Poll: Diamonds! Are Worthless Little Chunks Of Worthless Rock...

[2HF]

"I don't like X and think it's worthless, anyone who disagrees is a moron. Discuss"

Stay classy OP.

Based on the counterarguments I'm being presented with, that appears to be the case, yes.

Soooo you think all art is worthless?

If you'll read the post immediately before yours you'll see that no, I don't. I never thought of diamonds as art until I read the post by Scars Unseen. Even now I don't entirely agree but I am able to understand the point of view. If you want to tell me that diamonds (only the legitimately rare ones crafted to perfection by a master) have artistic worth then I can swallow that pill. If you want to tell me that the diamond you bought at the walmart jewelry counter to propose to your now knocked up one night stand has worth then I will laugh derisively at you.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BaOvM9jXKg

I don't know how to embed

Edit: it seems you read the post I referenced and changed your post accordingly. Either way I think this post should address the issue to everyone's satisfaction.

 

[Mr F.]

I do not think much for diamonds as a whole. However, some form of precious stone on a ring would be used if I do eventually propose. Probably an emerald. I just like them. Set in white gold. Cause regular gold is so tacky.

 

[Queen Michael]

As far as I know, things are worth what you can get people to pay for them.

 

[Scars Unseen]

Someone said it before, but a diamond is a work of art. And like all art, there are people who will appreciate it and people who will not(obviously the OP falls into this category). The reason diamonds can be(but aren't necessarily) expensive is because they are an artform crafted on to a rare(for high quality) and unforgiving canvas.

This here is the first argument that made any kind of sense to me. Smaller diamonds with flaws are a dime a dozen. Large flawless diamonds may actually be rare and working them properly into an appealing shape could be considered an artistic skill.

I am not an appreciator of paintings or any similar form of art. I appreciate music, film, writing, many different forms of art but paintings, photos, drawings, they never clicked with me. I guess diamonds fall into that same category.

I am willing to accept that legitimately rare diamonds crafted by a master hand may have worth, though I still don't think it's nearly as much as some of you do.

Well the thing about art is that not all of it is good. Sometimes you get the Mona Lisa, but more often you just get a velvet Elvis. I saved money by getting the Dogs Playing Poker of diamonds.

 

[Pinkamena]

Value is where men believe value is. Diamonds are actually rather dull if you ask me. No colors (usually), and pretty common.

 

[Racecarlock]

Diamonds when used for industrial purposes are pretty valuable iirc.

A diamond sitting in a ring (read: anywhere other than industrial purposes) is absolutely worthless. No?

Let's start with the diamond ring. We're going to assume a loving relationship that lasts until death. Whoever is wearing the diamond ring is walking around with anywhere from hundreds (poor folk) to hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of dollars (rich folk) on their finger for absolutely no fucking reason!

The diamond serves absolutely no purpose apart from impressing other people (and honestly, if you care about the opinions of people who are impressed by a useless rock then we can't have a rational discussion). Sure this argument can be applied to a great many things in any given home but none of those things concentrate as much money in such a small package.

In any other form of jewelry I can maybe understand it if you plan on selling it later on for more than you paid, or even at a slight loss. Sure, they do look kinda pretty, whatever.

You can tell me that the diamond is a symbol of your never ending love but fuck all that jazz. If my partner doesn't get that I love them from the fact that I'm promising the rest of my life to them then we have issues that no pebble can solve.

So... TLDR version. A diamond that you plan on keeping forever is a worthless piece of rock that some people might have even died for. A diamond that you plan on reselling some day is a needlessly risky investment. Discuss?

Just a quick thing, I see this come up a lot. Don't use this thread to whine about how you are forever alone. If you truly believe that then clearly the poll question wasn't meant for you. Stop being whiny and go ask someone out. The worst they can do is say no.

Well, using your logic video games are just pretty lights operated by numbers and all the meaning that is there is put there by us.

It may be true, but quit pissing on other people's birthday cakes.

 

[Risingblade]

In other words you're sooooooo cheap that you can't be bothered to get her a worthless rock?

 

[TomLikesGuitar]

Who here has the Legendary Halo 3 edition?

Who here has honestly never overpaid for novelty?

Diamonds are the exact same thing.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

As an artist, this issue of "what gives something with no blatantly functional purpose value?" is a question that I have to frequently address. Clearly you're not all that taken with Diamonds, and the attitude you've displayed here leads me to guess that you're probably not all that interested objects of intangible value. That's fine, but as someone whose life is devoted to the study and creation of objects with intangible value (in my case paintings) I do think you're missing out.

Now diamonds and jewelry crafts are not my forte. That said, a well presented diamond is truly a beautiful thing. Forged from carbon at unimaginable pressures, a diamond of value has been cut by an expert stone-cutter. I don't know if you've ever tried your hand at stone-cutting, but it is not an easy task, and to craft a beautiful diamond of mathematical perfection from a roughly hewn chunk speaks to the hands of a talented artist. Likewise, setting a diamond is no simple task. As a stone whose beauty is optimized only in maximum light, a diamond must be set so as to allow a lot of light into the stone. This means the creation of delicate settings, shaped and soldered (generally out of sterling silver or a similarly rare and difficult to work with metal) by someone with the training and experience to properly handle such metals without destroying them [and they are VERY easy to destroy].

