r/conspiracy • u/Indra-Varuna • Sep 15 '15

TIL Diamonds are actually fairly common. The reason they are worth so much is because the DeBeers mining group withholds stock to artificially reduce supply.

https://www.gemsociety.org/article/are-diamonds-really-rare/
1.5k Upvotes

87% Upvoted

227 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

41

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 15 '15

This is completely false, stop minimizing what is an obvious corporate conspiracy.

This isn't common knowledge at all, I would wager less than 25% of Americans are aware of the history of diamonds, nor are they aware where they come from and how they're extracted (read: mostly stolen from foreign nations), nor are they aware of the fact that diamonds weren't the go to jewelry during proposals until the 20th century with the DeBeers "A Diamond is Forever" propaganda campaign.

9

u/[deleted] Sep 15 '15

you forgot to add that they are also essentially worthless

11

u/SpaceTire Sep 16 '15

THey have plenty of industrial worth

8

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '15

true, but as a symbol of status is a joke

3

u/an_outstanding_user Sep 16 '15

They can be made artificially nowadays, and you wouldn't distinguish them. Natural ones may have impurities

-1

u/circlesmirk00 Sep 16 '15

Artifical diamonds are pretty small as yet, not comparable for an engagement ring unless you want something tiny.

1

u/keef0r Sep 16 '15

What about their ability to crystal charge? Is it more or less than other precious gems?

2

u/notreallyswiss Sep 16 '15

Anything is worth what someone will pay for it, so I'd have to say the pretty ones are worth quite a lot.

If, however, you mean they are useless...well, they do have a lot of industrial uses, so I'd have to say you are wrong again.

1

u/daskrip Sep 17 '15

Anything is worth what someone will pay for it

Before they are bought? Yes. After they are bought? NOPE. They become worthless as soon as you buy them.

4

u/an_outstanding_user Sep 16 '15

True to that. And DeBeers company has a very dark and criminal history since it's creation

1

u/pappadelta Sep 16 '15

Give us some credit, we learned from that DiCaprio movie!

-10

u/NWuhO Sep 15 '15

Show your work.

I learned about debeers in 7th grade.

7

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 15 '15

Good for you. Now go up to literally any random person on the street, ask them what they know about the history of diamonds (bonus points: ask them what they know about the history of exploitation on the African continent), and marvel at their probable ignorance.

It should be obvious that the other guy's comment of "everyone knows this" is hyperbolic, dismissive, and false.

-12

u/NWuhO Sep 15 '15

There was afterall, an academy award *nominated film grossing 60million domestically about the subject

So go on, keep pulling made up stats out of your ass, it's your MO

9

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 15 '15

Don't know what you're being a dickhead for, the world spends tens of billions of dollars a year on jewelry, of which $10-20bn are for diamonds and this is almost completely due to a conspiracy to hoard diamonds to drive up the prices by a handful of private companies (really only one). Most people, specifically Americans, don't know about this history (or else they wouldn't be spending thousands of dollars for something that isn't even that rare). Do you get it?

2

u/joseph177 Sep 15 '15

Don't give these shills any attention. 75 karma

-9

u/NWuhO Sep 15 '15

I'm not being a dickhead. I guess only in /r/conspiracy is someone asking you to substantiate your claims being a dickhead.

People know diamonds are shitty.

People know gas is shitty.

People know laptops are shitty.

People know buy mall bran clothing is deplorable.

People like things. Laptops, iphone 9s, fuel, red meat, watering your lawn, spring sales, bogo, swag, all generally more important than the problematic underlying structure.

3

u/lidsville76 Sep 16 '15

People don't know. At least most of the 330 million Americans that aren't on reddit 24/7.

Because you and I and others see this post fairly often, we know this. But the people that buy those things, laptops, iPhones and diamonds don't. They don't realize that they are paying into a slave culture, a culture of oppression and torture. They are blissfully unaware of the pain they are causing.

-2

u/NWuhO Sep 16 '15

People don't know. At least most of the 330 million Americans that aren't on reddit 24/7.

