Diamonds Are A Chump's Best Friend?
[ 2 March 2007 ]
I decided that this year, as one of my Style Resolutions, I wanted to buy myself a really nice ring. Here’s what I wrote originally:
I have been wearing plastic jewellery for a long time & I think it’s time for that to end. Sure, when it comes to necklaces that I’m only going to wear for a few months, plastic is great, but if I buy anything that I want to wear for a significant period of time, it’s sad when the glue finally gives out, it leaves marks on my fingers or snaps in half. I don’t mean diamonds, since everyone with half a clue these days knows how corrupt the diamond industry is. I don’t mean normal old gold either, because it’s never really appealed to me. The yellow tones against my skin are no good. I do however like white gold & I am keen on cubic zirconia.
I don’t see why I should sit around waiting for a man to buy me something I want. I’ll buy it myself. I’m going to throw a party when I do, too. Anyway.
I went into a jewellery store a couple of days ago — a nice one, the sort where they will design anything you like. I asked one of the designers whether they worked with cubic zirconia or not. He said no, saying that they were too soft & scratched too easily. I told him I wasn’t interested in supporting the diamond industry & the atrocities that go on in Sierra Leone, etc., to which he replied that they were part of a group where the diamonds were “guaranteed conflict-free”. I tried on a couple of rings — nice solid bands with floating diamonds, that kind of thing, really stylish. He gave me his card & I left.
After I walked out of the shop, my brain switched on again.
How can they “guarantee” that diamonds are conflict-free? How would the consumer ever know, anyway? The answer: the jewellers can’t, & the consumer never would.
From here:
While less than 2% of all diamonds were at issue and far less now, in truth, no American jeweler can absolutely guarantee any diamond sold is conflict-free unless it is one of the new Canadian certified diamonds.
While I could buy a Canadian lab-manufactured diamond, I don’t want to. It’s not just the fact that the industry spills blood, or that jewellers will lie to their customers just to get them out the door. It’s the fact that diamonds are worthless, & that women’s obsession with diamonds is proof that anyone can be suckered in with enough advertising. They are a terrible investment. Why the hell would I want to support that?!
The whole thing is quite upsetting, especially because I like the look of them — which begs the question, WHY do I like the look of them? Is it just because I like sparkly things, or is it because The Media™ (dun dun dun dunnnnn) has ensnared me, too?
Regardless, my search for a jeweller who can do what I want with cubic zirconia & white gold will continue.
What do you think of diamond jewellery?
Super-love & cupcakes,
Gala 
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i have two diamond rings, my grandmas engagment ring and eternity ring. those will be the only two i will ever own, because i like things like that to mean something.
That’s lovely, & I like things to have meaning too. I hope I haven’t offended you or anything — my mother has piles of diamond jewellery which I am going to absolutely cherish when it’s mine — I just have qualms about supporting the industry directly.
sparkly heirlooms are one thing, but anyone considering buying (or begging) for a diamond really needs to ask themselves why? and at what real cost?
have you seen the film blood diamond? everyone, especially anyone who lusts after diamonds, should watch this film.
I personally have never liked the look of diamonds. I like brightly coloured or black stones better. I don’t know, I guess diamonds just bore me, maybe partly because everyone else is so crazy about them. And I’d certainly never pay the ridiculous prices for a glorified hunk of carbon that I’d probably just lose (FYI, I’ve been married three years, and I’ve been without a wedding ring for the last 1.5). I do, however, like the idea behind Lifegem.com
You’re right—diamonds are a joke—a pretty morbid one when you consider how many people have invested so much money in them and they have no tangible value since the value is based on scarcity, and they are anything but scarce in the first place. The scarcity has been created by a cartel that has been able to monopolize supply. Now that they can be manufactured, it’s really a joke.
I am something of an insider so I know things that most people are not aware of, i.e., I know people at a DeBeers site where the diamonds are “certified”. What they are doing now is etching the diamonds with a laser to certify them, but the people in charge of the place told me privately that there is really no way they can tell the difference between a natural diamond and a manufactured one. There is more, because diamonds can be altered by radiation, but let’s not get into that.