When you see a diamond like this, it is not the diamond itself which is beautiful, but instead it is the way that light refracts within the diamond. Thusly a diamond becomes a reference not just to the unimaginable forces which formed it, or the expert hands which prepared it for presentation, but also to the very light which is our primary method of understanding the world around us. To truly appreciate such an ephemeral object, one must examine it closely and in person. If you have never held a well prepared diamond in your hand, you have never actually seen a diamond. It is not the chunk of white stone which we normally think of a diamond as being, instead its properties are such that it presents all the light and colors in its immediate vicinity. To appreciate a diamond the way it was meant to be appreciated, one must appreciate the world in which it exists, as the diamond reflects and returns the world to the viewer. If it has value, it is in the fact that its beauty reminds us to examine the beauty of the world around us.

 

[TilMorrow]

I'm more of an Uranium gifting guy. Bitches love Uranium. Also where's the meditator or bacon option in the poll? I am terribly disappointed.
/silliness

Yes, a/ Diamond/s are costly piece/s of clear stone that really have no practical applications when gifted to significant other apart from symbolising a flimsy ideal of devotion, admiration and general <3 all around. But really is there any problem with that? If people feel that a Diamond ring, necklace or some other kind of jewelery is perfect for expressing their affection then why fault them? Also the 'value' of Diamonds has been so deeply inscribed in society that pointing out it's weakness on the internet is hardly going to do anything. Heck, people have been complaining about the silliness of currency and money in general for far longer yet the economic systems of the world have yet to collapse.

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Well, I don't intend on proposing at all. I'm of the mind that marriage is an unnecessary inclusion into a relationship. If I want to spend the rest of my life with someone, I'll just do it.

 

[In Search of Username]

I'm not gonna get married, so no answer.

But yeah, diamonds are practically worthless, people just think love = willingness to waste money.

 

[dyre]

Is this your first "cause?" Because you argue it with such obsessive passion and utter dismissal of opposing views that I can only come to one of two conclusions:

1. You lost family or close friends to a blood diamond conflict (so it's personal)
2. You've gotten your first taste that this world is kind of shit, and somewhere down the supply chain, people are suffering miserably for every one of our first world pleasures, whether it be diamonds or chocolate or nice clothes or electronics. And yes, many of those first world pleasures are overpriced. Welcome to reality. Only thing is, you haven't been exposed to the rest of that yet, just diamonds so far, hence the incredible passion of your post.

 

[Panorama]

Value is where men believe value is. Diamonds are actually rather dull if you ask me. No colors (usually), and pretty common.

This, what ever people believe to have value, gold diamonds for there rareness. Thats all.

 

[Nalgas D. Lemur]

Meh, diamonds. I was so disappointed as a kid that diamond was my birthstone. Rather have something more colourful myself.

Yeah, sort of the same thing here. Yay birth stones. I know people think they look nice when they're cut because they're all sparkly and stuff, and they even can come in different colors (although those are considered lower grade), but they're just kind of visually boring. At least they're pretty neat from a materials science point of view. Well, except for the part where despite being hard enough that they can scratch through nearly anything else, they're still brittle enough that you can smash them with a hammer...

 

[Morti]

In a world where value was never judged by emotional worth, video games would not exist. Maybe think about that before you proclaim intellectual superiority over things you don't understand.

I would argue that it wouldn't be as clear cut as that. Many animals, humans included, learn through play. In a world where emotional value did not exist, you may still get video games, they would all just be educational in some way. You may even still get something like CoD, it's just that it would actually be a murder simulator, created by the army to train soldiers. Put realistic physics in Mario and hey presto, you're being taught the basic principals of motion. This would apply even more if the actual emotions still exist, since you're likely to learn more if you're having fun, so the emotional value directly contributes to the educational value.


On topic: "Here darling, this represents my eternal love for you and is valued at a fifth of what my temporary car cost."

Yeah, I don't the point buying store bought stuff because of the price tag. Cheap and custom > expensive generic any day.

 

[sethisjimmy]

I have to agree somewhat. A lot of people are bringing up the fact that the supposed uselessness of diamonds is somehow akin to the uselessness of video games. I disagree with this. Videogames are entertainment, and entertainment is valuable for mental stability of the human mind. Diamonds don't provide entertainment, they are essentially a status symbol for people to show off, which provides little but a flat gesture of commitment to another person. I wouldn't say they're totally useless, but i'd put them at the same level as other forms of attire, such as clothes or shoes. Their massive jacked up price comes from their perceived commitment value.

Personally I don't see the big deal. Anybody can buy a diamond. The type of person who would see a diamond as a form of commitment I think is the person who values money above all else. Because that's all it really is. Anybody can take a few weeks paychecks and spend it on a rock, why does that say I'm committed, as opposed to a romantic gesture or something deeper? I get where it comes from, but I think it's kind of a lame societal construct. I'd rather see something more creative or heartfelt than just buying a diamond.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Not worthless, merely overpriced due to decades of effective advertising and monopoly control of supply (De Beers).
Diamonds aren't nearly as rare as most people think (or as their price would imply), and high quality diamonds (read: flawless) of jewelry size can be manufactured at a much lower cost than mining an equivalent grade diamond.

Personally, I find tainted/colored diamonds neat, but I'm a bigger fan of the beryl and dioptase families.