4 ms·

That's a good point, the difference doesn't have to be in the item itself, BUT - Does anyone, other than geologists of course, really care about the back-story

• coddle-hark 6y ago
  > Does anyone, other than geologists of course, really care about the back-story of the diamond, how it was created and how it was mined? Yes, very much so, as is the case with all lifestyle products. People want to believe that they’re buying something special.
  • Nursie 6y ago
    Really? I've never met anyone that talked about it at all. Maybe I don't have conversations about diamonds very often, but people only ever seemed concerned that they were 'real', and latterly that they were conflict-free. > People want to believe that they’re buying something special. What if it turns out they're not?
    • alfiedotwtf 6y ago
      Jewelers provide certifications when buying diamonds. They'd be a) on the hook if they sold counterfeit products, and b) they wouldn't be able to sell anymore because of a tarnished brand.
      • shawnz 6y ago
        I don't think the suggestion is that they'd sell counterfeits. The suggestion is that even the real thing has no special differentiating properties. The authenticity certificate is just a tool to achieve better signaling, nobody cares what it says as long as it says "authentic".
      • Nursie 6y ago
        What I meant was what if it turns out diamonds are not special after all? Lab grown diamonds are diamonds. Whether one comes out of the ground or from a lab, maybe they aren’t that special.
        • alfiedotwtf 6y ago
          Ah. A lot of economists have argued that the "value" of something is based on the labor cost of production. So given that viewpoint, mined diamonds would be worth more than lab ones, even if they were identical in every way (yes, I also think this is silly, but that's what the market's indicating even today).
          • Nursie 6y ago
            I'm pretty sure that doesn't really apply in such a massively manipulated market! (And yes, those economists would tend to get laughed out of the room these days)
    • ZephyrBlu 6y ago
      > What if it turns out they're not? Buyers remorse or post-rationalization.
  • humanrebar 6y ago
    Someone should pay celebrities to wear specific jewelry with lab created stones to galas and awards ceremonies. Then resell the pieces, or even just the stones, at a premium since they were worn by <insert story here>. Then folks would be buying something ethical and more glamorous. Maybe philanthropic donations could be associated to revitalize areas hurt by the diamond industry to further tell a story for the celebrities and consumers.
    • rstupek 6y ago
      Funny you mention that since that's how diamonds became the thing women desired in the first place
    • PoignardAzur 6y ago
      They would need a catchy name, though... Something like Naturally Famous Treasure, or NFT for short?
• deleted 6y ago
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• throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  I think the white collar internet kind of distorts the picture because it tends to heavily reward things that signal compliance with rule of law. There are a lot of people who would consider a car, diamond, piece of art, etc that has "a decently long chain of people had to stick their neck out doing criminal things" in its provenance to be a more interesting than an equivalent "produced in a high tech factory". I think even with synthetic diamonds being 100% on par in every way there will still be a market for ethically and legally gray diamonds because people want to know they're buying something that someone toiled and/or took risks for. I'd say price will probably be the determining factor but luxury status symbol markets don't work that way.
• Haemm0r 6y ago
  "Does anyone, other than geologists of course, really care about the back-story of the diamond, how it was created and how it was mined?" Yes of course. Everybody can buy a ring with a diamond, but if they sell you a story with it you can tell, it is even better :)
  • Nursie 6y ago
    > Yes of course. Everybody can buy a ring with a diamond, but if they sell you a story with it you can tell, it is even better :) A story about geology and how it was dug up? The same story as literally every other diamond wearer?
• hrktb 6y ago
  The people in these stories don’t buy diamond for their mechanical properties or bore tunnels, so everything surrounding the diamond itself is what matters. How it was mined, where it came from, which company sells it and how all of that is marketed to the world (not even really to the owner) is the value of all of this. It’s like sending a unicef postcard, what matters the most would be the effect on the receiver and how the sender feels about it. The object itself isn’t on the front stage.
  • Nursie 6y ago
    > How it was mined, where it came from I've never met anyone that cares about that at all, beyond 'conflict-free'.