The other thing you might consider, since you like shiny things is a colored gemstone, like an emerald, ruby, sapphire, etc,. These are not being manufactured. Of course, there are issues with them as well because they have been formed by similar natural processes.
In any case, it is silly to not use a CZ just because it is not as hard as a diamond. They are cheap enough that you could buy a dozen spare stones and change them out every ten years.
Anything else?
Would you like fries with that?
lol Michael
Dee Dee — I haven’t seen Blood Diamonds yet, but I want to. It warms my heart to see celebrities using their power to get important topics into the view of the public. Even if it is mostly an Oscar vehicle.
Candice — I can’t decide whether lifegem.com is genius or mega-creepy… it’s such a fine line to walk, especially when it concerns the deceased. What did you wear ring-wise for the first 1.5 years of marriage?
Michael — Thank you so much for all the information! I appreciate it very much & it has helped further cement my resolve not to buy into the diamond industry. I have considered coloured gems but I think I would prefer something clear. I’m such a nut for colour coordination that I would be upset if my ring & clothes didn’t match — clear is a good way to avoid this problem! Haha!
i suggest canadian arctic diamonds. they’re not manufactured they’re just dug up out of the snow somewhere in the north. they have a little polar bear etched into them to prove their real (though obviously only a jewler could see that so you might ask to see it through their appraisal lense just to be certain)... but as far as i’m aware there’s no conflict in the NWT or Yukon.
anywaysk – i also agree with you on the idea of white gold – so much prettier and not only does it compliment skin-tone better, i beleive it also compliments the diamonds better- plus it matches absolutely EVERYTHING. you will never wear an outfit that won’t match white gold unless of course you’re wearing one of those plasticy-gold bathing suits… and i wouldn’t really recommend doing that.
A good gemologist could steer you towards some other diamond alternatives/ clear stones, perhaps white zircon (a different order from zirconium if I recall correctly), moissanite or a white quartz?
I agree! i’m admirant of the fact that you don’t want to buy into the diamond industry.
here’s a though: doing recycled? there are companies that recycle diamonds – usually the resale is CRAP anyway, so the rings are significantly cheaper.
Here’s one site i’ve found:
http://www.greenkarat.com/
Hmm, humans are so vulnerable to mental trickery, any opinion about anything is likely to influenced by something else. I don’t mind spending a lot for good quality, but for a stone… I dispute it a lot. To recycled jewelry, fur, leather anything like that I think it is definately better than buying it new. Firstly it doesn’t support the big industries that I am against and secondly, it is better to give something like that value and respect instead of making things so disposable.
do not worry i am not offended! i have plenty of cz and silver jewellery and people alway ask if its real and tell me its beautiful. all are shocked when i tell them it was $50.
Just my author: no girls life is complete without buying herself a nice piece of stone.
It’s sad because even with actual certifications you still have to be very careful! It’s like if you think of food – in the UK a lot of organic food is certified by The Soil Association and people use this as a guide. But in order for goods to be certified, they only need to be 5% organic, a fact which many people do not know. Similar with the Fairtrade logo – there is a lot of controversy surrounding this and how “fair” it is. I know that Lush Cosmetics refused certifications from both of those organisations because of such reasons. I know food and jewellery are totally different but it’s the point I’m trying to get across!
It is sad though that jewellers say things that are untrue to get people to buy their stuff. Just the other day this lady I know was talking to me about how she had wanted to get a new silver-coloured wedding ring as she was bored with her 23 year old yellow gold one. She went to a jewellers to get a white gold one made and they told her that it was a bad idea as it’d need to be dipped to keep the colour and she should have one made from platinum. She couldn’t afford platinum so they suggested palladium which is similar but cheaper. And she bought it!! I could have smacked her when she told me. I studied jewellery design at uni and white gold does not need to be dipped THAT often. Once every few years maybe. Not as often as they made it out to be anyway!
