Jezebel: Diamonds

Sparkly Bugs Have Real Diamond Wings

Anna North — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 14:45:00 EST

Kind of. Scientists have discovered that the shiny wings of the diamond weevil are full of crystals made of chitin in a structure much like actual diamonds. Unfortunately, bug engagement rings may be a ways off — says biophysicist Bodo Wilts, "Materials scientists could look to these scales to inspire new materials, but we don't yet know how they are made. We've got some catching up to do." More »

Turns Out Diamonds Aren't Really Your Best Friend After All

Erin Gloria Ryan — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:30:00 EST

A global advocacy group called Global Witness has recused itself from a coalition that aims to eliminate the flow of blood diamonds into the global marketplace, saying the safeguards that have been put in place aren't preventing tainted conflict gems from being bought by consumers. I guess diamonds are maybe more like a girl's best frenemy. Especially if the girl is from Africa. More »

Daphne Guinness Tied To Shady Diamond Dealer

Jenna Sauers — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 13:40:00 EST

Daphne Guinness's current fashion exhibit at the Museum at FIT has drawn the ire of peace groups including Code Pink and Jewish Voice for Peace because of the show's principal sponsor, one Lev Leviev. Leviev is a Soviet-born Israeli diamond magnate and real-estate speculator with a reported personal fortune of $1.5 billion; Leviev, though less well-known than the De Beers cartel, is the world's biggest cutter and polisher of diamonds, and his company has been a major player in the Angolan diamond industry since 1998. Nobody's saying the words "blood diamonds," but Angola has ~~never participated~~ does technically participate in (but has failed to meet the obligations of) the Kimberley Process, and it's known that diamonds funded Angola's bloody 27-year civil war. (Leviev reportedly sided with the rebels who were eventually victorious, which alliance allowed him to corner the Angolan rough-diamond market after the war ended in 2001.) His mining companies in Angola and Namibia, and the private security firms they hire, have been accused of abuses including torture, rape, firing striking workers, and murder by human-rights organizations. FIT's website credits "the generosity of LEVIEV Extraordinary Diamonds" for the exhibit, and Leviev sponsored a party in honor of the show, which Guinness attended. Perhaps just as controversial as his involvement in the diamond trade are Leviev's investments in the construction of illegal settlements in the West Bank. UNICEF and Oxfam are among the organizations and governments that have distanced themselves from Leviev and his companies. A variety of human rights and peace organizations have written open letters to Guinness, a couture collector and an heiress, and FIT, asking them to cut ties with Leviev. [Adalah-NY] More »

Celebrate Your Split With A Hideous Diamond 'Divorce Ring'

Margaret Hartmann — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 09:30:00 EDT

After your marriage ends, you may be in a celebratory mood or want to mark the milestone by buying yourself a piece of jewelry. Yet, we're still mystified by the existence of of Spritzer and Furman's $3,200 "Divorce Ring." Even if you feel like a sparkly diamond rising phoenix-like from a broken marriage, why would you want that depicted so literally in a ring? Especially one that, as The Stir notes, resembles, "something a Power Ranger would wear on a date." More »

Supermodel Selita Ebanks's Diamond Underwear Bruised Her Vadge

Jenna Sauers — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:40:00 EDT

Although we'd always naturally assumed that wearing underwear made out of metal and precious gems would be totally comfortable, Selita Ebanks says that is most emphatically not the case. Ebanks, who wore the Magical Diamond Bra And Panty Set Of Destiny in the 2007 Victoria's Secret fashion show, says that the stones hurt in her special lady place. A reporter asked Ebanks if she was nervous wearing underthings with a cash value of $4.5 million, and she replied, "I wasn't scared — it hurt. Yeah, diamonds hurt. I don't know about wearing diamonds on your crotch. It's like you're walking and scraping. This is not cohesive to get a man. No man wants a scratchy vagina." Pretty sure she meant "conducive," but her larger point still pretty much stands. Ebanks continued, "That's not sexy. Nobody wants bruises on their vagina." Indeed. [HuffPo] More »

