If you have read very much of this site, you will be well aware
of the disdain I have expressed for synthetic diamonds and synthetic colored gemstones.
But as time marches on and world politics get ever more bizarre,
I feel my armor beginning to tarnish. Basically, a case can
be made in favor of synthetics. Below are several
reasons to favor synthetic diamonds and colored gemstones
"Natural diamonds aren't particularly rare. In 2006, more than 75,000 pounds [170, 820, 000 carats] were produced worldwide. A diamond is a precious commodity because everyone thinks it's a precious commodity .." Smithsonian
Diamond Costs
Mostly, it's about greed and market control, especially the diamond cartels. What else can explain the massive investments that have been made and continue to be made in Africa, Australia and Canada.In a market free of De Beers, diamond prices would fall remarkably. That would be a disaster for some. But diamonds are marketed as tokens of love. So have we set prices on love? Would a $1,000 VVS1 express less love than a $3,000 VVS1? Will a natural VVS1 express more love than a synthetic VVS1?
Colored Gemstone Costs
The market prices of colored gems has more to do with scarcity than cartels. Marketing hype and snob factors do add to the price of certain gems. Do you really need to know whether a ruby has been heated? They have been doing that for a couple of centuries, after all.Conflict Diamonds
Finding the blood on conflict diamonds is usually pretty easy. But not always. Is the forced relocation of an entire Bushmen population any more ethical? Okay, so the Government of Botswana is legitimate. Actually, does that not make the act seem even more tawdry?Ruby & Repressive Regimes
Much really good ruby come out of the Mogok mines in the Shan State of Burma (Myanmar). The generals who stand with their collective boots on the necks of the Burmese people have violated the population for decades. Their rule is not only illegal, but morally despicable. As a result, the U.S. banned rubies and jadeite mined and exported after 2003.No doubt there will be as much success stopping the smuggling of rubies and jadeite as there has been in curtailing the trafficking of heroin. I just wonder who will be training all those ruby-sniffing dogs.
The effect of the ban? I expect higher prices.
Open Pit & Underground Mines
Strip mines (open pit mines) and underground mines are the de facto standard for mining diamonds. Massive scars on the earth will result in opening a kimberlite pipe .. diamond bearing material and geology. But before the kimberlite can be reached, everything above must be removed.What seem to be of less importance in reaching the kimberlite are existing ecosystems. What comes next is an orgy of explosives and gargantuan earth ripping machinery. Then the waste that is removed has to be dumped somewhere.
Exhausted mines tend to be quietly forgotten and abandoned.