De Beers and/or other members of the diamond cartels.
As I said, I'm glad you're happy. But if I were to give someone $1700 in the name of love, it wouldn't be a giant multinational conglomerate who practise anti-competitive behaviours.
Oh, I forgot: $10 - rent and security for the giant warehouses which stockpile tonnes of diamonds. Probably enough for a diamond ring for each finger and each toe of every person in the western world. Of course, being a cartel, they only SELL a few diamonds a year, to keep that price high...
| Posted by: Smee Jenkins on January 23, 2008 1:54 PM |
If, by any chance, my boyfriend and I end up engaged, I hope he will propose using my grandmothers engagement ring. For starters, the sentimental value is priceless, and being an antique, it will be something unique to look upon every day for the rest of our lives.
There also isnt the expectation then that he would spend two months salary on a ring. Two months on minimum wage still isnt as much as most people seem to be spending on engagement rings!!
Plus it'll match the gorgeous art deco necklace he bought me for my birthday yesterday!! :P
| Posted by: blissful on January 23, 2008 1:39 PM |
Debbie - you have offended me the most when reading this comments, but you're obviously taking the p*ss.
When an ex proposed to me he had a 2.5 carat diamond, I looked at it and asked if it was fake?!
My hands are so tiny it and it look so gaudy/ostentatious on my hand I asked him to take it back...I also gently mentioned that I preferred rubies and he came back with a beautiful 3 stone ruby set.
About 8 of us were talking about this on the w/end and the 4 girls were given the option of a $20K ring or a $1-3K ring with a 6 week holiday somewhere exotic....I was the only one who chose the cheaper ring...
...its horses for courses really
| Posted by: critter on January 23, 2008 1:38 PM |
No actually Smee, there is far more to my relationship than the diamond I wear on my finger. My relationship is deep, loving, exciting and very, very happy.
The fact that you would equate your relationship in any way with the ring you give a person upon marriage tells me that it is you that has a very shallow view of human nature.
Like I said, I would have said yes if my fiance had proposed with a bit of chicken wire. The fact that he put time, thought and effort into selecting the ring, and arranging the proposal was a welcome bonus, but there was years of happiness and mutal love and admiration leading up to that day, and there will be long after we marry.
| Posted by: Stacey on January 23, 2008 1:16 PM |
I suspect that those who are too 'deep' to want a diamond, or is too 'deep' to give a diamond are simply to 'cheap' to buy a diamond.
We engage in hundreds of rituals every day.
| Posted by: The truth on January 23, 2008 1:11 PM |
Whether you buy a "conflict diamond" or not, every time you buy a diamond, you are perpetuating the myth that the only valid expression for love is a diamond. You are propping up the diamond cartels that sells little bits of rock for extortionate prices. And although your little bit of rock might not have blood on it, you are supporting the market for bits of rock that do.
| Posted by: Smee Jenkins on January 23, 2008 12:23 PM |
Anjolee
The Art of Jewelry™
Diamond bracelets, rings, necklaces, pendants, earrings.
We are the manufacturer –You buy from the source!
Rapaport
to diamond industry: Just say no to credit memo.
In an impassioned "State of the Diamond Industry" address, Rapaport
Group Chairman Martin Rapaport said the jewelry industry cannot sell to people
on credit anymore and also criticized members of the trade for not trading
diamonds to keep prices from dropping.
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I can understand the appeal of a diamond, they do look nice.
However I can't understand why someone would prefer (let alone insist on) a "natural" diamond rather then a synthetically created one when they look the same.
There is nothing more "real" about a "natural" diamond.
In fact given that it's supposed "value" comes from an artificial scarcity I'd suggest a "natural" diamond is the one that is "fake"