Diamond Planet Discovered, Ladies Attempt To Contain Themselves

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 26 Aug 2011 09:20:00 EDT

Astronomers have spotted a planet that appears to be made of a diamond orbiting around a tiny star. The planet, which is 4,000 light years away, is denser than any other known and is made of mostly carbon. It's believed that the carbon is in a crystalline pattern, making the planet a diamond. It's truly a fascinating scientific discovery, because ZOMG! LADIES! DIAMONDS! GIRL'S BEST FRIEND AND WHATNOT! More »

Diamond Contact Lenses Test Girls' Tolerance For "Best Friend"

Margaret Hartmann — Fri, 05 Aug 2011 13:10:00 EDT

We thought vajazzling was the final frontier of making body parts sparkle, but we were wrong. India's Shekhar Eye Research Center has developed gold-plated, diamond-encrusted contact lenses that sell for $15,000. Creator Dr. Chandrashekhar Chawan says he came up with the idea after his wife had diamonds implanted in her teeth. Well, that makes more sense. Having precious stones embedded in your teeth but not your eyes would just look weird. More »

A Very Elaborate Ruse To Make You Crave Diamonds

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 17:55:00 EDT

Tiffany & Co. has started a new campaign, which includes a new website, What Makes Love True, and a short film called Will You Marry Me, "presented" by Edward Burns. It's an incredibly charming clip, very romantic and very well done. One could almost forget that it's all part of a carefully orchestrated plot to convince you that getting married is the best thing that can ever happen to a person and that the occasion must be marked with a diamond ring. More »

Inside Kimora Lee Simmons's Diamond-Filled "Satellite" Closet

Jenna Sauers — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 16:05:00 EST

The hourglass Simmons keeps in her wardrobe is filled with "over 5000 little diamonds. And they're real." ("Over 5000 cubic zirconias" doesn't have the same ring.) This, her "satellite closet," she warns is only "a smaller version of the Mothership." More »

Ridiculous Diamond Breaks Record For Being Ridiculous

Katie Luscombe — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 12:30:00 EST

A diamond dealer who had $46 million burning a hole in his pocket has since replaced that with a rare 24.78 karat "fancy intense pink" diamond. Coming soon to a Lopez finger near you! More »

12-Year-Old Designer Is Proof Our Culture Has Gone Very, Very Wrong

Jenna Sauers — Wed, 17 Nov 2010 11:35:00 EST

Precocious-in-the-bad-way tween "designer" Cecilia Cassini, who sells $500 dresses, says she took "like, three" sewing classes, but quit because her teacher was "like, rude." We have a feeling one day soon Cassini will be horribly embarrassed of all this.

Jewelry Is A Filthy, Poisonous Business

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 11:57:00 EST

Last month's icky earring-removal story prompted the grossest stories you'll ever read. But we also received a message from a woman who had worked in the jewelry industry, and was not surprised about the hair-clog earring. She'd seen worse. More »

The Grossest Earring-Removal Story You'll Hear This Week

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 01 Oct 2010 18:23:00 EDT

One day — maybe when I turned 30? — my mother gave me diamond studs. "I don't want them anymore," she said. "But don't lose them." I tighten the screw-backed earrings often, out of anxiety. But something went wrong. More »

Naomi Refuses To Confirm Or Deny That She Has Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes

Dodai Stewart — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 15:17:00 EDT

[New York, September 6. Image via Bauer-Griffin.]

The Naomi Campbell Blood Diamond Video Game Is Lame

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 14:54:00 EDT

The 24-Carat Campbell video game — in which you throw pebbles and diamonds at a cartoon version of Naomi — is not especially fun to play, but that's not the point. More »

Naomi Campbell's Blood Diamond Testimony Contradicted (Again)

Dodai Stewart — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EDT

Carole White, Naomi Campbell's former agent, was questioned in the Charles Taylor war crimes trial yesterday, and further contradicted Naomi's testimony.

