Newsflash: Diamonds are neither valuable nor forever!

[yakalskovich]

It's all just a decades-old publicity stunt of truly geological dimensions...



The article itself is almost thirty years old, and still nothing seems to have changed in the general setup of things. Diamonds are still considered a good investment, and indispensable for engagement rings. Even The Crisis hasn't destroyed the myth yet.

Also, there absolutely needs to be a 'Mad Men' episode about that diamond publicity stunt in one way or another, how advertising creates demand, and demand creates value. Just remember -- style icons of the time, from Marilyn Monroe to James Bond, have all promoted the value of diamonds!

Comments

Baubles

[wiebke.livejournal.com]

I have a TON of jewelry but I only have one diamond and it's an heirloom. My grandmother received it as a gift from a friend of hers back in the 1930s. Oma had mentioned a couple of times that she had no diamonds and would never have any, as she and Opa were too poor for that ever to happen. Well, her friend was a Jewish emigree who had a bunch of diamonds. She had one of them set into this gorgeous gold pin (that converts to a pendant) and gave it to Oma. It's so pretty. My mom gave it to me a few years ago. I took it the jeweler in my building to ask if the diamond was real. He peered at it through his lens and said it was a 19th century Russian cut diamond, worth thousands, even without the gold jewelry setting. I still haven't had a proper "appraisal" but I must say, happy to have it. Although like I said, fake sparkles are pretty much fine for me. I have about 20 rhinestone necklaces.