Diamonds are girl’s best friend is a famous saying the world has for a reason: they are beautiful and every girl love wearing them. They glisten in the sun, are strong gemstones, and are highly valuable in the market of engagement rings. However, we can make diamonds in a lab, yet we are still trying to dig them up in mines and parks around the world. Why is this still happening and are diamonds really as valuable as we claim them to be?
Diamonds are the strongest mineral on earth and “is the most concentrated form of pure carbon in the natural world” (What Exactly). They are visual of affection and their “unique properties put them a cut above the rest” (What Exactly). They have a value high in the way they are made by the earth.
Man-made diamonds are manufactured because they cost less than to send men out to mine for days on end for a small diamond. “By subjecting pure carbon to intense heat and pressure in a simulation of the organic process” (What Exactly). Although man-made looks exactly like the real thing, people will still want the real deal. It will just cost more.
Diamonds are found by mining in certain areas of the world. One of them is the “Crater of Diamonds” and is in Arkansas. It’s now a commercial diamond mine where people can “pay-to-dig-mine” and keep what they find after paying to be there and do so. Not a bad deal especially if you actually find something worth value there. It can also be addicting.
In fact, people have found very rare and valuable diamonds while doing so. “The Strawn-Wagner Diamond” is a diamond that was found at the Crater of Diamonds in 1990 by Shirley Strawn. It is first stone to receive “a perfect grading of 0/0/0 from the American Gem Society. It stands as the most perfect diamond the American Gem Society has ever certified” (King).
However, there is a reason some people call it “blood diamonds.” Due to high human trafficking especially for children, diamonds have had a bit of a bad rep for some people. Although very understandable, it’s still a high value item especially in the U.S. Many people overlook the human trafficking issue of them.
“The most common misconception about engagement rings is that they’re some kind of ancient tradition that’s deeply embedded in human history in societies around the world. This is completely false” (Welssman). The people who first made this up was the first miners of diamonds. If you are feeling reserved in that fact, then its okay. Just make sure you are getting your diamond from the best source.
To conclude, diamonds are still a high value item built in “tradition” on engagement rings. This is all fine, but when it comes to human trafficking, it can be a tricky situation. When it comes to the subject why we still dig for diamonds – well, it’s mostly because of the money that they can sell those diamonds for. People will pay that high price especially if someone has dug it up.
King, Hobart M. “Diamond Mines in the United States.” Geology, geology.com/gemstones/united-states-diamond-production.shtml.
“What Exactly Is a Diamond?” Discovery, 7 Oct. 2014, www.discovery.com/tv-shows/mythbusters/about-this-show/what-is-a-diamond/.
Weissman, Ira. “The Big Lie About Diamond Engagement Rings.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com, 23 Jan. 2014, www.huffingtonpost.com/ira-weissman/7-reasons-why-you-shouldn_b_1720870.html.
