How a Rogue Geologist Discovered Diamonds

prone2tech writes "Both NPR and Wired are running stories about how nearly two decades ago, a dogged, absentminded Canadian geologist named Charles Fipke who was practically down to his last nickel when he discovered diamonds in the Northwest Territories. Back then there was no such thing as a Canadian diamond, and today, Canada is the world's third-largest producer. The story behind the addition of Canada to the ranks of diamond-producing nations leads back to this one man. His discovery started the largest staking rush in North America since George Carmack found gold in the Klondike a century earlier."

Comments

He's not really a rogue.

[onion2k]

Seems a little unfair to call the guy a 'rogue' or 'absent minded'. He's an intelligent bloke who applied his knowledge and intellect to a problem, spent nearly a decade doing the necessary legwork, and eventually hit the big time when it all paid off. That's not 'rogue' behaviour, that's hard work. I'd have given up. Well done to him. He deserves it.

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[reovirus1]

At the end of the article he sums it up in his own words:

"Here's the thing. I learned that I did my best. I mean, I really tried my best. How many people can say that? I worked hard, and I mean really hard. I worked seven days a week from 8 am until 3 am. Every day. We drilled and drilled all winter when it was dark and the windchill was 80 below. Everyone thought I was crazy. But most people just never do their best, hey. And I did."

Sad that society today would classify this kind of individual as a "rogue".

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I think that the use of the term is stupid in this case; but in this genre, it is being used as a compliment of sorts. The popular press delights in stories of the "Rogue $PERSON, scorned by $POWERS_THAT_BE, shows them what's what through hard work, dedication, a little luck, and a heartwarming moral" flavor. Sometimes, things like this actually happen; often, simple professional disagreements, differences of opinion, the usual testing and discarding of hypotheses, etc. have to be bludgeoned into this mold.

The reliance on this trope demonstrates, yet again, the rather miserable understanding of science of the popular press; but I don't think that it is intended as an aspersion on the scientists being written about.

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[Lord_Dweomer]

Indeed. I mean, for us Americans--isn't this the "American Dream?" Bust your ass for a risky but potentially massive payoff?
This guy is part of a dying breed of explorers that laid the foundation of society as we know it.

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[khellendros1984]

Rogue may have been a bad choice of word. I just assumed that the article had meant to call him unusual, since he is that.

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[10101001 10101001]

Sort of. I'd argue that the "American Dream" is about busting your ass on something potentially risky but with a massive payoff. Busting your ass over a known risk is merely working hard and investing in lottery tickets. But, if you bust your ass on something because you believe in it (of course, assuming you're not imagining it), the only real limits should be flukishly bad luck and your willingness to work hard for the end goal. The "American Dream", then, is about the optimism in the belief that the only obstacle to success in one's life is one's willingess to pursue one's dreams. Of course, once you start with a rigged system, then hard work well likely just be idiocy. Perhaps that's the enduring reason why governmental intervention and societal-based progression is so frowned upon.

Re:He's not really a rogue.

[Feanturi]

I'd always thought that the American Dream was actually sitting around on your ass while someone hands you a massive payoff for no reason at all. Or at least, that's how people seem to behave.

Soon to be worthless

[boristdog]

Aaaaand now that we can make pretty much perfect diamonds as large as you want with a fairly inexpensive vapor deposition chamber, all this will soon be no more than a waste of money, time and energy.

I love how the diamond industry used to derogate diamonds with flaws, but now they push them as evidence of "natural" diamonds.

- I can add flaws to the diamonds in the vapor dep chamber, too!

Re:Soon to be worthless

[digitalhermit]

Heheh... I wish.

Soon the DeBeers of the world will start touting the benefits of their diamonds versus the Canadian diamonds. Maybe the Canadian diamonds are too pure, or too northern for diamonds to grow properly.. Or maybe traces of some rare element in the DeBeers mines leads to more beautiful diamonds. Or Canadians speak funny, so their diamonds are gauche.

It's so funny to see when an empire based on marketing slowly crumbles ...

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Lumpy]

Exactly. But diamonds ALWAYS have been price controlled and Over valued.

Anyone that ever thought that diamonds had real value is nuts. If DeBeers did not negotiate a deal with the russians they could have easily decimated the Diamond market to the point that Cubic Zirconias would be worth more.