Naomi's Blood-Diamond Testimony Contradicted By Mia Farrow

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 10:13:00 EDT

Mia Farrow took the stand in the Charles Taylor war crimes trial, and her testimony directly differed from what Naomi Campbell told the court. More »

Naomi Campbell Testifies, Says Blood Diamonds Looked Dirty

Dodai Stewart — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Today, Naomi Campbell told a war crimes tribunal in The Hague that after a dinner in 1997, some men knocked on the door of her room in the middle of the night and handed her a pouch of uncut diamonds. More »

186-Carat Diamond Is Cursed

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:15:00 EDT

British officials have opted to keep the Koh-i-Noor, a 186-karat diamond that supposedly carries a curse so that "only god or a woman can wear it with impunity." The famous gem currently resides in the late Queen Mother's crown. More »

Women Who Scored $10,000 Lebron Pendant Is No Longer A Lebron Fan

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 15:56:00 EDT

Four years ago, Vaneisha Robinson bought a pendant for $5 at a yard sale. She recently got the necklace appraised, only to discover it is actually worth nearly $10,000 - and a whole lot of trouble. More »

"Super-Luxe" Items Are A Waste Of Time And Talent

Sadie Stein — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:00:00 EDT

Yawn. Another day, another £100,000 gold and diamond bespoke stiletto. We get it: You can make really expensive stuff. There are still some people left who are rich enough to buy it. So these diamond stilettos? They're already tired. More »

Breaking It Off With A Girl's Best Friend

Sadie Stein — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 18:40:00 EDT

Writer Conor Friedersdorf is attempting to start a boycott of diamond engagement rings: More »

When Your First Engagement Ring Just Doesn't Cut It

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 11:00:00 EDT

Turns out, a diamond isn't forever - at least, not when it's small. According to a recent trend piece, many wives, unsatisfied with their original engagement rings, are trading them in for something even shinier. More »

Naomi Campbell And The Warlord's Big Blood Diamond

Jenna Sauers — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 16:40:00 EDT

This is a video of Naomi Campbell refusing to answer questions about her relationship with the notorious Liberian warlord/president Charles Taylor, and about a large blood diamond Taylor allegedly gave the supermodel in South Africa in 1997. More »

Diamonds Won't Shut Her Up Forever

Margaret Hartmann — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:20:00 EST

Guys, do you wish your significant other would stop talking about her thoughts and feelings? According to this ad spotted in Columbus, Ohio, dropping a few thousand dollars on a diamond will do the trick. [Sociological Images] More »

(Blood) Diamonds Are Forever

Katy Kelleher — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:20:00 EDT

Ian Smilie, the driving force behind the regulation of the diamond trade in Africa, recently "retired" (some say "stomped out") from his role on the Kimberly Process committee over the continuing presence of dirty rocks on the international market. [Independent] More »

Diamonds Are Not Sarah Haskins' Best Friend

Jessica G. — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 16:30:00 EST

On this installment of Target: Women, Sarah Haskins digs her claws into insidious jewelry ads clogging up our cable. More »

Around The Holidays, Diamonds Are A Girl's Most Annoying Friend

Hortense Smith — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:15:00 EST

Are you in possession of a vagina? Well then! Surely you must be longing for some diamonds, as well. At least that's what your television would have you believe, as diamond-hawking season is in full swing, with holiday ads pushing everything from bracelets to earrings to "8th anniversary of that time we ate hot dogs and you were all, 'Hey, I like ketchup, what do you know!'" momento keepsake rings. Amanda Marcotte at Pandagon points out the increasing horribleness of holiday diamond advertisements, pointing out a ridiculous commercial wherein a husband who buys his wife a very nice vacuum cleaner is sent to "the doghouse" with a bunch of other husbands who've screwed up with their spouses. The ad, as Marcotte says, "might be the most obnoxious and obvious example" of the annoying "buy your wife diamonds- or else!" sales pitch, and I'm inclined to agree with her. Clip after the jump. More »

