fvck debeers!

[NakaNaka]

To me, it's not just about the money. Well - yeah cheap diamonds are nice, but I can't stand what DeBeers is doing to Africa. Watch a FrontLine special about the wars going on over the diamonds and you will see why you don't want to buy from DeBeers. Also - the price of diamonds could be much cheaper, but DeBeers keeps such a stranglehold on the supply (they have so many diamonds just waiting to be put out into the market when they want) that the price stays sky high. So I agree with the subject of the thread.

Oh - and I read the article on Tuesday when I got my Wired. Very interesting/good read.

 

[Codewiz]

The reason a woman doesn't want a old school synthetic "diamond" is because it ISN'T A DIAMOND. These new man made diamonds are diamonds. They are the real thing. They are the exact same molecular structure. That could never be said for synthetic "diamonds" before. They were always some other material that to the naked eye looked like a diamond.

These "cultured" diamonds are going to change the industry. The diamond will still last forever and you can get a perfectly flawless one. What isn't to like about it? The fact that some prisoner didn't dig it up? Come on......

 

[0roo0roo]

wired as ussual s a great magazine. the cover would make a decent wallpaper.

 

[Fausto]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
wired as ussual s a great magazine. the cover would make a decent wallpaper.

I wanna know who the model is....she has a couple of lovely facets. 😀

 

[DrPizza]

wow, for those who think the price of diamonds is going to drop dramatically... you have to learn about supply and demand...

Those making the synthetic diamonds aren't turning them out by the millions.... If Debeers can sell a 3ct yellow diamond for $10,000 do you think the guys making the indistinguishable diamonds are going to sell them for $100? Get real. (or think)
They can easily sell the synthetic for $9000 or more, especially if they're indistinguishable from the real thing. The only way they would drop closer to the cost of manufacturing them is if the process was one which everyone could and would copy, with the minimum amount of modifications so as not to infringe upon the patent...

 

[kranky]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
wow, for those who think the price of diamonds is going to drop dramatically... you have to learn about supply and demand...

Those making the synthetic diamonds aren't turning them out by the millions.... If Debeers can sell a 3ct yellow diamond for $10,000 do you think the guys making the indistinguishable diamonds are going to sell them for $100? Get real. (or think)
They can easily sell the synthetic for $9000 or more, especially if they're indistinguishable from the real thing. The only way they would drop closer to the cost of manufacturing them is if the process was one which everyone could and would copy, with the minimum amount of modifications so as not to infringe upon the patent...

You're right that supply and demand are part of the deal. But you are assuming that demand would stay constant. I think demand will drop once the synthetic diamonds are widely available. A lot of the mystique that drives demand for diamonds would be gone. I think the demand would migrate to some other stone that's not being faked.

There was little demand for diamonds before DeBeers created it. There's no guarantee that demand would stay the same once people realize they could get one for the price of a nice dinner out.

 

[jhu]

of course. and remember that aluminum was once a precious metal before better methods of refining became available.

 

[Buttzilla]

hmm an aluminun setting on a platinum ring. nice

 

[Storm]

Originally posted by: BigSmooth
Here's the thing: lab-created sapphires (and other gemstones) have been around and widely available for a VERY long time, yet "natural" sapphires are still in much higher demand and are far more expensive. People want the "real thing". DeBeers ain't going anywhere for a very long time, unfortunately.

Yes, but according to jewelers they can easily distinguish the different between a real and fake sapphires. As for these synthetic diamonds, its not so easy. You need thousands of dollars to buy the machinery to look at the structure. Now apparently the Apollo diamond's structure is too perfect.

But if they form a boron-doped n-type diamond and create a p-n junction for conductivity, I dont see how they wont be able to insert random flaws in the diamond structure. It would then be a question of how random is the flaw?

It seems to be synthetics wont be perfected until Moore's law reaches the end with silicon. Then with the backing of governments and chip companies will it really start to mature.

Originally posted by: DrPizza
wow, for those who think the price of diamonds is going to drop dramatically... you have to learn about supply and demand...

Those making the synthetic diamonds aren't turning them out by the millions.... If Debeers can sell a 3ct yellow diamond for $10,000 do you think the guys making the indistinguishable diamonds are going to sell them for $100? Get real. (or think)
They can easily sell the synthetic for $9000 or more, especially if they're indistinguishable from the real thing. The only way they would drop closer to the cost of manufacturing them is if the process was one which everyone could and would copy, with the minimum amount of modifications so as not to infringe upon the patent...

I think you bring up a good point, but maybe DeBeers will supply as many jewelers as they can with equipment to detect how perfect the diamond structure is. That way they could spam the market with information on these so-called fake synthetic diamonds.

Now if random flaws are introduced into structure, it most likely will be indistinguishable from the real thing.
Apollo could sell a 3ct yellow diamond for $2500 to jewelers who could then double the price and sell it for $5000. Thats still a hefty profit.