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Rare Blue Diamonds Lurk Deep In Earth's Core (washingtonpost.com)

Posted by BeauHD on from the journey-to-the-center-of-the-earth dept.

Scientist believe they now know how extremely rare blue diamonds are formed. After studying 46 of the gems, they found that blue diamonds are formed as deep as the transition zone between the planet's upper and lower mantle (Warning: source may be paywalled; alternative source) -- far greater depths than other diamonds, some deeper than 410 miles. The Washington Post reports: Just 1 out of 200,000 diamonds are blue. Like all diamonds, they are made when carbon comes under intense pressure and extreme heat deep inside the Earth. As they form, they can trap tiny bits of rock inside -- like fossils in amber. "Diamond is an extraordinary container, a time capsule," said Steven Shirey, a geochemist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington. Shirey and his colleagues used lasers to examine the diamonds' imperfections -- slivers of embedded rock -- at the Gemological Institute of America. The researchers suggest that boron in the ocean floor was pushed down when plates that make up the Earth's crust collided. The element allows the stone to absorb some red light, so the diamond looks blue. The findings were published in the journal Nature.

77 comments

  1. Easy peezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

    Companies regularly mine 500 miles underground.
    --windbourne

    1. Re:Easy peezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      The deepest mine in the world is about 4km underground...

    2. Re:Easy peezy by jellomizer · · Score: 2

      Or roughly 2.5 Miles. Yes the US should change to the Metric System, but why mix measurement systems in a comment post. It only adds to confusion.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    3. Re:Easy peezy by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 5, Interesting

      The deepest mine in the world is about 4km underground...

      The main obstacles to going deeper are getting air in and getting heat out. The solution is to get humans out and robots in. Robots don't need oxygen, and they can tolerate much higher temperatures. They can also work in much narrower shafts, and can even work submerged in pressurized liquids that can reduce cave-ins. There are also huge savings from avoiding all the safety measures, shift changes, and even gem theft.

    4. Re:Easy peezy by The+Original+CDR · · Score: 5, Funny

      That's sideways. If mining companies went straight down, they would reach China and owe the Chinese government mining royalties.

    5. Re:Easy peezy by fluffernutter · · Score: 2

      This is the attitude that keeps the US from switching in the first place.

      --
      Laws are rules for the court, but merely a bottom bar to hit for life. Think beyond laws in your actions always.
    6. Re:Easy peezy by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      If you like to have things built with a mix of measurement systems, come live in Canada!

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    7. Re:Easy peezy by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      There are also huge savings from avoiding all the safety measures, shift changes, and even gem theft.

      Alright, but don't send Bender otherwise that last part won't be true.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    8. Re: Easy peezy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      Underwater is 5km easy peasy. Common as. Routinely done. Lots of places.

      -- Windbourne

    9. Re:Easy peezy by BlueStrat · · Score: 2

      The deepest mine in the world is about 4km underground...

      The main obstacles to going deeper are getting air in and getting heat out.

      Sorry, no.

      The main obstacle is literary.

      "Journey To The DeBeers Diamond Mine At The Center Of The Earth" just doesn't have the same ring and doesn't roll off the tongue as smoothly.

      Strat

      --
      Progressivism (aka US 'Liberalism'): Ideas so good they need a police/surveillance-state to enforce.
    10. Re:Easy peezy by Trailer+Trash · · Score: 2

      You're correct, but there's more to it.

      https://www.google.com/maps/@3...

      This is where I grew up. See how the roads are spaced pretty regularly? Those aren't kilometers.

      There's a huge amount of our country that's based on imperial measurements, and those for whom metric makes more sense - such as in science - already use metric. There's really no reason to change.

      --
      Do you have ESP?
    11. Re:Easy peezy by Gavagai80 · · Score: 1

      The reason to change is that it's really annoying to mix systems, as the grandparent said. Wouldn't it be nice for consumers to actually be able to tell if something they're buying by the liter is cheaper than something they're buying by the gallon? Wouldn't it be easier if all those 5K races Americans run related to distances they drive? Wouldn't it be nice if the common American could understand science news without having to convert back and forth in their head? How about cooking a meal where half your measurements are in imperial and half in metric? Tired of weighing medicines in milligrams and other things in ounces?

