Sunday, August 24, 2003

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Gem-Quality Industrial Diamonds Coming Soon? It has long been possible to produce industrial diamonds of gem-quality, but not economically feasible: it is cheaper to mine them. This article suggests that is about to change. Something in me--I don't know if you would call it the curmudgeon, or iconoclast, or anti-romantic--has always savored this sociology thought experiment: what if gem-quality industrial diamonds were available for 1/100th the price of mined diamonds? How long would it take for diamonds to "lose their luster" as objects of beauty and status symbols? Not long, I'd wager. Yet from an abstract perspective, it is so illogical--a diamond, formed by whatever process, should still glitter as brightly. Plus I just hate DeBeers, and despise the jewelry-store "guidelines" about spending 3-4 months' salary on an engagement diamond! (As a personal aside, the fact that I found this article in Arts & Letters is a perfect example of why I love it!) 10:46:35 PM    comment []