Having just seen a Sky news report, most Diamonds in the world come from the Killing fields of Sierra leone (SP?) and the money is pumped back into the civil war there..
So, if you didnt demand a Diamond ring, there would be less killings and if you didnt wear fur, then fewer animals would be killed...
any veiws?
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Most diamonds come from war-torn Sierra Leone
So by buying them you are funding misery
Sounds like a good excuse for when your lady asks about a beautiful diamond ring " Sorry love but i don't want to promote a war "
Yeah right, like that's gonna work !
Yeah right, like that's gonna work !
Diamonds, personal number plates, anal bleaching...all a total waste of money.
A lot of women I know are aware of the diamond situation.
I thought everybody was...
I wouldn't really be keen on having a diamond, personally.
I thought everybody was...
I wouldn't really be keen on having a diamond, personally.
QUOTE (Johnny English @ Feb 10 2006, 11:38 am) 
Diamonds, personal number plates, anal bleaching...all a total waste of money.
WTF!!... Did Mrs JE ask for Anal Bleaching for xmas, then?..
@ Topsy...
QUOTE
I wouldn't really be keen on having a diamond, personally.
Not even me??... I am a real Diamond,
Mate - with the money she is spending on the new house I would be delighted just to be paying for a bit of Domestos round her ringpiece.
She told me how much the tap is costing in the downstairs bog over breakfast this morning - buggered my day already.
She told me how much the tap is costing in the downstairs bog over breakfast this morning - buggered my day already.
There are Diamond mines around the world, heck even Canada now has diamond mines in the North. They are not just from Sierra Leone, so I will continue to purchase those nice shiney stones.
QUOTE (Grinner @ Feb 10 2006, 9:23 am)
Having just seen a Sky news report, most Diamonds in the world come from the Killing fields of Sierra leone (SP?) and the money is pumped back into the civil war there..
Thought the civil war ended there, non?
Edit: Just checked with a mate over at the CIA and they seem to think so too. He says that it's not all rainbows and butterflies but they're working on it with elections coming up in 2007. These may kick things off again but not necessaraily.
My favourite stone comes (in the finest form) from Afganistan. I still bought it when the Taliban was in, I'm afraid.
In your defence you probably purchased pre-2001 when none of us had a clue who a member of "The Taliban" was even if they had followed us home and ate half our dinner.
It is easy to lose track of all the bad guys these days.
It was all so much easier when I was a kid. Just had to distrust pikeys, northerners, kids from the comprehensive school etc etc.
It is easy to lose track of all the bad guys these days.
It was all so much easier when I was a kid. Just had to distrust pikeys, northerners, kids from the comprehensive school etc etc.
are diamonds that special, anyway?
other stones are more attractive, I reckon
other stones are more attractive, I reckon
QUOTE (Grinner @ Feb 10 2006, 9:39 am)
@ Topsy...
Not even me??... I am a real Diamond,
Not even me??... I am a real Diamond,
Only a Diamond Geezer!
If I'm really honest, I'd rather have a good watch. I just don't wear much jewellery, it feels cluttered (this is probably due to an Essex comprehensive "education" stuffed full of gals with rings on every finger and tons of chain necklaces).
So I actually own very little and wear even that rarely (I don't even have pierced ears).
So I actually own very little and wear even that rarely (I don't even have pierced ears).
Yeah, but there's just something about sparkly things like diamonds that gets me all excited.
I prefer amethysts, myself.
They're more attractive, have more history, come from all over the place and are less expensive.
They're more attractive, have more history, come from all over the place and are less expensive.
So now Mr. Jenny L knows what to get her for xmas:
QUOTE
Edit: Just checked with a mate over at the CIA
Sin, make a note of that - Keydeck has CIA links!
Naahhh it was a typo, he meant to say CIS - Co-op Insurance Society
To be honest this actually old news!
De Beers (worlds largest diamond company) have just posted record profits and abandoned the policy of mining diaminds in Sierra Leone and Angola in 2000
De Beers in Sierra Leone!
Sales sparkle for De Beers
De Beers (worlds largest diamond company) have just posted record profits and abandoned the policy of mining diaminds in Sierra Leone and Angola in 2000
De Beers in Sierra Leone!
Sales sparkle for De Beers
Topsy, there is something about a diamond that eclipses every other stone out there. It's the way it is cut and how clear and the color of it that make it sparkle like it does. It is truly mesmerizing. Just ask an American who has one.
Buy antique!
They might have come from Sierra Leone, too, or somewhere just as atrocious, but who knows?
They might have come from Sierra Leone, too, or somewhere just as atrocious, but who knows?
I thought all diamonds were antiques?
Good point, JE.
Buy pre-owned!
