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?
也許我們對待鑽石界鋪天蓋地的老鼠會形式的攻勢，也應該采取像對待60年代開始流行起來的滾石音樂（Rock&Roll）一樣，當成是一種自然流行，自然消亡的現象而已，理解這隻是一種商業產品，和我們心底的那種特殊感覺沒有任何關係。如果有人給我們買了鑽石，除了盡情欣喜像一個小女孩剛剛得到的一個盼望已久的布娃娃之外，我們大可不必認為這個鑽石給自己帶來的感動勝過其他任何東西，也更要防止自己誤將購買的價錢當成感動的度量--這小玩具帶來的感動和其他生命中的感動也許並不能相提並論， 那些由於知道了一個人愛著自己十年二十年而不變的感動，那個能夠為自己舍棄舒適安逸的生活而與自己風雨同舟的人，那個為愛而走天涯的人，那個每天嗬護著自己的溫馨，甚至那首給自己寫的，曾令人流淚的小詩，一段回味無窮的雋永話語，一段令人難忘的友情。。。就像應該對待其他任何流行起來的東西一樣，我們也不必采取完全絕棄的態度--這個世界有人喜歡滾石樂，也有人喜歡古典，更有人喜歡輕音樂一樣，喜歡鑽石也無可厚非，不喜歡也沒有什麽，因為自己的價值並不在於身上可以去掉的東西值多少日元。。。
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…
