I saw "Blood Diamond" last night. I will never buy a diamond, not that such a purchase

[crim son]

is in the works; but the film had too much Hollywood in it to quite work. Lennie DeCrappio (who I love as an actor BTW) in his final scene? Get real.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. what if the diamond is canadian? or manufactured?

[SteppingRazor]

2. Yeah, just get a diamond from Canada. Problem solved.

:shrug:

[buddhamama]

6. not exactly.

Poppy Bush is involved in Mining companies in Canada who have a bad history.

[crim son]

4. How am I to know for sure, is what the movie tells me.

If I was certain it was a clean stone I'd have no problem with the purchase.

[wildhorses]

3. his final scene did not work for me either

i have not cared for diamonds for many years because of this 'conflict'. explain to me about canadian diamonds...canada has diamonds, i did not know this.

i think arkansas has diamonds but, i don't care where they came from i prefer to work with and wear and other stones...

[crim son]

5. There were a few scenes that kept reminding me that at some

point the actor had probably attempted the scene and burst out laughing in the middle of taping. And I didn't know about Canadian diamonds either.

[wildhorses]

9. i thought he did a good job and i can understand

breaking character in a very tense scene. i just felt like it was not true to the character to choose death in africa over life anywhere else.

i thought it showed how tiwsted he grew up and brainwashed just like djimon's little boy was being done and how injustice crosses all racial barriers.

[seemunkee]

8. Canada is the third largest producer of diamonds in the world

[wildhorses]

11. thanks.

:hi:

[Crazy Dave]

26. I heard they used to supply about 20% of the US oil imports too

A lot more than we import from the Middle East which is around 10 - 11%. I hope an invasion there isn't in the works.

[xmas74]

24. There are mines in Arkansas

mostly for tourists. You can pay a small amount and look for gems. If you find one it's yours. The quality isn't as good as an African diamond but it's a diamond nonetheless.

I have a friend who found one this way. He and his girlfriend went on a long weekend together and did this for a fun event. (Don't remember if it was Arkansas or further east-some other friends have done tourist mining further into the Great Smokies and such.) Anyway, he found a very small diamond and kept it. He took it into a jeweler and had it polished and mounted onto a ring. When he proposed a few months later he gave her the diamond that he'd found.

I met another person who had a pendant made.

[wildhorses]

27. that is a nice story

good for him:loveya:

[xmas74]

28. Kinda sappy

but I've heard of people turning nearly anything around here into jewerly.

[bridgit]

7. if we are to believe bush's doctrine of "if they house a terrorist, feed a terrorist...

make it possible for terrorists to exist, etc..." then many a little american princess, and her parents, may need to be thrown to the ground for purchasing/wearing that new, swanky, sparkley little diamond tennis bracelet on her way to home-room...

but yeah, hollywood; what can you do :shrug:

[ghostsofgiants]

31. Well you could be conscious of where any diamond you buy comes from.

[bridgit]

32. most agreed, as well their various uses i.e. commercial, industrial, etc...

[grace0418]

10. Luckily I don't even like diamonds (even though they are my birthstone).

I'd much rather have funky, handmade jewelry ANY day over some diamond encrusted thing. I told my husband (who was just my boyfriend at the time) not to buy me an engagement ring, and our wedding bands are very plain. We're planning to get new ones this year to celebrate our 10 yr anniversary and they will be very simple as well, made by a local artist. Absolutely no diamonds.

[crim son]

12. I do like diamonds

and have several. Most I inherited from my grandmother but I also have rings, earrings, necklaces, that sort of thing. I'm not willing to part with them: that's how much I like diamonds. :hi:

[Karenca]

13. I do love diamonds (and many other gems, as well)--

But I won't them purchase anymore --

Same thing with fur coats.

edited to add: I used to love fur -- I don't love fit anymore -- When I see people wearing mink, raccoon, etc, ( and there still are plenty of people wearIng it in NYC), I get a tremendous urge to throw red paint all over them.

[crim son]

15. Same here.

I inherited a fur stole/cape thing from my grandmother too. It's in the closet to remind me of her but no way will I step outside in it.

[Bridget Burke]

34. I've seen museum "shows" of incredibly lovely, expensive jewelry....

I must say that Cartier makes some pretty fine stuff. But I couldn't imagine wearing it--even if I could afford it.