      The US has already adopted the metric system, but only as another set of random incoherent measurements along with our teaspoons and cups and miles. All we have to do is simplify by removing the unnecessary units.

      And who cares if roads are 1 mile apart or 1.6 km apart? Most of us aren't OCD about road spacing and few places are laid out like that anyway.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  2. everything shiny & rare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    lest we forget,, relate along;; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfXIp760OM0

  3. beware falling gargoyles.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    their sidekicks.. other stuff... some still calling this 'weather'?

  4. great hereafter cruise still booking? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    already boarding; the self-chosen crown royals, some gargoyles, many virgins, monkeys, slaves...not really much room left.. the real sidescam is to still be here, after.. whatever.. the 1 person submersible bunkers are no great invention either? synthetic oxygen? phewww... just kidding of course..

  5. They also lurk in engagement rings by danbert8 · · Score: 2

    Specifically they lurk in my wife's engagement ring. Go ahead Slashdot trolls... Bring on the hate for being married on Slashdot.

    But in all seriousness, that's the beauty of lab created gemstones. You want a blue diamond? Not really any different than creating a clear one. You can even pick from different shades of blue.

    --
    Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  6. Now all they have to solve... by Viol8 · · Score: 2, Interesting

    ... is exactly why humans values these stones so highly. Sure, they're hard, but thats a pretty niche use. Apparently they look pretty. To me they just look like bits of glass which also doesn't tarnish. I honestly don't get why our species craves this stone so much.

    1. Re:Now all they have to solve... by jellomizer · · Score: 3, Informative

      Our primal urge to mate means we need a way to differentiate yourself from the pack. One way to do this is with luxury to show that we are so successful in surviving that we can use our excess resources on things that are not necessary for survival. So there are resources available to help take care of children and expand the gene pool.

      Pretty rocks, decorative flowers, larger houses... Are things we want to have, So high demand.
      Then if these pretty rocks are hard to find, then we will need to compete with others to get them. so low supply.

      Low Supply and High Demand = a valuable object.

      Sure we use other methods, such a physique, and dominance as well. But having excess is an important factor in our species mating rituals.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    2. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For the same reason half of slashdot loves frauds like Musk and Trump.

    3. Re:Now all they have to solve... by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      ... is exactly why humans values these stones so highly.

      There is an animal model: The Bowerbird.

      For both the bowerbird and humans the goal is the same: reproduction, which I presume from your confusion is something you are unfamiliar with.

      The diamond, like the bower decorations, is a proxy for genetic fitness.

      Pro-tip: Pick out your diamond together with your fiance. Once she sees you are willing to fork out a few months salary, she is likely to settle for something less. Couples on average spend 40% less that solitary males. Also, buy a loose diamond, then have it mounted on a ring, rather than buying a pre-assembled ring.

    4. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 1

      ... is exactly why humans values these stones so highly. Sure, they're hard, but thats a pretty niche use. Apparently they look pretty. To me they just look like bits of glass which also doesn't tarnish. I honestly don't get why our species craves this stone so much.

      If diamonds were as common as rocks and rocks as rare as diamonds- we would be proposing to our girlfriends with engagement rings that had chips of gravel in them.

      --
      "That's the way to do it" - Punch
    5. Re:Now all they have to solve... by DNS-and-BIND · · Score: 1

      That's OK, the rest of society doesn't get why you like anime porn so much.

      --
      Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
    6. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      I honestly don't get why our species craves this stone so much.

      Because DeBeers wants you to. Their high pressure ad campaigns that they started in the early twentieth century created the idea of the diamond as the most valuable precious gem (before that, rubies and emeralds were generally regarded as more valuable). They also created the idea of the diamond engagement ring and managed to make it pretty much mandatory.

    7. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_Beers

      De Beers successfully advertised diamonds to manipulate consumer demand. One of the most effective marketing strategies has been the marketing of diamonds as a symbol of love and commitment.[36] A young copywriter working for N. W. Ayer & Son, Frances Gerety (1916–1999), coined the famous advertising slogan, 'A Diamond is Forever', in 1947.

