The Fall of De Beers Diamond Empire?

[n0_data]

..the General and his newly minted Gemesis needed help. He turned to Iranian crystal expert Reza Abbaschian, head of the University of Florida's materials science department in Gainesville. Abbaschian agreed to try turning the Russians' hit-or-miss method into a rigorously controlled and more reliable technological process. With the aid of some graduate students, he ripped out the analog knobs and dials and installed a computer control system. They upgraded the power supply and methodically tracked the slightest variation in each diamond synthesis attempt. With more than 200 parameters to control, it was painstaking work, and by 1999 - three years after Gemesis was founded - the General needed another infusion of cash.

Abbaschian's efforts had produced some very high-quality stones. So Clarke flew to London to show off a batch to potential investors. Rather than simply present them as a pile of loose diamonds, he went to a jeweler in Hatton Garden, the city's diamond district, and asked if a few of his stones could be set in rings. The jeweler agreed, and Clarke returned to his hotel room at Claridge's. The phone rang. It was De Beers.

According to Clarke, a De Beers executive, James Evans Lombe, was tipped off about the synthetic diamonds within two hours of their arrival at the jeweler's. Lombe asked for a meeting with the General. The De Beers executive drove directly to Claridge's, and the two men sat down in the tearoom to the strains of a piano and violin duet.

De Beers refuses to comment on the meeting - or about anything for this story - but Clarke says he simply placed his diamonds on the table. "When I told him that we planned to set up a factory to mass-produce these, he turned white," the General recalls. "They knew about the technology, but they thought it would stay in Russia and that nobody would get it working right. By the end of the conversation, his hands were shaking."

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The article is a bit dated, but I'm sure it'll be news to many: More..

High points: There aren't many companies more deserving, imo. We'll get infinitely better electronics from this. Low points: Your wedding ring will probably go down in value. Fine by me, I say bring it on.

[ClintonTyree]

1. Ruthless bastards.............

is the only way to describe DeBeers. Murder, being their worst offense, followed by slave conditions for their workers.....it couldn't happen to a nicer bunch. I wonder how many more 'assisted suicides' will occur before this is over?

[xchrom]

2. de beers -- blech

what a ruthless, worthless crew.
but i love claridge's -- the tea room there is so beautiful! too bad about the clientel.

[Enraged_Ape]

3. It couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of guys

The latest diamond ads have become increasingly shrill in their pleas that the expense of a diamond equals the size of someone's love.

Be prepared for DeBeers to start making the distinction between their "genuine diamonds" and the synthetic kind in their ads, when the ONLY difference is that one is produced by an international cartel of racists, murderers, and slavers.

[DoYouEverWonder]

4. Couldn't happen to a more deserving bunch of rip off artists

Even without this new technology, diamonds are the most over-hyped pieces of carbon in the world. DeBeers real claim to fame is for running one of the most successful ad campaigns in history. They took a relatively common gem stone and turned it into an over-rated, over-priced must have object for every woman who ever considered marriage. Nice to see the possiblity of another giant taking the big fall. Couldn't happen soon enough.

If you want to be convinced why you should never by another diamond again, here are a few links:


http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/2619663.stm

http://allafrica.com/stories/200111020526.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/1604165.stm

http://www.amnestyusa.org/amnestynow/diamonds.html

[BeFree]

8. Buy Diamonds....Support Terrorism

The logical conclusion one gets from this thread is that when one buys a diamond, one is supporting terrorism, eh?

[DrWeird]

12. Terrorism?

If you consider people getting their limbs chopped off with machetes terrorism- then yes.

[Astarho]

5. So long De Beers

I wish I could say I'd miss the world diamond cartel, but I won't.

Looks like they won't be able to charge $18,000 per carat anymore. Since 70% of diamonds found are industral anyway and now with synthetics, if it doesn't destroy them it should put a nice dent in them.

[redqueen]

6. Thanks for that great news!

I never could figure out why people were so obsessed with shiny sparkly rocks. Silly monkeys! ;)

[noonwitch]

7. I'd rather have a brazilian emerald, than an african diamond

I don't have either, but I would have a problem accepting a diamond that came from such people who treat their employees like slaves.

[aquart]

10. Seen a Montana sapphire?

[Astarho]

11. I have some Brazilian emeralds

(low quality, since I can't afford much better) but the best emeralds come from Colombia from the Muzo and Chivor mines, although their conditions until recently weren't much better.

[Baclava]

13. Emeralds are my favorite

My last trip to Colombia netted me some loose stone...fantastic...

[Tansy_Gold]

15. There are many beautiful gems from around the world . . . .

that IMHO put diamonds to shame -- and cost a whole lot less, too.

In addition to the aforementioned Montana sapphires:

Oregon sunstones, in just about every color imaginable.

Chrome tourmaline, the deepest, most sensuous green you've ever seen.

Four Peaks amethyst, with a blast of red flash.

Diamonds? BORING!


Tansy Gold, off to spend a long week-end at a rock and gem show. . . . . . . . .

[Astarho]

18. Going to Quartzite?

I was hoping to make it this year, but I'm not sure I'll make it. Last year I got some beautiful Veracruz Amethyst points.

[Tansy_Gold]

20. Tempe Diablo Stadium

Quartzsite is really just starting up; it will peak in another couple of weeks when the 38th Annual PowWow starts on 28 Jan. (check out www.Quartzsite.com)

Hubby and I are going to the 3rd Annual Arizona Rockfest at Tempe Diablo Stadium this week-end. If you think you might not get to Quartzsite, send me a PM and I'll give you details on the Tempe show, so we don't take up space here.

Tansy Gold, rock nut (who has lots of dull rocks she would lend to anyone wanting to use them for purposes of neutering Newt per other thread)

[aquart]

9. Why would Russia bring down the price of diamonds with synthetics?

They have vaults full of natural diamonds. They've been keeping the price high themselves for decades.

I know because I saw it on TV.

[mouse7]

16. I saw the same documentary, I think

Russians have so many diamonds they've mined stashed in vaults they could instantly drop the prices of diamonds to almost nothing.

[Astarho]

19. It's less labor intensive

The Kimberley mine pullout out 3 tons of diamonds, but had to move 25 million tons of earth to get them.

Australia's diamonds reserves are believed to be higher than South Africa and even Canada might have some pipes up North. De Beers' days are numbered.

[TexasMexican]

14. Fuck Debeers.

I would rather buy an American labratory made, perfect diamond, than to pay that particular group of Europeans to force thier african slaves to mine diamonds for them.

[TheMiddleRoad]

17. Century of Carbon

The twenty-first century will see the advent of the carbon economy.

Diamonds will eventually be used a a semi-conductor and enable computers to reach speeds that would melt silicon.

When the price goes down sufficiently, look for polished diamond to be used as transparent armor plating. Diamonds will be worthless by the end of this century. They will be manufactured and the applications will be amazing.

Carbon Nano-tubes will be used to create light and amazingly strong woven fabrics. They will generate ropes of amazing strength that will be used in suspension bridges. Finally they will be used to construct space elevators that will satellites cheaply into orbit.

Carbon Bucky balls will be used in medical delivery systems. They will be used extensively in the fields of nano-technology.

Finally, I'm glad to see De Beers is on the path to non-existence. I hate any and ALL cartels. These people are scum. Now if someone can finally invent alchemy (making gold), we can get rid of another band of thugs and misery makers.