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A Diamond Is For Everyone
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, June 26, 2008.
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Diamonds have been symbols of wealth and power for millenia. But the 20th-century diamond industry has been tarnished with a stiff fine for price-fixing, and with conflict. Diamond wealth supported the rise of Hitler, South African apartheid, and rebel armies who killed and maimed thousands in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Congo.
A composite of the latter conflicts was fictionalized in the 2006 film "Blood Diamond." An international agreement to screen out conflict diamonds now governs the industry. But now a new threat, lab-grown diamonds, are practically indistinguishable from the real thing.
The South-Africa based DeBeers launched their "A Diamond is Forever" slogan in 1948 and established the association between diamonds and love. The lab-grown diamond company Apollo Diamond’s slogan is "A Diamond is For Everyone" - clearly a shot across the bow.
Ulrich Boser wrote about synthetic, or cultured, diamonds for Smithsonian Magazine, and he joins Word of Mouth to tell us how the natural diamond industry is fighting back.
(Photo by Steve Jurvetson)
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Word of Mouth is all about what's new. Online and on-air, the show looks at our fascinating and ever-changing world, and puts the latest ideas under a microscope. Word of Mouth investigates everything from science and technology, to health and the environment, to new trends in popular culture. The show airs Monday through Thursday at noon and is hosted by Virginia Prescott.
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It's true that diamonds may be synthesized, but this is not new. (G.E. was doing it in the 1950's) Synthetics pose no more of a "threat" than cubic zirconia (CZ). While they are more difficult to detect, they are closely tracked, and only someone inherently dishonest would try to sell one as a "natural" diamond. Furthermore, they're not inexpensive by any means; they simply present a somewhat less expensive alternative, but are as yet not widely available. Stick to buying diamonds from reliable sources, and this won't be a problem. Avoid any questionable internet sources, and if you're unsure about a retail jeweler, check with your state or local Better Business Bureau.