    8. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1

      For the same reason half of slashdot loves frauds like Musk and Trump.

      You just called a billionaire and the President "frauds", when both are, by any objective measure, extremely successful.

      Here: You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.

    9. Re:Now all they have to solve... by pz · · Score: 2

      That's why my wife has possibly the very rarest of gems: one from a meteorite. She wears a shooting star.

      --

      Put my fist through my alarm clock with its ding-dong death inside my ear. - The Blackjacks.
    10. Re:Now all they have to solve... by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      I honestly don't get why our species craves this stone so much.

      "The Rise and Fall of Diamonds" is a book you might read on the subject. It really has to do with marketing. Rubies and emeralds used to be more highly prized, but DeBeers put diamonds on moviestars' hands, paid them to have diamond engagement rings and so on, and people are dumb and easily led.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    11. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      She wears a shooting star

      Odd interpretation of "pearl necklace" but whatev's

    12. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Gravity-defying breasts, pink hairs that flow magically, tentacles... what's not to like!

    13. Re:Now all they have to solve... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      We're in big trouble if Coke and DeBeers ever team up.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    14. Re:Now all they have to solve... by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Rule of acquisition #102: Nature decays, but latinum lasts forever.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    15. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Greyfox · · Score: 1

      Women value diamonds for their many industrial uses!

      --

      I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?

    16. Re:Now all they have to solve... by careysub · · Score: 1

      ... is exactly why humans values these stones so highly. Sure, they're hard, but thats a pretty niche use. Apparently they look pretty. To me they just look like bits of glass which also doesn't tarnish. I honestly don't get why our species craves this stone so much.

      This one is really easy.

      Marketing.

      At one time diamonds really were rare, or at least humans had not found the abundant sources of them (diamond pipes scattered over three continents). And nothing else on Earth was known that was hard as the diamond or, when free of inclusions, had such a high chromatic dispersion (that "fire" in cut stones). They were rare and very remarkable.

      But then the diamond pipes of South Africa were discovered in 1870 and they were not rare any more, they threatened to be demoted to "semi-precious".

      But never fear, monopoly capitalism to the rescue! Cecil Rhodes began acquiring and consolidating mining claims on the largest pipes, using "persuasion" at times to get the reluctant to sell (just like George Hearst and the Comstock Lode) and established control over the supply, and could limit production and sales as he saw fit.

      Then DeBeers, as the company Rhodes founded was called, began one of the world's longest running and most successful advertising campaigns. Convincing women the world over that their prospective spouses did not love them unless they spent big bucks on cartel price controlled diamonds. Before the Twentieth Century there was no tradition anywhere of giving diamond engagement or wedding rings. It was impossible before the South Africa discoveries, they were too rare. But after the African strikes, suddenly this rare thing, while still claimed to be "rare", was so common that every woman in the world could have several.

      It was only around the time that the Baby Boomers started being born, after WWII, that diamond engagement rings became common in the first nation to adopt this very modern "tradition" -- the United States. Before the 1940s the fraction of marriages involving such rings was in the single digit percentages (and even that was due to post turn-of-the-century marketing campaigns). But DeBeers founded a marketing organization, the"American Gem Society" (sounds very professional and unbiased) in 1934, and aggressively promoted the love=diamonds equation through the 1930s and 1940s.

      And then in the 1950s some of the other unique qualities that of diamonds became "less unique". Synthetic gemstones where manufactured that exceed the chromatic dispersion of diamond -- cubic zirconia and silicon carbide -- it not longer held the record for fire (of course the American Gem Society held that such stones were "too fiery", only diamonds had "just the right amount"). Things got a little more complicated when deposits of natural silicon carbide gemstones, called moissanite, were discovered. Suddenly the ultra-fiery silicon carbide was a real gemstone after all, but only if they were mined in Africa and sold by a "gemologist" (a label making the profession gemstone purveyor sound like a scientist), cheaper synthetics ones were still "fake" (though exactly the same material).

