Six Is Nine
Little girls grow up dreaming of the day when their knight and shinning armor will get down on one knee and present them with a big, shinny diamonds. Eighty percent of American brides receive diamond engagement rings, which average $3,000.
Though the widespread popularity of diamond engagement rings may imply some sort of long established cultural tradition, it is a relatively new system based on expert marketing.
For consumers culture to function , it is necessary that people be willing to spend money on things they do not need and perhaps do not even want. Their willingness to do so depends on how successful manufactures are in creating meaning for their products by equating some abstract human experience or reality with the consumption of certain product. There is not better example of this than the diamond engagement ring.
A diamond is forever; or, at least, it has been for the previous 70 years. The exchange of diamond rings does not come from some ancient tradition but rather become widely popular because of brilliant advertising.
The marketing possibilities of diamonds need not stop with the engagement. The 25th anniversary ring say,”I forever do.” A pendent with diamonds arranged from smallest to largest symbolizes the growth of lover over time. The circular diamond pendant represents the endlessness of love. Really, these pieces of jewelry have no meaning save what ed executives convince us of, as task at which they have been remarkably successful.
We want diamonds because we are taught to, despite numerous reasons to consider better alternatives- like price.
Diamonds are expensive because of there scarcity, right? In reality, diamonds are plentiful. However, the manipulation of markets by major players masks this. If all of the diamonds in existence made it to market, the market would be flooded and prices would plummet. Diamonds cartels prevent this through the control of production and distribution, which allows them to control the supply. At present, De Beers along controls nearly two- thirds of the diamond trade, and owns one-half of the mines in the world.
Despite recent efforts to reduce dealing in diamond that fund conflict or terrorism- termed “Blood diamond.” These attempts are not perfect because of the adept business dealings of organizations that mine and sell diamond to fund crime. There is simply no way to be certain that a given diamond ddin’t literally cost someone their hand. Research on the part of the consumer helps reduce this possibility, but choosing an alternative eliminates it altogether.
Finally, given the complex and individual nature of love, why should physical expression of it be so uniform? There are plenty of gemstones other than diamonds, and these are artisans who specialize in making custom jewelry.
A unique, specialized alternative to diamond engagement or wedding rings makes much more sense for the most widely recognizable symbol of a couple’s commitment to each other than a mass- produced piece of jewelry similar to that of countless others.
Diamonds and engagement rings go hand in hand only because a lot of people have spent a lot of money to convince us that they do. This engagement season. those of you preparing to make it official should question the high price of conformity and consider the alternatives.