our love of diamonds..

Frontline did a documentary on PBS about the diamond trade in 1994.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/programs/transcripts/1209.html

The bottom line is the whole diamond business is built on psychological delusion.

DIAMONDS ARE NOT RARE!

Before the European invasion of Africa the palefaces got their diamonds from India. The discovery of the huge supply of diamonds in Africa could have, and should have, collapsed the price of diamonds. But the people controlling the supply wouldn't want that to happen. So they controlled the supply. The European concept of economics presents the other side of the equation which is, manipulate the demand. Movie stars were supplied with diamonds in the early days of the movie industry to provide free advertising. The entire concept of the diamond engagement ring was invented by De Beers.

So after all these decades we pay high prices for something that should be worth very little. The people running the jewelry businesses don't want the bubble to burst.

It's not just the conflict diamonds, it's the entire diamond market. The diamond market creates the high prices that drive the blood diamonds.

I have that documentary on VHS tape and told a Black woman about it and encouraged her to watch it. She told me she didn't want to see it. I don't know why people want to keep delusions.

umbrarchist

Thank you both!
(at last )

quote:

(at last Wink)

Could you explain that, please.

sure....
I posted a request in the Members Editorials asking for any info about the diamond industry and symbolism of the diamond shape throughout history. It's had no takers, lol. I'm researching and writing a script.

I had originally planned to write about blood diamonds, until I heard Saul Williams talk about same documentary whereby they take a hip hop artist to Sierra Leone to see firsthand themselves where the bling comes from.

No way I could do any better than that idea! So I switched focus to the symbolism of the diamond itself.

btw: He apparently convinced Kanye West to change the title of one of his songs originally titled Diamonds Are Forever.
That name comes from the original De Beers marketing campaign from the 1950s...