      The hardness record however diamond still holds. Other materials nearly as hard have been found, and there are theoretical predictions of harder materials, and when dealing with super-hard materials problems of defining and measuring hardness arise, but diamond is still the unqualified record holder. But now we can make them much cheaper than market-controlled selling price, even in gem quality versions. This fall DeBeers, which gave up its cartel control 20 years ago, is going to start underselling natural diamonds with its own line of synthetics. Up until now the synthetic diamond makers had been participating in the de facto cartel that still exists, refusing to undersell. I knew someone would break this line some day, and thought maybe it would be wild cat Chinese producers. But that DeBeers itself decided to capture this market makes perfect sense.

      --
      Starships were meant to fly, Hands up and touch the sky - Nicky Minaj
    17. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Viol8 · · Score: 1

      "For both the bowerbird and humans the goal is the same: reproduction, which I presume from your confusion is something you are unfamiliar with."

      Is it? I'll have to tell my kid that. Might come as a surprise.

      "The diamond, like the bower decorations, is a proxy for genetic fitness."

      Except there's nothing to differentiate it from glass except by an expert.

      "Pro-tip"

      Thanks for that. Shall I note you as being tight as well as a rude?

    18. Re:Now all they have to solve... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      Our primal urge to mate means we need a way to differentiate yourself from the pack.

      The best among us don't need falsely-inflated consumer goods to do this.

      But having excess is an important factor in our species mating rituals.

      That's not because of a "primal urge". It's because of marketing.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    19. Re:Now all they have to solve... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 2

      You just called a billionaire and the President "frauds", when both are, by any objective measure, extremely successful.

      Successful frauds are still frauds.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    20. Re: Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It is time for DeBeers to unload that huge inventory of synthetic diamonds they have been accumulating. When prices go low enough I am going to sell diamond coated hub caps.

    21. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Killall+-9+Bash · · Score: 1

      The Bowerbird.

      Lemme smash?

      --
      "Prediction: within 10 years, Windows will be a Linux distribution." Me, 7-6-2016
    22. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I'll have to tell my kid that

      Having been married for some length of time, and with a couple kids, I can attest that reproduction is very well something you might become unfamiliar with :)

      nothing to differentiate it from glass except by an expert

      Any local jewelry store should have a decent diamond tester. While there may be some good imitations, a quality diamond, like quality art, is stunning to look at especially when you know how it's put together (ref TFA).

      being tight as well as a rude

      I don't think he's being tight. I'd add that quality trumps size for a budget - something that most of us must get by on. As for being rude that's up to you.

    23. Re:Now all they have to solve... by PPH · · Score: 1

      Same reason male peacocks have large and colorful tails. It's a demonstration of fitness. If you can afford to waste resources on pure appearance, you must be an exceptional specimen.

      --
      Have gnu, will travel.
    24. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The best among us don't need falsely-inflated consumer goods to do this.

      Which is strange, seeing as it's usually the rich who showers their trophy wives with trinkets, setting the example for rest of society to follow/mimic

      Or do you consider the stereotypical poor uneducated redneck who has a dozen kids with his cousin "the best among us"?

    25. Re:Now all they have to solve... by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      No this isn't a case a marketing. Marketing may direct us to use their product to satisfy the primal urge. But we see this behavior across many cultures with much different economic systems.

      We bought New York City for $20 in glass beads. Now granted these glass beads were worth much more then, as there wasn't a way to mass produce them. But we were able to trade useful land, for silly pretty rocks.

      World wide we can always trade Gold as a valuable substance.

      Yes you can do something else to differentiate yourself. But your limiting you availability with such actions.

      --
      If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
    26. Re:Now all they have to solve... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      The best among us don't need falsely-inflated consumer goods to do this.

      Which is strange, seeing as it's usually the rich who showers their trophy wives with trinkets, setting the example for rest of society to follow/mimic

      You are so close to a breakthrough. Could it be possible that the rich are not the best among us? The Christians have a whole religion based on this. You may have heard of it.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    27. Re: Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      ...sayeth the unsuccessful fraud.

    28. Re: Now all they have to solve... by Amiga+Trombone · · Score: 1

      So the best among us are the most successful at getting laid? I never realized you thought so highly of President Trump!

    29. Re: Now all they have to solve... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1, Troll

      So the best among us are the most successful at getting laid? I never realized you thought so highly of President Trump!

