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Well, their entire business model depends on persuading their clients that natural diamonds are a rarity and better than human-created ones. So I don't really e

Well, their entire business model depends on persuading their clients that natural diamonds are a rarity and better than human-created ones. So I don't really expect them to offer a non biased view here, even though their audacity is astounding.

colanderman 8y ago
Yep. I've seen lots of marketing spam on my elevator's "Captivate" box "educating" viewers on colored diamonds and how "natural" impurities make them that way. Very obvious ploy to increase the desirability of mined diamonds.
- John_KZ 8y ago
  Well, the whole point of diamonds is to show off wealth. Natural diamonds and their defects are more expensive and very hard to replicate crystallographically , so they're not doing anything unexpected.
  - kbenson 8y ago
    But they are more expensive in many cases because of artificially reduced supply, not because of actual rarity. Now, for a whole bunch of people that makes absolutely no difference (if anyone needs evidence, look at the Birkin Bag, which NPR's Planet Money covered well), but for others it does. In this case the market needs the average consumer to buy into that status symbol, and enough of them are price conscious that a cheaper alternative that almost nobody can tell is cheaper is quite a draw.
  - on_and_off 8y ago
    Somebody needs to persuade rich assholes that trying to make the world better is the new trendy way to show off.
- distances 8y ago
  Off topic, but I'm not sure I got this -- you have advertisements in an elevator?
  - astura 8y ago
    I've seen elevators with a mounted TV that's playing ads. (I believe I've only seen them in hotels)
  - komodo 8y ago
    Yes, we also have these screens in our office elevators. They show the weather, pictures of office views better than yours, and ads. I find the brand name "Captivate" depressingly accurate since you are trapped in a box with it.
  - on_and_off 8y ago
    I have these too at work First time I saw them I thought it was some kind of dystopian joke.

colanderman 8y ago

Yep. I've seen lots of marketing spam on my elevator's "Captivate" box "educating" viewers on colored diamonds and how "natural" impurities make them that way. Very obvious ploy to increase the desirability of mined diamonds.

John_KZ 8y ago
Well, the whole point of diamonds is to show off wealth. Natural diamonds and their defects are more expensive and very hard to replicate crystallographically , so they're not doing anything unexpected.
- kbenson 8y ago
  But they are more expensive in many cases because of artificially reduced supply, not because of actual rarity. Now, for a whole bunch of people that makes absolutely no difference (if anyone needs evidence, look at the Birkin Bag, which NPR's Planet Money covered well), but for others it does. In this case the market needs the average consumer to buy into that status symbol, and enough of them are price conscious that a cheaper alternative that almost nobody can tell is cheaper is quite a draw.
- on_and_off 8y ago
  Somebody needs to persuade rich assholes that trying to make the world better is the new trendy way to show off.
distances 8y ago
Off topic, but I'm not sure I got this -- you have advertisements in an elevator?
- astura 8y ago
  I've seen elevators with a mounted TV that's playing ads. (I believe I've only seen them in hotels)
- komodo 8y ago
  Yes, we also have these screens in our office elevators. They show the weather, pictures of office views better than yours, and ads. I find the brand name "Captivate" depressingly accurate since you are trapped in a box with it.
- on_and_off 8y ago
  I have these too at work First time I saw them I thought it was some kind of dystopian joke.