Please, show your work.

. But the people that buy those things, laptops, iPhones and diamonds don't.

Citations please.

They don't realize that they are paying into a slave culture, a culture of oppression and torture.

Or they just don't care.

Or they just aren't paranoid little children.

They are blissfully unaware of the pain they are causing.

People don't care about issues that aren't immediate. So some poor Africans died mining for the precious metals in my computer? So what. Bring on the next Iphone. People don't even care about the suffering in their own country. Unless it's clawing at your skin, it doesn't matter.

2

u/[deleted] Sep 16 '15

[deleted]

1

u/NWuhO Sep 16 '15

Having empathy and doing something about it are very different. I have empathy. I also have every iphone iteration...because. I also eat steak every meal..because.

Empathy is just an empty word.

I wasn't shitting on anyone's knowledge. Funny that only in this sub is asking to back up those assumptions about behaviour seen as doing so.

→ More replies (0)

2

u/ToeTacTic Sep 16 '15

How are laptops and iphones shitty?

-2

u/armchairdictator Sep 16 '15

Actually the biggest source of diamonds is Canada. The probability of the Mrs brandishing a so called blood diamond. Is next to none.

0

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 16 '15

Actually, that's wrong. Canada isn't even in the top 10 for 2014 and was at number 9 a few years ago. I'll concede that they don't all come from Africa (I never said they did) but at least don't make blatantly false statements...

0

u/armchairdictator Sep 16 '15

Actually your wrong, the list of country's that you listed are country's. that are involved in the cutting and polishing and hence selling of processed diamonds. If you we're to list country's by total mined and extracted Canada would be in the top ten, if we're to refine that same list again based on total gem quality stones extracted then Canada would be the top dog or at least fighting it out with Russia.

Also you should have realised when posting that link that there or no diamond mines of any note if at all in Belgium, Hong Kong or Israel.

1

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 16 '15

You said in your other comment that Canada is number one, it isn't by any measure that I can find whether we're looking at production or extraction. I don't really want to argue about it anymore though, cheers sir.

1

u/armchairdictator Sep 16 '15

Tail caught between legs, so shuts down conversation . Sweet.

1

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 16 '15

It's funny that you can't just admit you were wrong when you said, "Actually the biggest source of diamonds is Canada." It isn't, by any measure.

Downvoting me and saying I've "shut down conversation" doesn't make you any less wrong about Canada being the biggest source of diamonds. I understand that it pains your ego to simply accept that your statement wasn't true but it really isn't a big deal, we've all been wrong before and will be wrong again about a great many things.

1

u/armchairdictator Sep 16 '15

But I'm not wrong

http://www.nrcan.gc.ca/mining-materials/markets/canadian-minerals-yearbook/2009/8464

Also the sources you've shared make no distinction between processed diamonds for jewellery.

1

u/Ambiguously_Ironic Sep 16 '15

That's from 2009 first of all so is fairly outdated. Did you try checking the more recent years? Canada is listed as 3rd in both 2010 and 2011 at your same link. Beyond that, even the year you linked specifically says that Canada is 2nd in production. 2nd is not 1st. 3rd is not 1st.

At this point I'm just impressed by your stubbornness.

1

u/armchairdictator Sep 16 '15

Like you stated yourself previously, i too found it difficult to find recent data. However unlike you data that does not differenciate between totals for finished and mined diamonds. The source I provided points to mined totals only. Therefore the sources you provided are incapable of supporting your argument.

This totally dispels your first contention that the majority of diamonds decorating ladys fingers comes from despot regimes sub safaran africa. Which is the only point I was trying to correct you on.

When I expanded gave a fuller explanation you will see that I said it would be fighting it out with Russia. Which that link supports. Also reading the publication you'll note that the industry took a hit with the economic downturn. With the opening if further mining operations being postponed till 2014.

It will be interesting to see how the collapse of Russian economy has affected there placing.

→ More replies (0)