      Paying for it doesn't count. Especially when you pay way over market value. You really think $130k is a well-negotiated price for sex with a washed-up porn star? What counts is the quality of your offspring, and on that count, President Trump fails the test. Tell me if you think any of the Trump children would be able to support themselves without trading on their daddy's celebrity.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
    30. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Meteor gems are not that rare. You find olivine/peridot in meteorites all the time.

      Martian rocks are rare. Prove you have something from Mars and you've got something worth serious cash.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    31. Re:Now all they have to solve... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Our primal urge to mate means we need a way to differentiate yourself from the pack.

      The best among us don't need falsely-inflated consumer goods to do this.

      Except by definition "the best of us" must be a subset of the "all of us" superset.
      Not just any of us can be in the group "the best of us"

      So the majority of "all of us" that are not "the best of us" do need such things to differentiate our selves from others in the majority that are not "the best of us"

      Since this fact remains true no matter if you personally are among "the best of us" or not, that is to say your claim makes no difference on the reality of the situation, it is very much not insightful, not helpful, and not useful to state.

      That's the definition of "bragging", and makes your implied claim dubious.

      Then there is the fact that even if it was true you personally are among "the best of us", you are clearly unaware of everyone else that isn't, which is not a very intelligent or correct mindset to have.

      A person that believes everyone that exists is "the best of us" isn't someone I would label with that term or put into that group.
      A person that isn't aware of the fact "the best of us" and the rest of us are not identically the same is also someone I would not put into the group of "best"

    32. Re:Now all they have to solve... by PopeRatzo · · Score: 1

      So the majority of "all of us" that are not "the best of us" do need such things to differentiate our selves from others in the majority that are not "the best of us"

      Just because you're not in my league doesn't mean I don't feel some sympathy for your plight.

      --
      You are welcome on my lawn.
  7. Why humans crave by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's got electrolytes.

  8. Won't be rare for long by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    If all you have to do is add a little of element X to get color Y in a diamond then it seems like it shouldn't be long until they start growing them in a lab like this. The bizarre thing is that people actually want these shiny chunks of carbon.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
    1. Re: Won't be rare for long by guruevi · · Score: 2

      They do. Lab grown diamonds come in a variety of colors.

      --
      Custom electronics and digital signage for your business: www.evcircuits.com
    2. Re:Won't be rare for long by Applehu+Akbar · · Score: 1

      So long as crystalline carbon is the only aphrodisiac that works on women, they will be prized.

    3. Re:Won't be rare for long by Zocalo · · Score: 1
      They're prized, but not as an aphrodisiac. From Ron White's take on "Truth in Advertising" sketch:

      I saw something that came close to truth in advertising, the De Beers people are almost saying what they really mean, folks. Because the old slogan was “Diamonds... are forever.”, and then they changed it to “Diamonds... take her breath away.”, the new slogan is “Diamonds... render her speechless.” Why don’t they just go ahead and say it: “Diamonds... that’ll shut her up... for a minute!”

      --
      UNIX? They're not even circumcised! Savages!
    4. Re:Won't be rare for long by ShanghaiBill · · Score: 1

      So long as crystalline carbon is the only aphrodisiac that works on women, they will be prized.

      Unlike flowers and chocolates, the diamond will hold its value and can be resold after the divorce.

    5. Re:Won't be rare for long by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      The bizarre thing is that people actually want these shiny chunks of carbon.

      They are kind of pretty.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    6. Re: Won't be rare for long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hold its value ? Barely. Try to sell one, you'll suffer reverse sticker shock.

    7. Re: Won't be rare for long by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      And have less imperfections than mined ones.
      And aren't mined by slaves.
      And should be less expensive.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    8. Re:Won't be rare for long by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      The bizarre thing is that people actually want these shiny chunks of carbon.

      If Hollywood taught me anything, it's that diamonds are necessary to cut windows when you're doing burglary.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    9. Re:Won't be rare for long by Khyber · · Score: 1

      " the diamond will hold its value"

      BWAHAHAHAHAH HELL NO.