It’s not just diamonds though, is your silver jewellery (and any other metal of course) ethically sourced?
Life is too complicated! I’ve seen the most gorgeous jewellery in antique shops which I would buy though.
This is my year of learning to accessorise (inspired partly by iCiNG!) so I’ve been thinking a lot about jewellery lately.
I have no particular attraction to diamonds, and don’t plan to buy any, plus I have issued strict instructions in this regard about any possible engagement ring that may come my way :) If I wanted a clear stone I’d have no problem with a CZ or other alternative, but I like the coloured gems more anyway – sapphires in particular.
For budgetary reasons any purchases I make in the near future are probably going to be in the semi-precious line – and from small businesses, because I like to support them when I can and there’s a lot of really interesting jewellery being made by artisans/handcrafters that’s a step above “costume” but still affordable.
Diamonds have many great qualities, but, aside from the conflict issues, I also resent that their market value is high due to control of supply, rather than actual rarity. There will be jewellers who will work with CZ – that jeweller just didn’t want to offer an easily accessible alternative to diamonds. CZs have a scratch hardness of 8.5 on the Moh’s scale – less than a sapphire or ruby but more than an emerald (and I bet they had plenty of those in stock). Moisannite has a hardness of over 9 and is second only to diamond, but those I have seen have had a very hard glitter to them. I’m not a fan. White sapphire has been used as a diamond simulant, and I quite like that, though it may be hard to get hold of. Not as a replacement for a diamond, and no good if you’re dead set on facetted stones, but moonstone is a pretty one to consider for the outfit match-ability.
I’m with Zoe, I view diamonds a lot like I view fur. It’s not so bad if it’s an antique piece or an heirloom — why waste something beautiful that already exists? — but buying new and encouraging the industry to continue isn’t something I’m too keen on!
It’s funny you should talk about diamonds , just earlier on today my mum and I were watching tv for a few ticks when a diamond commercial came on , and my mum was all ‘Ohhh , I want that , it’s so pretty !’
And I said , ‘I’ve never liked diamonds . Or jewels . Or even gold , for that matter.’ And we started discussing why that is . We eventually decided on age difference – when my mum was in her twentys that’s all anyone wanted or something . And if you had a huge diamond , you were super popular ?
Personally , I like jewelry that is intricate and unique, and made specially for me , even if it only cost a dollar . :D
I really like the idea of buying a whole lot of CZs to replace the old ones when they bite the dust.
I’m glad that so many of you are so clued up on the subject! Thank you for contributing your thoughts, it’s all very helpful.
I second that you should look into Canadian mined diamonds. Working conditions are as good as any other Canadian or Aussie mine. http://www.polarbeardiamond.com/.
Also, who says you have to have a diamond? There are lots of great rings mentioned here: http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=channel4690300&site=blueprint
Hey… I found your blog through a fashion site on LJ and I must tell you that I’m a big fan! Your writing is fun, funny, full of information and thoughtful as well.
This post in particular addresses something very close to my heart. I am in school to become a metalsmith/art jeweler/maker of wearable body adornment and I’m constantly coming up against the mainstream idea that well-designed, well-made, good quality jewelry MUST be a certain label or MUST include stones (precious AND semi-precious) and/or fine metals to even begin with. People pine over jewelry from Tiffany’s, which is, in all honesty, really just high class mass manufactured stuff. They make stuff by machine! For the price of a Tiffany’s diamond ring that doesn’t distinguish itself in any manner other than as a status symbol, one can commission a meaningful, one-of-a-kind piece from an art jeweler. I know an artist named Jana Brevick who will cast a ring out of 24 carat gold for her clients and then melt it down and remake it into another shape whenever they want a change.
Also, many contemporary art jewelers use alternative materials/found objects and it is their job to make their pieces durable, even if parts ARE made of plastic, fabric, cork, hair, feathers, etc. So anyway, quality isn’t necessarily dictated by material.
