jonathan-cunningham: askepticandafeminist: diamonds are nobody’s best friend Diamonds are the least sexy or romantic thing I can think of.  Do you really want the symbol of your love to make you think about the warlords who cut off the hands of teenage boys to ensure they’ll never rise up?  Diamonds are forever, but human lives are tragically short.  Don’t make them shorter for your personal amusement.  Credit goes to De Beers for building a near-monopoly and employing one of the most successful advertising campaigns ever.  They convinced us that diamonds are rare and thus valuable.  Diamonds aren’t rare, but by controlling the supply, De Beers was able to inflate the price.  They also convinced us that diamonds held sentimental value, thus nearly eliminating the second-hand market. So some people have been duped out of money that could be better spent, but it’s worth pointing out that about half the diamonds traded are mined in Africa (though that doesn’t automatically equal slave labor).  About 2-3% are considered conflict diamonds.  There are international treaties and national laws to block the sale of conflict diamonds, but a few inevitably make it through.  Any informed consumers can find out where their diamonds come from. Is it fair to suggest that ‘superficial’ women with overpriced rocks on their fingers have blood on their hands?  Or that they are cutting human lives short for their own amusement?  Not likely.  Furthermore, about 80% of all diamonds mined are used by industry to make cutting, grinding, and drilling tools.  Some are found in electronics.  So it doesn’t follow that these women are to blame; we can disparage the ‘diamonds are forever’ symbol of love, but nearly all of us consume diamonds in some form or another. 
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jonathan-cunningham:

askepticandafeminist:

diamonds are nobody’s best friend

Diamonds are the least sexy or romantic thing I can think of.  Do you really want the symbol of your love to make you think about the warlords who cut off the hands of teenage boys to ensure they’ll never rise up?  Diamonds are forever, but human lives are tragically short.  Don’t make them shorter for your personal amusement. 

Credit goes to De Beers for building a near-monopoly and employing one of the most successful advertising campaigns ever.  They convinced us that diamonds are rare and thus valuable.  Diamonds aren’t rare, but by controlling the supply, De Beers was able to inflate the price.  They also convinced us that diamonds held sentimental value, thus nearly eliminating the second-hand market.

So some people have been duped out of money that could be better spent, but it’s worth pointing out that about half the diamonds traded are mined in Africa (though that doesn’t automatically equal slave labor).  About 2-3% are considered conflict diamonds.  There are international treaties and national laws to block the sale of conflict diamonds, but a few inevitably make it through.  Any informed consumers can find out where their diamonds come from.

Is it fair to suggest that ‘superficial’ women with overpriced rocks on their fingers have blood on their hands?  Or that they are cutting human lives short for their own amusement?  Not likely.  Furthermore, about 80% of all diamonds mined are used by industry to make cutting, grinding, and drilling tools.  Some are found in electronics.  So it doesn’t follow that these women are to blame; we can disparage the ‘diamonds are forever’ symbol of love, but nearly all of us consume diamonds in some form or another. 

Source: sadomars

957 Notes/ Hide

  1. wordstowrite reblogged this from alittledysfunctional and added:
    Conflict-free diamonds and gemstones are the way to go.
  2. revolution1893 reblogged this from silverice92
  3. silverice92 reblogged this from xx-rapunzel-xx and added:
    I’m also guilty of having them and I’ll make conscious decision not to have them. Good thing though is that I prefer...
  4. xx-rapunzel-xx reblogged this from jonathan-cunningham and added:
    ————- I’m guilty of having diamond jewelry. But, I’m trying to make a conscious effort to not receive any new jewelry -...
  5. jesssydreams reblogged this from simoneteala
  6. splendidbeauty reblogged this from autumn-flow
  7. spacerats reblogged this from -iwilldestroyyou
  8. dolphinthoughts reblogged this from scissorflags and added:
    Just one reason why i dont like jewelry
  9. pyra-the-pyro reblogged this from under-your-boot-soles
  10. theshunnedhouse reblogged this from sadomars
  11. canceroustrouble reblogged this from cocknbull
  12. nuh-bill reblogged this from sadomars
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  14. barbielovesmy reblogged this from undermysombrero
  15. undermysombrero reblogged this from sadomars
  16. brittanybondage reblogged this from kushite
  17. weruinlives reblogged this from burning-soul
  18. thisonesfellow reblogged this from burning-soul
  19. jessie-andthechipmunks reblogged this from burning-soul
  20. under-your-boot-soles reblogged this from burning-soul and added:
    Not only do I just not like diamonds, but I also don’t like them for precisely this reason.
  21. rainandcitystreets reblogged this from burning-soul
  22. kushite reblogged this from burning-soul
  23. mindofmike reblogged this from biddypunk
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