Pimp Out An Object

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Well, yeah, diamonds are cool if you're using them for drill bits or something like that, but for jewelry - what does that matter?

Same reason that gold is valued, it's chemically unreactive. If you get an opal or a ruby, it can chip or discolour over time. Diamond won't do that. a diamond set in gold will be the same as the day it was bought for literally thousands of years, if not more, provided the gold doesn't wear out.
The only blemish might be grease and crap on top, easily removed by household detergents, which won't damage the ring or whatever.
It's not a once off purchase, these things are supposed to be passed on for generations. Same with the Go set, I'm smacking them on a hard board, might drop a few of them.
If I'm going to pimp something, I don't want a scratch on it that's not meant to be there.

Originally posted by agryson
Same reason that gold is valued, it's chemically unreactive. If you get an opal or a ruby, it can chip or discolour over time. Diamond won't do that. a diamond set in gold will be the same as the day it was bought for literally thousands of years, if not more, provided the gold doesn't wear out.
The only blemish might be grease and crap on top, easily remo ...[text shortened]... I'm going to pimp something, I don't want a scratch on it that's not meant to be there.

OK, I buy it.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
OK, I buy it.

Diamonds are a dime a dozen compared to gold which is much more rare. People don't invest in gold because it's unreactive.

Originally posted by smw6869
Diamonds are a dime a dozen compared to gold which is much more rare. People don't invest in gold because it's unreactive.

Diamond rarity is maintained by DeBeers (sp?).

well said agryson.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Diamond rarity is maintained by DeBeers (sp?).

I knew a guy who was so tight he stuck a piece of coal up his as and in two weeks it turned into a diamond.

Originally posted by smw6869
I knew a guy who was so tight he stuck a piece of coal up his as and in two weeks it turned into a diamond.

Ferris Bewlers Day off, nice one!

On other comments, "people don't buy gold because it's unreactive"... ok, I'll rephrase, they buy it because it's pretty and shiny and stays pretty and shiny for a very long time, almost forever in fact.

"Diamonds are a dime a dozen" apparently not or we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's true that gold is rare, but it's a metal, and can be recycled, pressed into very thin sheets etc. Diamonds, once cut, well, that's it. Diamonds as mentioned above also don't suffer from some of the disadvantages of gold, softness, wearing away etc.

Originally posted by AThousandYoung
Diamond rarity is maintained by DeBeers (sp?).

Yeah, I'm not too happy with those guys... just one example...
http://www.africaaction.org/docs00/sl0001.htm
that's just Sierra Leone, lots more if you run searches.

Originally posted by agryson
Ferris Bewlers Day off, nice one!

On other comments, "people don't buy gold because it's unreactive"... ok, I'll rephrase, they buy it because it's pretty and shiny and stays pretty and shiny for a very long time, almost forever in fact.

"Diamonds are a dime a dozen" apparently not or we wouldn't be having this conversation. It's true that gold is rare ...[text shortened]... so don't suffer from some of the disadvantages of gold, softness, wearing away etc.

Why don't diamonds appreciate over the years? Why was are money once backed by gold and not diamonds? Just asking.

Originally posted by smw6869
Why don't diamonds appreciate over the years? Why was are money once backed by gold and not diamonds? Just asking.

I think (not certain, but it seems logical) that it's because diamonds can have different impurities, whereas gold could be refined (being a metal) to an accepted standard of purity (the gold standard) I think it's 98 or 99 %, there's a figure anyway. That way, a given mass of gold, to the given standard purity could easily be compared with the treasury of another country, which is not so straightforward with diamonds.
A diamond with a dash of cobalt, compared to a diamond with a dash of sulphur are two different things. Also, diamonds do fluctuate in value, but this is a fashion thing, for instance pink diamonds and yellow diamonds, the colour coming from impurities have been fashionable at different times, changing their value.