A Girl's BF

Maria — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 09:20:00 EST

With the economy slumping, some women are turning their old engagement rings into something more useful: cold hard cash. Jewelry-selling websites like IDoNowIDont.com and Redswan.com reported record sales last month. Selling old rings directly to consumers — instead of wholesalers — can sometimes yield up to half of the original price. [NY Daily News, image via I Do Now I Don't] More »

What The World Needs Now

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 16:20:00 EDT

"We wanted to produce diamonds that resemble the Louis Vuitton brand," says Albert Bensoussan, watch and fine jewelry director at Louis Vuitton Malletier, which has just launched two of its own patented diamond cuts. And here they are: The pointed flower diamond and the rounded flower diamond. The Vuitton diamonds have between 61 and 77 facets and have been set into various pieces of jewelry, including a necklace, which contains 108 carats and retails for $4 million. Vuitton has dubbed the collection Les Ardentes, which translates roughly as "the blazing." As in, blazing right through your savings account. [W] More »

The Jewels In September's Elle Come At An Extremely High Price

Dodai Stewart — Fri, 01 Aug 2008 16:00:00 EDT

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Who do you contact when you feel like your head is going to explode from disgust and horror? Get that person on the line: This page, from the September issue of Elle, features diamond pendants made in the shape of African masks. Responsible for this jewelry? De Beers, the company founded by Cecil Rhodes, the guy with the scholarship named after him who was sort of a white supremacist. He wanted the British Empire to rule every country and once wrote: "I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race." More »

4 Things I Hate About Esquire's "10 Things You Don't Know About Women"

Anna North — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 12:30:00 EDT

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Women's magazines are full of tips about understanding the male gender via heavily edited anecdotes from a handful of highly mainstream twentysomethings. August's Cosmo, for instance, offers insight into "males' deepest sex secrets" — and then delivers a dude named Jim telling you not to kiss his chest. However, this kind of bullshitty inductive reasoning is not solely the province of the ladymag — Esquire does it too, in their "10 Things You Don't Know About Women" feature. We know Step Brothers Actress Andrea Savage is trying to be fun and funny in this month's list, but we're really not amused. More »

Dude Says Diamonds Are "Profoundly Anti-Feminist," And Not Just Because He Can't Afford One

Dodai Stewart — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 15:30:00 EDT

What does a diamond engagement ring mean to you? Love? Money? "Forever?" Over on Nerve, Ken Mondschein posits that diamond engagement rings are "profoundly anti-feminist." The idea that "only a diamond will do" is a relatively recent innovation, he explains. See, diamonds used to be so rare that only the very very wealthy could afford them. That is, until the 1870s. Diamond mines were "discovered" in South Africa, where, "poorly-paid, abominably treated native African workers" unearthed the gems by the ton. Cecil Rhodes, noted for having a famous scholarship named after him (and for believing that Anglo-Saxons are superior to others; he wanted the British Empire to rule every country and once wrote: "I contend that we are the finest race in the world and that the more of the world we inhabit the better it is for the human race") founded De Beers in 1880, and the diamond cartel became the most successful in the world. De Beers controls the supply of diamonds to keep them expensive, but, Mondschein asks, "How [did De Beers] convince the world that an isometric-hexoctahedral crystal lattice allotrope of carbon was something they absolutely needed to buy?" You already know the answer: Marketing. More »

Stella McCartney Is Eager To Dress ScarJo In Virginal White

Jennifer — Wed, 07 May 2008 11:30:00 EDT

Stella McCartney calls dibs on bride-to-be Scarlett Johansson: "I'm definitely doing her wedding dress. She doesn't know it yet." Awkward. [People]

Eva Longoria Mourns The Many African Children Who Died For Her Engagement Ring

Anna Holmes — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:15:56 EDT

Who Do You Have To Sleep With To See A Model Doing Coke In This Town?

Jennifer — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 10:47:32 EDT

Those Sisley cocaine-snorting ads? Not exactly real. Which makes us sad because we really wanted to see something realistic in a fashion magazine. [Sassybella]