Buy pre-owned!
Google 'man made diamonds'. There's a wealth of information.
Man-made diamonds: a girl's new best friend?
Man-made diamonds: a girl's new best friend?
QUOTE
...That's because gem-quality diamonds are now being grown in laboratories in places like Sarasota, Fla., and Boston. Forget cubic zirconia and Moissanite, which are made to pass as diamonds. Lab-grown stones are the real deal. And instead of the millions of years it takes to create natural diamonds, they're grown by man in a matter of days.
Yeah, yeah. This will only create a "snob factor" for real vs. manufactured diamonds. Kind of like for natural vs. cultured pearls.
Then there's the 'dirty diamonds' - diamonds that have imperfections - like little black inclusions in them - they can be blasted out of the stone with a laser and then they get into the market as the real deal.
But, really, if these laboratory grown diamonds are that good, how will you even know the difference?
But, really, if these laboratory grown diamonds are that good, how will you even know the difference?
If you chose not to have a diamond but rather a different precious stone, is it certain that those fine stones don't also cause some sort of conflict or casualties?? Anyone know about this?
i thought Russia was by far the largest producer of diamonds these days?
If people hadn't bought conflict diamonds it wouldn't have become a world issue.
And then they wouldn't have made a movie about it and we wouldn't have had to suffer Di Caprio's awful attempt at an accent.
Damn you, buyers of conflict diamonds.
And then they wouldn't have made a movie about it and we wouldn't have had to suffer Di Caprio's awful attempt at an accent.
Damn you, buyers of conflict diamonds.
QUOTE (MoiLV @ Jun 20 2007, 4:49 pm)
If you chose not to have a diamond but rather a different precious stone, is it certain that those fine stones don't also cause some sort of conflict or casualties?? Anyone know about this?
I wondered about that myself. On the Wikipedia page for conflict diamonds, it states that "Other substances are sometimes sold the same way as conflict diamonds, such as cassiterite, coltan and gold."
I have only ever heard of diamonds being traded in this way, but haven't been able to find any solid statistics. I'd assume you're relatively safe with other fine gemstones, or simply demand proof that the diamond you want to purchase is conflict-free. Or you could buy a Canadian diamond.
ps - this is also an excuse to insist that all your jewelry be purchased from Tiffany & Co. -- they only deal with suppliers who can guarantee conflict-free stones
Thanks for the links, Georgiagirl.. Tiffany's too expensive. DeBeers also is one of the only jewelers who insure conflict-free diamonds, however they were the company to start the whole mess in the first place.
I still wouldn't feel good about purchasing from DeBeers despite its attempts to clear its name.
Boycott DeBeers.com
I used to be really into diamonds, and I do own a few pieces of diamond jewelry that were given to me several years ago.
But I have to say, they've just lost their appeal over the last few months.
And it's not just because of the conflict issue, although it's a factor. I just simply came to the conclusion that they're totally overpriced silly chunks of carbon. They shouldn't be the ideal representation of love and commitment that they've been made out to be by the advertising industry.
Far be it from me to criticise anyone else for wanting one. They are indeed purty. I'll just never own another one, cos I just flat-out don't want another one. Money's better spent elsewhere.
From Anil Dash's blog: Diamonds are for never
Boycott DeBeers.com
I used to be really into diamonds, and I do own a few pieces of diamond jewelry that were given to me several years ago.
But I have to say, they've just lost their appeal over the last few months.
And it's not just because of the conflict issue, although it's a factor. I just simply came to the conclusion that they're totally overpriced silly chunks of carbon. They shouldn't be the ideal representation of love and commitment that they've been made out to be by the advertising industry.
Far be it from me to criticise anyone else for wanting one. They are indeed purty. I'll just never own another one, cos I just flat-out don't want another one. Money's better spent elsewhere.
From Anil Dash's blog: Diamonds are for never
QUOTE
So, we all know that diamonds are intrinsically worthless stones whose popularity and value are a recent creation, the result of a concerted marketing efffort by a monopolist cartel whose control on its market makes Microsoft look like amateurs.
And even if one doesn't disagree with the morality of a company that blithely funded the South African economy during the embargo-strained apartheid years, the fact that fifteen percent of the diamonds on the U.S. market are conflict diamonds that either helped fund, prolong, or motivate violence in Africa ought to give anyone pause when buying into the hype that's been generated over a stone that's far from the rarest gem on earth. Even diamond advocates concede that, once they've been cut, it's virtually impossible to tell stones that are from areas of conflict apart from ones that were legitimately mined, making it unlikely that stores selling cut stones can have any way of guaranteeing that their diamonds didn't originate in areas of conflict.
But you might not be convinced by all of that, so I'll give you another reason to avoid them: The people selling them are fucking pigs.
