Is it possible that diamonds won't be as valued in the future as they are now? There are at least two things that make me wonder.
(1) The advent of high quality gem-sized artificial diamonds. Technology keeps getting both better and cheaper - will artificial diamonds help drive down the price of diamonds as many people seek them out as a low cost alternative?
(2) Fashion and social pressure. Within the past few years, political "progressives" have been decrying the diamond industry as exploitative of workers, particularly children. Although some might find it difficult to believe that social pressure might curtail the sale of diamonds, one only needs to look to the fur industry over the past quarter century. It's now a fraction of the size it once was, mainly due to campaigns by animal activists.
I've been contemplating buying some serious bling recently and am wondering how it will hold it's value. I certainly don't look at it as an investment that will grow, but I hope that a purchase wouldn't be a complete consumable item either. I wonder if I bought a diamond necklace today, would its relative used value be 70%, 40%, or 10% of what it is today in the coming decades.
Any thoughts?
(1) The advent of high quality gem-sized artificial diamonds. Technology keeps getting both better and cheaper - will artificial diamonds help drive down the price of diamonds as many people seek them out as a low cost alternative?
(2) Fashion and social pressure. Within the past few years, political "progressives" have been decrying the diamond industry as exploitative of workers, particularly children. Although some might find it difficult to believe that social pressure might curtail the sale of diamonds, one only needs to look to the fur industry over the past quarter century. It's now a fraction of the size it once was, mainly due to campaigns by animal activists.
I've been contemplating buying some serious bling recently and am wondering how it will hold it's value. I certainly don't look at it as an investment that will grow, but I hope that a purchase wouldn't be a complete consumable item either. I wonder if I bought a diamond necklace today, would its relative used value be 70%, 40%, or 10% of what it is today in the coming decades.
Any thoughts?