Thursday, May 10, 2007

The science of bling

I diamond is a girl's best friend. A diamond is forever. Propaganda that we've been fed by the likes of the De Beers Group for years. We've swallowed it down and begged for more.
Who doesn't love diamonds? They're sparkly, they represent love and status, we're supposed to want them...and did I mention they're sparkly?
Until recently, there's been a blind acceptance of diamonds. No one cared how they were mined or how they funded horrific civil wars. Blood diamonds, conflict diamonds.
The Kimberley Process was put into place to monitor the origin of mined diamonds and to ensure that conflict diamonds aren't hitting the market. Some see it as P.R. for the diamond industry and find that there are too many ways around the self-monitoring policies.
Well girls, there's a new diamond in town. The future is now.
The diamond industry does not like it.
Introducing...man made diamonds. These new gems are not mined from the earth. They are grown in a lab. They have the same chemical properties as "real" diamonds. Without the human suffering and guilt. Plus, they cost about 15% less than natural ones. There are two companies that are in the forefront of this new diamond industry: Gemesis and Apollo Diamond, Inc.
These new diamonds aren't mainstream just yet. But they're out there.
Although there's nothing quite as alluring as a diamond that has grown in the earth for thousands of years, there are new options for those of us who like our bling without the bad karma.
Something to think about...

3 comments:

mim said...

Thanks for getting this information out, Tere. Verying interesting sites. I'd love guilt free bling.

Noah said...

You might also be interested in this organization: Dreams of Africa.

Anonymous said...

The only thing more "alluring" about a diamond from a mine is that it is thought of as rare, and thus special. However, diamonds are not nearly as rare as people think. Large diamond companies control the trade of diamonds so they can continue to sell them at such a high price, and then keep that wealth away from the people actually mining them. I agree that man-made diamonds would be an amazing alternative and I hope they grow in popularity!