Anyone married here? Do they or their spouse have a diamond on their finger?

I'm not married, but I think I can guess what you're talking about here. "Conflict" diamonds, right?

Not a huge percentage, but still, up to 1 in 10 as of 2000. Very interesting article.

http://www.nytimes.com/2000/04/06/world ... all&src=pm


U.N. Page on Conflict Diamonds

http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

Yeah, that's the ticket. Sorry honey, it's cubic zirconium for you. We don't want to risk our money going for blood diamonds. See how that goes over.

Frankly, diamonds are grossly overrated, DeBeers is a corrupt criminal cartel that artificially inflates the price of the diamonds it sells by artificially restricting the number it makes available. Diamonds are not actually 'rare' they are only made rare on purpose by DeBeers to justify inflating the price. You might be wondering 'how is deliberately limiting of something in order to increase the price legal?" and the answer is 'it isn't. Technically, what DeBeers does is contrary to about a million federal laws, which is why, for decades, DeBeers executives have been unable to enter the United States because they would be arrested on sight.

The whole mythology of the 'diamond engagement ring' was invented in the 1920's be DeBeers, as was the mythical 'two months salary' rule and the whole mythology of the diamond.

There is absolutely no reason why cubic zirconium, or a ruby or an emerald, or any less expensive gem, shouldn't be regarded as equally good as a diamond, it is only due to the brainwashing of the DeBeers criminal cartel that anyone thinks otherwise...

In addition to some of the money finding it's way to warlords

The wife and I have simple gold bands.

Since 1999, they've actually been cracking down on DeBeers, so the 'conflict diamonds' are less of a problem than they used to be....since 2003 the Kimberly Process Certification Scheme has helped to significantly limit the number of conflict diamonds bought and sold in the international market.

Gold mines fund warlords in the Congo.....as well as perpetuating child labor both in South America and Africa. (Children routinely die in the mines.) In the Congo, specifically, women are forced to work in the mines with their infants strapped to their backs. The fumes from the mines cause disease and death for both the women and the babies.


The wife and I have simple aluminum foil bands. (jk)

Ah darn it. "Honey?......"

Gold is mined all over the world, including in the United States....indeed some of the biggest gold mines in the world are in the Black Hills of South Dakota, which is why you can't go more than 3 inches without seeing someone selling 'Black Hills gold' rings, necklaces and whatnot... and most of the gold bought and sold in the United States is from the United States.....diamonds are a bigger problem because there all imported from elsewhere.....and certifying diamonds as 'conflict free' is not actually all that difficult, so the enforcement mechanism is not very extreme or costly...

While the fact is that pretty much everything you can possibly buy, including food and clothing, has moral problems attached to it, conflict diamonds are a bigger problem than most and it is a problem which is relatively easily fixed....

look on the bright side vegas...you can make a profit on your bands with the huge increase in gold prices in the last 4 years

I can haz pokerz munee?

Honey mines exploit bees and fund territorial disputes among neighboring hives. Each year, hundreds of people are stung in the crossfire...some of whom have allergic reactions and....oh, nevermind.

Cool, they match your hats!

The wife and I have cigar bands.

indeads yuz kan!

Aluminum foil? We just draw wedding bands on our fingers every couple of days with a Sharpie.

and you were grateful?

Don't get me started on the Sharpied boycott

Shapies are used by rock starts to autograph places that shouldn't be.

Soooo....I should use a shapie to get my rock started?