I am a diamond lover. I do not know too many women who are not. But, I can speak for myself, when I say, I love a beautiful diamond. Like everything we buy, we shop around. We do not pay the first price we see for something we want or need. We have to compare prices, companies, customer service, and the fact of what we are purchasing, we will have for some time to come. So, when making a major purchase, as a diamond, we want to do as much research as possible to make sure we are getting the best grade of diamond for the money we are spending. When doing research I try to start with the oldest company I am most familiar with. In this instance it is De Beers.
On March 12, 1888 De Beers Consolidated Mines Limited was established by Cecil Rhodes. When Cecil Rhodes dies in 1902, Ernest Oppenheimer took over the responsibility a diamond buying agent. Ernest and all of his fellow workers did something right because this company is still in effect after 127 years. DE Beers is now 85 % owned by Anglo American and 15 % owned by the Bostwana government. It is true their diamonds are very expensive. I say if you are going to do something right, do it big. De Beers production rose 5 percent to 32.6 million carats during 2014, and the company expects it to stay in the range of 32 million to 34 million in 2015. I have noticed there is competition everywhere for everything. Diamonds seem to be the world source of competition because everyone wants to make the better diamond and the most money for their product. I understand the nature of this. Supply and demand. Where things are plentiful, the cost is down. De Beers had the monopoly for many years in the sale of diamonds. The market is more plentiful now with diamonds than it was in 1888. There were companies selling cubic zirconia’s as a real diamond for years until they were outed be people who knew the difference from a diamond from the earth versus a diamond from the lab. It is true the two are different because of the authenticity. But, a lab made diamond has to be treated the same as a diamond from the earth. The lab made diamonds have to have air holes to breathe just as the ones from the earth. They have to be cleaned the same. They have to be repaired the same way. The difference is the cost. This is what separates the men from the boys, and this is what causes anarchy among what is real and what seems be real. Through it all, it is a numbers game from products being sold.

REFERENCES: http://www.diamonds.net/News/NewsItem http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com
http://sciencec.howstuffworks.com