      You could buy a $50M diamond right now and you'd be LUCKY to get $500,000 in return with it as melee.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  9. Deep in Earth's core by olsmeister · · Score: 3, Informative

    TFS summary says they're formed in the mantle, not the core.

    1. Re:Deep in Earth's core by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

      TFS summary says they're formed in the mantle, not the core.

      Dude, it's BeauHD.

      He at least got the planet right. Be happy he didn't change it from Earth to Uranus.

  10. I gave my wife a a blue diamond by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    she sucked my blue balls dry.

  11. Haet !!!! by DrYak · · Score: 1

    Bring on the hate for being married on Slashdot.

    No actually, we won't...

    But in all seriousness, that's the beauty of lab created gemstones.

    Much more interesting : which lab did you go to ?

    For the extra geekiness factor : do you know any lab that they would allow big geeks to do a couple of the step ?
    (As in "Honey, I personally *made* your diamong ! (Well I least until the labcoats threw me out before I break the expensive machines)" )

    --
    "Sufficiently advanced satire is indistinguishable from reality." - [Tips: 1DrYakQDKCQ6y52z6QbnkxHXAocMZJE61o ]
    1. Re:Haet !!!! by danbert8 · · Score: 2

      I wish I could have visited the lab where they made the gemstones. That would have been awesome.

      As for the actual procurement process, the ring was made by Krikawa https://www.krikawa.com/ and they did a fantastic job using one of their existing designs in Palladium for my wife. The actual diamond I was able to select myself from their synthetic diamond supplier D.NEA http://d.neadiamonds.com/ . Surprisingly, the detail page link is still active http://d.neadiamonds.com/lab-c... 5 years later. The side stones are lab grown sapphires manufactured by Chatham.

      For the wedding bands we have anodized titanium rings with each others' ring finger print laser engraved onto the inside of the band.

      --
      Yes it's an anecdote! Were you expecting original research in a Slashdot comment?
  12. If shes not going to live forever, by ThinkNextTime · · Score: 0

    Why buy her a diamond? I had that printed on a tshirt once. I was selling rubies and was the only one in the show not selling diamonds. It was hilarious. I gave away 100 shirts and people were wearing them everywhere. Obviously, I was hated by the other dealers.

  13. Diamonds myths by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    1. They are not that rare. Thanks DeBeers for creating and maintaining an artificial scarcity for close to 100 years now. 2. They became THE engagement ring thing not so long ago. Again, DeBeers is responsible for the underlying marketing ploy. 3. They are a lousy investment. Ordinary diamonds, like the ones that normal people can afford, instantly lose 50% of their value as the leave the jewelry shop.

  14. They're after my Lucky Charms! by Thud457 · · Score: 1

    Real Lucky Charms only had pink hearts, yellow moons, orange stars, and green clovers.
    None of this blue diamonds bullshit. Or horse shoes. Or shooting stars. Or blue moons. Or rainbows. Or red balloons. Or UNICORNS!
    No wonder kids are fat these days.

    --

    the preceding comment is my own and in no way reflects the opinion of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

  15. The only good purpose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The only good purpose for diamonds is in the tip of a drilling or cutting tool. The rest is only douchebagery and foolishness.

    1. Re:The only good purpose by DontBeAMoran · · Score: 1

      Lasers. You forgot about lasers.

      I'm guessing artificial ones would be better for that since AFAIK they usually have less impurities.

      --
      #DeleteFacebook
    2. Re:The only good purpose by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Also they're for proclaiming loudly that diamonds don't burn, and burning it on the spot.

  16. Sounds like... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...the Earth's core could use some freedom.

  17. Re: If she's not going to live forever... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "if shes not"?

  18. Niiiiiiccceee....only.... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    they're going to continue to lurk. Ain't know way we can polish them and admire their luster.

  19. DeBeers by p51d007 · · Score: 1

    Look for them to hike the price and hoard them like they do the entire world's supply of diamonds. A pressurized hunk of carbon...made "expensive" and they have a nice monopoly.

  20. Not so rare by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You can find them in every bowl of frosted Lucky Charms (they're magically delicious!)
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Charms

  21. The Core by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Huh. So that movie actually got something right.