Diamonds are good for industrial uses. They are retarded for jewelery as they are not rare not valuable.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[wurble]

Never underestimate the marketing power of DeBeers. While eventually diamonds will be made worthless, the timeframe we are talking about here can be prolonged greatly by DeBeers' marketing department.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[thue]

It is not a real diamond unless a pristine natural area has been destroyed while producing it.

Ideally the production of a real diamond should also fund child soldiers conducting a small war in Africa.

And of course the diamond should also have been resold by a monopolistic company.

And finally the diamond should be flawed, to show that it is "real" and "natural".

So keep your cheap flawless manufactured diamonds for yourself. You are suppressing the good old traditional ways with soulless technology!

Re:Soon to be worthless

[BethanyBoo]

Funny, because I've already told my boyfriend I'd prefer a moissanite stone if he ever proposes. I think I'd be more upset that he threw his money away on a diamond. (Before anyone says it, yes.. a girl on slashdot!)

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Kaeles]

When your wife finds out you spent $5 on a perfect diamond that was made in a lab instead of by the Earths natural and loving embrace, you will find out how loving and warm your couch is...

If your wife is shallow enough to care about the price of a diamond instead of the fact that you thought enough to buy her one, you need a new wife.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Kingrames]

Because women can't be happy unless they know that thousands of children in Africa died in slavery to produce the expensive ring on her finger?

How about you offer her the flawless ring, and spend the rest of the money on something else.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[langelgjm]

When your wife finds out you spent $5 on a perfect diamond that was made in a lab instead of by the Earths natural and loving embrace, you will find out how loving and warm your couch is...

That's why you tell her in advance, like I have.

Cultured diamonds (use the fancy word "cultured", like pearls, instead of "synthetic" which just sounds like a euphemism for "fake") are guaranteed to be conflict-free, which is also attractive. Besides, you can still spend the same amount of money, and just end up with a bigger, clearer, better quality diamond than what you'd get naturally.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Sockatume]

You forget that diamond production is an energy-intensive process. You'd have to turn the diamond production station's power suppliers' exhaust into diamonds. Then you're set, albeit a little recursively. In fact I'm about to try oh shiiiiiiiiiii-

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Godji]

Actually, no. DeBeers and the like diamonds will continue to be highly demanded, not despite their price, but because of their price. They will continue to be a status symbol, with their value in their price as opposed to what one got for the price.

You got the same or better diamond, but mine was way more expensive. You are a lesser human being. Move on.

Re:Soon to be worthless

[Anonymous Coward]

"Was your diamond worth dying for?"

I predict that soon diamonds won't be graded merely by the 4-C's (cut, clarity, color and carot weight), but by 4-C's and a D (deaths).

Re:Soon to be worthless

[timeOday]

Atheism is a religion to the same extent that not collecting stamps is a hobby.

Anti-theism, on the other hand, gets back into the realm of missionaries and zealots.

i don't get it

[circletimessquare]

why are diamonds still considered precious?

don't we have the technology to make them cheap?

sure, there's all the convoluted diamond market, debeers monopoly explanations, but that's like saying no one can buy marijuana because its illegal

if i want to get a diamond, why can't i pay $5 and go get one the size of my fist? its just carbon. that i can't do that right now, seems absurd to me, and even more absurd, that we should still be digging this stuff up and considering it valuable

Re:i don't get it

[Abcd1234]

why are diamonds still considered precious?

Marketing and cultural inertia. No more, no less.

Re:i don't get it

[speculatrix]

consider, say an Intel CPU - the fabrication plant alone costs billions, and yet when make in volume they can sell them for tens or hundreds of dollars.

the whole point of diamonds is that they're "rare" and "special" in the minds of the buyers.

neadiamonds synthetics are damn expensive when you consider the equipment is dirt cheap compared to a semi foundry!

Re:i don't get it

[shakah]

isn't $823/ct more like it?

I would appreciate it...

[Anonymous Coward]

...if you assholes wielding the "!news" tag would just relax and perhaps even just fuck the hell off for the holidays. This site covers a *broad* range of geeky interests, and not every single post has to be "ZOMG! Zoobuntu fork Humpty Hump just added support for a third mouse button and a reverse-engineered hacked driver for the 3DFX card! w00t!"

Seriously. Some of us leave the house sometimes, you jackasses.

Re:I would appreciate it...

[Aladrin]

Why does a simple tag get you so riled up?

Seriously. Just ignore it.