Diamonds are always shown and marketed as something really valuable and expensive. But is it really? 

For a long long time, people have always been intrigued and in awe of diamonds but how much is it all real or fabricated. Especially in western countries, diamonds and wedding rings are almost synonymous. Proposing with a “XX-Carat” diamond ring which has to be at least two month's worth of salary of a person, is a very common and the normal norm in most western cultures. This is also slowly catching on to mainstream Indian couples. However, is this piece of carbon real worth all that?

Diamonds are often told as rare and valuable, but it is not so. This was all a marketing strategy of diamond companies to glorify this glittery gem and sell them at high prices. Diamond companies played with the demand and supply of the market and inflating the prices of the semi-precious stone. De Beers, the leading producer of diamonds in the world holds the monopoly in the production of finished diamonds. Earlier, they would release diamonds in small batches, thus maintaining scarcity of the stones to keep the price up.

"Diamonds are forever" is in fact one of the most well advertised catch phrase that helped the Diamond cartels artificially amplify their carbon rocks to valuable, rare gems that is a symbol of love and marriages.

This precious stone often mined in developing countries leads many environmental damages and pose threat to local communities. Labors working in such mines are often not given proper safety and often over worked. With global outrages and multiple NGOs working for human rights, this may have reduced but the environmental implications still remains a great threat. Forests are cut down, water level is deprived and neighboring area loses habitat to these open mines. Diamonds were used in the past by rebel groups to fund their fights against governments mostly in African countries and were called Blood diamonds. Terror groups wrongful make people mine diamonds and sell them off in unrefined forms to middle men. Many countries have joined hands to do away with such blood diamonds making their way into the regular markets.

Diamonds are chemically carbon, the hardest substance on earth. When carbon is subjected to huge pressure and temperatures under the earth's surface. However, now with well developed labs, diamonds can be lab grown. Most diamond companies would say lab grown and natural diamonds are different but there is not much staggering difference. This way of creating man made diamonds are definitely more sustainable and environment friendly.

Now, we know all that glitter is really not gold, or diamonds in this case! The next time you look at that glittery piece of stone you know what's the truth!