The shops that make me drool are the ones that sell Estate Jewelry.

[Connonym]

14. The real kicker is that they are virtually worthless

Manufactured diamonds or even good CZ are just as pretty. I'm sick when I think how much my ex paid for my engagement ring. Hell, the jewelry store wanted his car as collateral on the loan -- that should have been a giant cluestick. Live and learn I guess.

[crim son]

17. That's something I learned watching a documentary on PBS a while back.

It astonished me but the ludicrously inflated price didn't make them less interesting, to my mind. Like you say, live and learn.

[lildreamer316]

16. Simple solution for anyone who likes diamonds: Estate sales or Pawn shops.

There's plenty of diamonds ALREADY out there that need good homes! Reset 'em; make them original; recycle!
I inherited some; and my husband bought our rings at a pawn shop. I have enough; and told him I don't ever want any more.
Not big on jewelry anyway.

[bridgit]

20. that's a great idea...

:toast:

[lildreamer316]

21. Thanks..

I try to suggest it anytime I can.
It always goes over well with men because it means they will probably spend less money; and they can personalize it if they want by buying a diamond and having it reset in something else they design (my dad did this a lot for my mother!). Even if they can't do that; many (liberal) women will be heartened if their man tells them they bought them a 'used' diamond because he didn't want to contribute to the warmongering and slavery... (brownie points are always good! hee hee!)

Antique rings can be beautiful and unusual-the one my father gave my mother last has THREE large (3/4 ct?) diamonds in it of very clear quality; in this very unusual setting with black glaze on the ring. Never seen anything else like it; and it sure catches the eye. It came from an estate sale of some lady who had had it for 40 years or so. I can wear it with a clear conscious; knowing it has been useful to many, so to speak.

[xmas74]

25. Pawn shops are great!

I love walking and and looking around, especially at the jewerly. Some of it is gaudy but it all tells a story.

[Orangepeel]

18. me neither. But then, I always thought they were a scam.

Their only value is a socially created concept. "Real" diamonds look exactly like "fake" ones unless you are looking through a jeweler's loupe (and with a "good" fake, even that isn't enough), so people don't even want them simply because they are pretty. They are only worth anything because everyone has agreed to pretend that they are.

(yeah, I know that paper money is the same, but at least that has socially created value that I can buy things with at a store).

[grace0418]

19. That's exactly how I feel about them.

People are conditioned to see them as valuable, but plenty of things are sparkly and pretty.

To each his/her own, I guess. I just don't see the attraction. In fact, I think I find myself disliking them simply because I'm told that, as a woman, I'm supposed to swoon if my husband gives me diamond jewelry. I'm supposed to think that diamonds are the best present anyone could possibly get me. Around Christmas and Valentine's Day especially, the adverts make me want to barf. I hate being told what I'm supposed to like and want. No thanks.

[B3Nut]

36. Oh, they do have some actual value

as phonograph styli (vinyl!) and cutting tools. Though synthetic can probably work as well for industrial/technological uses...

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[VenusRising]

22. I've had issues with conflict diamonds for over 7 years.

When it was time to get our wedding rings, we went with garnet and diamonds, but the diamonds came from a piece of jewelry that I already had. My grandparents bought me a tennis bracelet for high school graduation. I was so disgusted by the bracelet that I took the diamonds out, melted the gold down with a bunch of my other jewelry, and made our rings out of that. Actually, my husband did all the work on the rings; I just provided the materials.

[Radical Activist]

23. I saw it recently too and it reminded me

how much I absolutely love Jennifer Connelly.

Great movie too.

[crim son]

33. Me too.

She's stunning.

[ghostsofgiants]

29. Check out this documentary, "Bling."

http://www.wghfilms.com/bling.htm

[bridgit]

30. there it is...

big stuff x(

[JustABozoOnThisBus]

35. It's not only diamonds

Blood Chocolate, Blood Oil, Blood Gold, there are a few products made, mined, or grown by slaves.

There's no way for the average consumer to know where a diamond came from. I'd guess Blood Diamonds find there way into the Canadian diamond market. Synthetic diamonds may be the way to go, if you want diamonds.