Monday, August 31, 2009

diamonds in the sky

we are such a race to be laughed at. diamonds we pay thousands upon thousands for, the bigger the diamond the greater the price. we prize them for being durable, for being, well, shiny, and the skill of the cut.

but there are literally billions, thrillions, of diamonds out there, out in the sky. we've found one of them- lucy- but there can only be an unfanthomable number more.

furthermore, the little bits of sparkly rocks (whose opportunity cost is the resource to feed hundreds of the poor) that cost so much, are actually floating around in space in sizes that blow the mind. You would need a jeweller's loupe the size of the Sun to grade this diamond, says astronomer Travis Metcalfe.

A loupe the size of the Sun!

We've got cosmic diamonds out there, diamonds the size of entire countries, and then beyond that. why are we obsessed with the grit and gravel that exist on earth, then? why are we fixated with these, and other chemical elements and metals?

i'm so not going to get a diamond for my wedding ring. in fact, i don't think i'll ever wear diamonds at all.

1 comment:

John said...

the reason why diamonds cost so much is because the diamond mining and cutting industries that sell them market and advertise them as a scarce commodity of high value, when really it is not. i mean, diamonds can be synthesized, and the cost of a rough diamond and a nicely cut one differs greatly.

so diamond miners make incredible profits, mine some more, stockpile diamonds somewhere and limit retail. ya and maintain a monopoly-like stranglehold over the diamond and jewellery market.