Diamonds Suck (2006) • Hacker News Board

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#51

Post by dang » Mon, Apr 05, 2021, 4:51 PM UTC

Threads about diamonds are forever:

Diamonds Suck (2006) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=26698511 - April 2021 (Diamonds aren’t special and neither is love - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25978139 - Jan 2021 (90 comments)

Diamonds Are Bullshit - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=25059605 - Nov 2020 (27 comments)

Billions of dollars of unsold diamonds are piling up around the world - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=23502201 - June 2020 (104 comments)

Shaking Up the Diamond Industry - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=22209364 - Feb 2020 (120 comments)

Diamonds Keep Getting Cheaper - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=21522898 - Nov 2019 (389 comments)

Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? (1982) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20818618 - Aug 2019 (237 comments)

The Elite Club That Rules the Diamond World Is Starting to Crack - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=20555503 - July 2019 (200 comments)

Would You Pay $32,709 for a Lab-Grown Diamond? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19287565 - March 2019 (34 comments)

Diamonds Suck (2006) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17186457 - May 2018 (215 comments)

Diamonds Are Bullshit - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17184539 - May 2018 (45 comments)

De Beers admits defeat over man-made diamonds - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17183603 - May 2018 (439 comments)

Lab-grown diamonds threaten viability of the real gems - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=16551147 - March 2018 (301 comments)

Diamonds Suck (2006) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12944464 - Nov 2016 (576 comments)

A Lab-Grown Diamond Is Forever - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11903409 - June 2016 (106 comments)

What the diamond industry is really selling - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11099809 - Feb 2016 (83 comments)

Diamonds Suck (2006) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10834567 - Jan 2016 (2 comments)

Diamonds are Bullshit (2013) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=9251952 - March 2015 (75 comments)

A Diamond Market No Longer Controlled By De Beers - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7793386 - May 2014 (111 comments)

Diamonds Suck - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6868968 - Dec 2013 (3 comments)

Diamonds Are Bullshit - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=5403988 - March 2013 (734 comments)

Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? (1982) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4535611 - Sept 2012 (225 comments)

Have you ever tried to sell a diamond? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1405698 - June 2010 (85 comments)

Have you ever tried to sell a diamond? - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1110283 - Feb 2010 (76 comments)

The Facts About Diamonds (and why I don’t like De Beers) - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1109318 - Feb 2010 (41 comments)

De Beers profits fall 92% - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=722115 - July 2009 (25 comments)

Diamonds on Demand - https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=330749 - Oct 2008 (16 comments)

For clarity: reposts are fine after a year or so (https://news.ycombinator.com/newsfaq.html). Links to past discussions are just for curiosity's sake. In the case of a perennial topic like this one, we probably should wait longer than 5 months though.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#52

Post by ashtonbaker » Mon, Apr 05, 2021, 5:56 PM UTC

silicon2401 wrote: post #45

ashtonbaker wrote: post #27

It's a bit odd to me to have a very clear condemnation of De Beers, their advertising, the diamond industry, purchasing diamonds, paired with a recommendation for a "diamond alternative". Isn't this just buying into the cultural expectation - artificially created by De Beers - of wearing an expensive clear-colored rock? Doesn't it benefit the diamond industry if you wear a very large moissanite, cubic zirconia, or ar…

It's easier to tell someone to eat less meat than to eat no meat at all. Similarly it's easier to tell people to get a diamond alternative rather than just no diamond at all.

Right, of course! And it even makes sense for a vegan food company to make its products taste as close to meat as possible to appeal to meat-eaters expectations about food, and decrease the amount of meat eaten in the world.

It's slightly strange, though, that the first part of the pitch here is basically "the cultural desire for diamonds, including your own desire for diamonds, can be traced back to this single ad campaign" - it seems like the logical next step in that argument is "therefore, do not desire diamonds", not "here's something that looks as much like diamonds as possible, to satisfy your desire".

I think it's harder to make the "unnaturalness of desire" argument with meat, though many vegans/vegetarians do try. And it's certainly not part of the messaging of the Impossible Burger.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#53

Post by t0mbstone » Mon, Apr 05, 2021, 6:16 PM UTC

Pyramus wrote: post #11

Another alternative is to simply buy second hand or from an auction. Personally I see diamonds in a league with works of art. There is definitely value, but it's subjective, generally a lot less then expected and highly illiquid.

Yep...

They can complain all they want about how diamonds have no resale value, but if the place you bought it from initially was an auction, then logic follows that you should be able to sell it for the exact same price at another auction.

In other words, buy jewelry from auctions and you will get exactly what you pay for.

I bought a wedding ring set for my partner for around $600 off ebay and then I had it appraised. It would have retailed for around $4,000 according to the appraiser. That's a massive amount of wasted money if I had bought it brand new!

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#54

Post by blaser-waffle » Tue, Apr 06, 2021, 2:05 PM UTC

c22 wrote: post #49

curryst wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I would nope right out of that one. Relationships change; rings can change, but tattoos do not. Nobody wants a constant reminder of a failed relationship, and I would imagine that your new SO wouldn't be super thrilled to be constantly reminded of your ex. Plus what do you do if you get re-married? Tattoo another ring on? Wear an actual ring over the tattooed ring?

Those properties are also what makes it such a good indicator of commitment, and of course it has the added benefit of not getting caught in machinery. I made a personal rule early in life never to marry someone I hadn't successfully lived with for 5 years prior and it's worked out well for me so far.

> and of course it has the added benefit of not getting caught in machinery.

They make safety gloves for that reason. And silicone rings too.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#55

Post by c22 » Wed, Apr 14, 2021, 4:18 PM UTC

blaser-waffle wrote: post #54

c22 wrote: post #49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Those properties are also what makes it such a good indicator of commitment, and of course it has the added benefit of not getting caught in machinery. I made a personal rule early in life never to marry someone I hadn't successfully lived with for 5 years prior and it's worked out well for me so far.

> and of course it has the added benefit of not getting caught in machinery. They make safety gloves for that reason. And silicone rings too.

Of course there are types of machinery where "safety gloves" are in fact detrimental to safe operation...[0]

[0] http://files.hria.org/files/OH4433.pdf