Diamonds are For-Suckers

So I don’t believe in diamonds. It’s not that I don’t believe in the actual gemstone, I do, it’s just that I don’t believe in diamonds for engagement purposes… kind of like I don’t believe in unicorns or stealing from sweet little old ladies. It’s just not my thing. Other things I don’t believe in include Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and Big Foot. But the tooth fairy? Well he’s real; I know this because I saw the Rock in the documentary “The Tooth Fairy.” It was fantastic.

Now you might be thinking, “How could you not believe in diamonds, Seth? It’s such an acceptable practice.” Well I believe in diamonds serving a certain purpose. It’s the hardest rock nature can make; years and years of coal under pressure that, most times, creates an ugly smoky mass that can be used for a myriad of different purposes. That part is true. And it’s one hell of a cutting tool as well. It’s just that I don’t believe in the idea of the diamond, as society knows it.

If you don’t know anything about diamonds other than that you’re supposed to get one when your boyfriend proposes, I’m going to let you into a few secrets of the diamond industry. Diamonds are one of the most brilliantly marketed products this country has seen since cigarettes, and might even be more dangerous. Just a little history lesson: In 1938, the De Beers cartel, I mean group, approached N.W. Ayer & Son, a prominent Advertising agency in NY. The price of diamonds had been stagnant at around $80 (1938 money) and De Beers was having a very difficult time convincing people that diamonds were the way to go for their gemstone of choice. The agency came up with the idea to convince young men and women that diamonds were a symbol of love, and that a long lasting love could never be complete without a clear sparkling stone. This had never been done with a stone before. To create the idea that diamonds were the world’s rarest gem, N.W. Ayer & Son convinced De Beers to start locking up their stock of diamonds in safes to keep from over-saturating the market. Since De Beers owned around 80% of the diamond mines in the world, this was not a problem. Well-funded ad campaigns involving celebrities, royalty and prominent female figures started to come out in print, and soon enough everyone was convinced that “Diamonds are Forever.” Future ad campaigns fueled by De Beers came out creating the idea that diamonds needed to be held on to, not passed down, and that the more diamonds you had stored away, the more wealth you would be seen to have. They told America that anniversary diamonds should be given for the 10-year mark, and single women should purchase the “right hand” diamond to reward themselves. Later De Beers was influential in being able to convince everyone that the proper price of diamond to give your sweetie is equal to three months of his salary. Around 12-15K for today’s average male. Diamonds were soon seen as the most precious of stones and love, as we know it, changed forever.