Jennifer Trask does beautiful things with feathers and insects:
www.jennifertrask.com
Facere gallery has some interesting stuff, too: www.facerejewelryart.com
Melanie Bilenker makes jewelry out of the evocative drawings she does with her hair: www.melaniebilenker.com
The Velvet da Vinci gallery has a large number of great, creative work. www.velvetdavinci.com/artists.php
Lori Talcott (who graduated from my school): http://art.washington.edu/div_art/metals/alumni_portfolios/2002_talcott/index.html
That said, I do like the look of high carat gold because it is reminiscent of jewelry from ancient civilizations, when used tastefully. Mary Lee Hu (my old professor)does amazing work weaving gold wire with basketry techniques. (see this picture as an example: http://americanart.si.edu/images/1985/1985.22_1b.jpg)
But anyway, I just wanted to put some options out there for you, in case you get bored by all the same old stuff being made by commercial jewelers. And also just to remind people that art jewelry is often not much more expensive than a commercially made piece of jewelry.
Keep up the good work with this blog!
Wow! Thank you so much. Those are fabulous links. I especially love some of Melanie Bilenker, she is amazing! I’ll do an article about this soon… !
Lifegem.com also makes diamonds from human hair, if the diamonds-from-the-dead thing is too creepy. I think because they need carbon to manufacture the diamond, some human hair can suffice. A good environmentally aware friend of mine pointed out, however, that the actually manufacture of diamonds produces a lot of greenhouse gases, too (high pressure etc) so there are a lot of pot holes! Love your blog, Gala x
just to add to the conversation, i recently visited a jeweler in my area with my school, and we asked him about the whole issue. he said that all if his diamonds came from russia anyways [it’s a ridiculously expensive place because they have their own diamond cutting factory or whatever in israel they ship everything to] and it didn’t affect him. perhaps looking into exactly where the company gets their diamonds from might shed some light on what types of conditions they were mined under, without having to buy a manufactured one. just a thought!
I can’t get over my love for diamonds, ever! I found the most awesome large diamond-y looking stud earrings. They have that same vicious light reflecting from them, but in fact are 100% fakes!! So fake diamonds—or rather, FAUX diamonds, that sounds so much more chic—are my new love!!
I can’t believe I’ve never come across your website before now – wow! It’s nearly midnight but I’m slowly working my way through all your articles making notes (is that sad?)
I adore diamonds, they are beautiful regardless of their real value. I buy all my jewellery from Accessorize because they’re super sparkly and make everyone jealous! plus it’s only around £5 for a pair of earrings.
I would love a diamond ring one day, but I would insist on it being vintage. Both because I don’t want to support the diamond industry and I find the diamonds to be sparklier and the metal to be more “worn” (which I like).
I am inclined to agree with everything you said here, and it’s refreshing to know that someone other than myself is actually aware of this. Most women I meet seem to have no idea and just respond with “oh, but they’re the best/nicest/most classic/thing i have to have”. Which is obviously a tad disheartening!
Having been dragged around antique stores with my mother for a large part of my childhood (she’s now a qualified gemologist and valuer), I am quite familiar not only with the whole Sierra Leone situation, but also with the fact that diamonds are NOT the rarest, or most valuable gem. For a start, rubies and emeralds are much harder to find in a large size, due to their less hardy nature than diamonds…thus making them harder to find, and more valuable!
But personally, I like acquamarines and marquezites…aaand pearls…oh and also onyx. Haha. Can you tell I’m a jeweller’s daughter? Lol…
Anyway…kudos for the article :)
i have two rings with diamonds, one a heirloom engagement ring and the other is a cheap wedding ring that we bought in-advance cos it was perfectly suited to the engagement ring.
I felt so guilty after buying the latter, seeing Blood Diamond really opened my eyes. but I really do think that it’s just cubic zirconia, because it was too cheap to be diamond AND white-gold.
either way, that’s the LAST piece of diamond jewellery i’ll ever buy.
x