And even if one doesn't disagree with the morality of a company that blithely funded the South African economy during the embargo-strained apartheid years, the fact that fifteen percent of the diamonds on the U.S. market are conflict diamonds that either helped fund, prolong, or motivate violence in Africa ought to give anyone pause when buying into the hype that's been generated over a stone that's far from the rarest gem on earth. Even diamond advocates concede that, once they've been cut, it's virtually impossible to tell stones that are from areas of conflict apart from ones that were legitimately mined, making it unlikely that stores selling cut stones can have any way of guaranteeing that their diamonds didn't originate in areas of conflict.
But you might not be convinced by all of that, so I'll give you another reason to avoid them: The people selling them are fucking pigs.
Hi there
You can actually have diamonds made these days. They can be certified just like the natural diamonds but you don't have a conflict issue. In fact, you can have them made with your fiance's DNA - so it is a very special engagement ring, just like a family jewellery. www.heart-in-diamond.co.uk makes them.
You can actually have diamonds made these days. They can be certified just like the natural diamonds but you don't have a conflict issue. In fact, you can have them made with your fiance's DNA - so it is a very special engagement ring, just like a family jewellery. www.heart-in-diamond.co.uk makes them.
Most jewelery is "the emperors new clothes" in my humble opinion. Not getting too high horse on this stuff, as in theory we never NEED a bigger car, new pair of jeans, new jacket etc etc - so probably 90% of consumer goods are non-essential.
But jewels seem to be the tip of the "pointless" iceberg for me. They serve no function. At least that Hugo Boss jacket might keep you warm, and that pointless plasma telly provide some amusement. Even a watch tells the time.
Diamonds do indeed seem to be a con, especially as from about 3 feet away I don't think 99% of people could tell if it was diamond or zirconium.
But jewels seem to be the tip of the "pointless" iceberg for me. They serve no function. At least that Hugo Boss jacket might keep you warm, and that pointless plasma telly provide some amusement. Even a watch tells the time.
Diamonds do indeed seem to be a con, especially as from about 3 feet away I don't think 99% of people could tell if it was diamond or zirconium.
JE, this is a cultural supremacy message. "My fiancee is so rich, he doesn't mind spending $XXXXX on a ring for me, even if it's useless". Sort of handicap principle, where the handicap is the amount of money spend on something you don't need to have.
Hmmmmmmmmm.
Not sure what the pyschology is on this issue. I have a mate in SA got married 3-4 years ago. Spent something obscene like £10,000 on a diamond direct from a mine or something - the thing must be the size of a rugby ball. And another in the UK just spent some nutty amount on an engagement ring (forgotten how much now).
Since you mention they both took time out to "mention" to me what they spent.
I however have spent the grand total of £680 to date on jewellery for my wife over the last 15 years. £80 on a dodgy knock-off watch from a service station in the UK, and £600 on her combined wedding/engagement ring.
Conclusion is therefore either:
1. I am tight as a badgers arse.
2. I have my priorities right.
No need to actually answer the above. I am happy if you keep your opinions to yourself.
Not sure what the pyschology is on this issue. I have a mate in SA got married 3-4 years ago. Spent something obscene like £10,000 on a diamond direct from a mine or something - the thing must be the size of a rugby ball. And another in the UK just spent some nutty amount on an engagement ring (forgotten how much now).
Since you mention they both took time out to "mention" to me what they spent.
I however have spent the grand total of £680 to date on jewellery for my wife over the last 15 years. £80 on a dodgy knock-off watch from a service station in the UK, and £600 on her combined wedding/engagement ring.
Conclusion is therefore either:
1. I am tight as a badgers arse.
2. I have my priorities right.
No need to actually answer the above. I am happy if you keep your opinions to yourself.
Is a badger's arse tighter than a duck's arse?
Not especially but the Badgers fur can be rather more prickly.
QUOTE (Malcolm Spudbury @ Jun 20 2007, 4:05 pm)
If people hadn't bought conflict diamonds it wouldn't have become a world issue.
And then they wouldn't have made a movie about it and we wouldn't have had to suffer Di Caprio's awful attempt at an accent.
Damn you, buyers of conflict diamonds.
And then they wouldn't have made a movie about it and we wouldn't have had to suffer Di Caprio's awful attempt at an accent.
Damn you, buyers of conflict diamonds.
lol His accent was just as bad as Hounsou's. Blood Diamonds wasn't a bad attempt at further highlighting the subject, even though I think 'Lord of War' does a better job.
Personally, I'm not into flashy things but if that works for you then that's fine. People shouldn't have to boycott diamonds or the dealers. At the end of the day your boycott changes the actors (customers) of the business not the nature.
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