Anyone who read the book Blood Diamond, or even watched the movie, might have some different opinions on the extravagant value that the merchants put on diamonds. Undeniably, the diamond industry has made this 120 years of industry more profitable than most of the brick-and-mortars. Its sophistication levels on controlling the productions, marketing and sales; the way they cultivate the product imagines and dynamically direct and control the politically climate to create market demand, all and all, came from the visions of one single man, who had no formal education and had virtually no money to start with, Cecil Rhodes, the founder of the one and only dominating diamond company in the world, De Beers.Even today, it is inconceivable to many that, out of this $81 billion annual sales industry, De Beers has over $60 billion sales, and the U.S. customers consumed more than $31 billion dollars (2004), over 50% of its sales are to the U.S. —and, more amazingly, this happens when De Beers, the world largest diamond company, is prohibited by law to do any direct business with any U.S. company because of its monopoly position in the world of diamond, which is in violation of U.S. Antitrust Law. There is also a U.S. law specifically prohibits De Beers in conducting formal business in the U.S., no more than three officers can be in the U.S. at the same time, or facing arrest even jail time.
Of course, the so-called Blood Diamond is only less than 2% of the total annual global sales, according to the carefully crafted research and study from world diamond industries. However, some critics say that the real number could be as high as 20%!!! Since there is no way to trace the origin of a stone once it is cut, even the most sophisticated chemical analysis would fail to achieve this noble goal—eradicating the profit from blood diamonds, it should not be a surprise to see the stone which made some girl’s day could be the one that contains a bloody history, a history full of amputations, child labors, mass murdering and genocide, and the war that caused over 3 million death and over 6 million people displaced in Sierra Leone, Angola, Congo and other Africa nations.
Diamond is the only item that one can carry in a naked body with value worth millions. The diamond industry proclaims, A diamond is forever!!! I wonder if the true reason for some women or men for that matter, to love diamond is because it resembles love, or really, let’s face it—it resembles a portable and liquidity wealth, and the influence of power it implies?
Love is something much deeper than skin, can we wear love instead of diamond?
Diamond is only an overly inflated piece of rare mineral, it reflects nothing without light, it is worth nothing if no one is admiring.
We don’t need diamond to proof we are worthy, the light of our hearts will make anything we touch shine, and turn everything golden, or shall we say, diamond?
也许我们对待钻石界铺天盖地的老鼠会形式的攻势,也应该采取像对待60年代开始流行起来的滚石音乐(Rock&Roll)一样,当成是一种自然流行,自然消亡的现象而已,理解这只是一种商业产品,和我们心底的那种特殊感觉没有任何关系。如果有人给我们买了钻石,除了尽情欣喜像一个小女孩刚刚得到的一个盼望已久的布娃娃之外,我们大可不必认为这个钻石给自己带来的感动胜过其他任何东西,也更要防止自己误将购买的价钱当成感动的度量--这小玩具带来的感动和其他生命中的感动也许并不能相提并论, 那些由于知道了一个人爱着自己十年二十年而不变的感动,那个能够为自己舍弃舒适安逸的生活而与自己风雨同舟的人,那个为爱而走天涯的人,那个每天呵护着自己的温馨,甚至那首给自己写的,曾令人流泪的小诗,一段回味无穷的隽永话语,一段令人难忘的友情。。。就像应该对待其他任何流行起来的东西一样,我们也不必采取完全绝弃的态度--这个世界有人喜欢滚石乐,也有人喜欢古典,更有人喜欢轻音乐一样,喜欢钻石也无可厚非,不喜欢也没有什么,因为自己的价值并不在于身上可以去掉的东西值多少日元。。。
However, if we really need something to serve as a reminder how unsafe this world is, we don’t need to wear a diamond to feel that, there are plenty things around us already…
If I have to select something “forever”, I would say, Tattoo is forever!
Ok, throw some bricks at me, or better yet, some precious stones at me, I am not living in a glass house…