To mark the sale at auction of the largest rough diamond in the world – the 1,109 carat ‘Lesida La Rona‘, which is expected to go for at least $US70 million – The Economist published a piece about the strugglin’ diamond industry.
At least, that’s what their headline appears to be:
However, they tweeted the story with a very different headline:
Why aren’t millennials buying diamonds? https://t.co/yMmkzFUFBb pic.twitter.com/a822ggVZrK
— The Economist (@TheEconomist) July 1, 2016
Why, indeed.
Here’s a guess: diamonds are expensive, largely a status symbol, and come from an ethically shady industry to boot. Shitty tradition dictates that a man should blow three months of his paycheque on one before asking a woman to shove it on her finger and become symbolically ‘his’. That tradition is still alive, of course, but not quite with the same fanatic following as they were in the 50s, 60s, 70s and so forth. In other words, they belong to a different era.
But let’s be real here: it’s mostly about the money thing.
@TheEconomist I work at a grocery store
— Lifelong Iceland Fan (@CowlonFullerton) July 1, 2016
@TheEconomist Because millennials are the highest educated and lowest paid age demographic.
— Scott A Hutchins (@scottandrewh) July 1, 2016
@TheEconomist the 1% can’t keep looting the middle class & then sell them diamonds
— ThusTweetedAnderson (@ThusBloggedA) July 1, 2016
@TheEconomist Because millennials don’t have a high enough paying job and food stamps don’t cover the purchase of diamonds
— Josh Roller (@25jroller) July 1, 2016
@TheEconomist because they barely have enough to pay the rent, although some of those british chavies who like BLING may save for one
— MariscalBresnev (@YusufElVikingo) July 1, 2016
We, for one, are praying that millennials get their act together soon, before the diamond industry implodes in itself in a fiery diamond-hard hell.
.@TheEconomist you just threw darts at a board and hit “millenials” and “diamonds” and shit out 5,000 words connecting them, didn’t you?
— Probillmatic (@UweBollocks) July 1, 2016
Source: Twitter.
Photo: The Economist.
