Country girl needs Enlightenment

Safecraker, I'd love to hear you talk. I'm curious what a southern canadian sounds like......

DeBeers used to control most of the diamond sales in the world. They sell to a hand full of brokers across the world, maybe 10. Only 3 or 5 (can't remember) are from north america all are in NYC.
The brokers are given a set amount, with no choice on the cuts, or clarity ect., at a set price. All diamonds come precut and polished, usually done in asia, mostly india.
These brokers then sell to the middles men and so on. So you can see why they would have so much security, although I had no idea. I spent hours there one afternoon. Didn't buy anything, but I learned a whole lot.
Now there are canadian diamonds marked with a miniscule polar bear, not war or slave traded stones. Debeers has no mines here, thusly no control over our market. If a DeBeers' broker or buyer is caught selling non-DeBeers diamonds, he loses the right to ever sell them again.

Just a bit of trivia.......... Smile

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There are people here who live in apartment buildings, take the subway to work, and work in office towers. They don't own umbrellas, boots, coats, any of the normal getting around a winter city stuff.

They never go outside!

I marvelled the first time I met one of these city rats. I had to loan her a pair of winter boots, and a coat to take her to a mutual friend's baby shower.

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diamonds are practically worthless except for their industrial application. I wonder what kind of dumb thugs would want to steal them :wink:. I also wonder if they could get any money for them.

And further, I'll bet Deberrs would release onto the market the exact number that was stolen. They have supply and demand down to an exact science.

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Portal, the stolen - slave or war traded diamonds, were a reference to africa. DeBeers still buys most of the diamonds in the world. They have mines, but they also trade in stones with dubious pasts. When a person buys a canadian diamond, they are 100% sure it has not been on the black market or used to fund gorilla warfare.

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Some people don't like the diamonds, they just want to drink debeers.

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safecracker wrote:

canadian money can be a pain, just don't keep your cash in the usual place, also don't keep it all in 1 place same goes for ID. If you don't look like a tourist you won't get jumped.

I would be more than happy to relieve you of your Canadian money pains.

Very Happy

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Ceili wrote:

Portal, the stolen - slave or war traded diamonds, were a reference to africa. DeBeers still buys most of the diamonds in the world. They have mines, but they also trade in stones with dubious pasts. When a person buys a canadian diamond, they are 100% sure it has not been on the black market or used to fund gorilla warfare.

I thought the diamond district was only debeers? I like that the Canadian ones (hopefully) have a nicer past, but they still don't have the market value to justify their price.

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caprice wrote:

safecracker wrote:
canadian money can be a pain, just don't keep your cash in the usual place, also don't keep it all in 1 place same goes for ID. If you don't look like a tourist you won't get jumped.

I would be more than happy to relieve you of your Canadian money pains.

as long as your trading me for USD you sure can Smile

Portal Star the diamond district is basicly everyone in the biz.

I did some time as a security guard at 17 in that area for a diamond shipment company.

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Dubious pasts indeed. I bought a supposed Hope diamond from DeBeers to give to an enemy of mine. Well, go figure, he has had nothing but good luck since I gave him the gift. I'll never trust DeBeers again.

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At least half, maybe more, of the jewels in the diamond district is estate or pawned(I use this term loosly), in other words not new, secondhand.

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safecracker wrote:

caprice wrote:
I would be more than happy to relieve you of your Canadian money pains.

as long as your trading me for USD you sure can

Hey, I didn't say anything about trading. You mentioned being in pain, I offered to relieve it. Sheesh, ya just can't please some people! Ya offer to help and they always want more!

*goes off muttering to self*

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Portal Star wrote:

I like that the Canadian ones (hopefully) have a nicer past, but they still don't have the market value to justify their price.

Huh? That doesn't make sense to me. Their price is based on the market value. If there were no buyers, the markets wouldn't support the price and it would be forced to drop.

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Re: Country girl needs Enlightenment

Portal Star wrote:

Actually, it is among the young, geeky community. Some of it is tasteful, a lot of it isn't. The odd thing about the internet is weirdos can find other wierdos and have a community instead of being shunned (like they would in normal society) because of the gigantic scope of the internet you can always find someone who shares you views er, um, affliction.

Isn't that why we are all here?

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Um... I really hope that I am capable of making friends not consisting entirely of text.

They only have market value because the diamond industry very carefully calculates the number of engagements/marriages a year and only releases that amount. I guess they have market value if people are willing to pay for them. Let me restate: The resale value is horrendously less than the price (especially if there were a depression and everyone was trying to sell their diamonds for money. Everyone has one - they would be worthless except as drill bits.) If we had a tradition centered around m&m's and their production was carefully regulated we'd probably pay thousands for them too.

Ceili - how interesting! I didn't know that. I wonder how the whole system works. It's probably very complicated.

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Portal Star wrote:

If we had a tradition centered around m&m's and their production was carefully regulated we'd probably pay thousands for them too.

Maybe you would, but I wouldn't. Razz

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Someone triggered a memory from a few years back.. the only time I "stopped" in St. Louis... we stopped at this gas station cuz I had to use the bathroom.. but... there was no door!! and no bathrooms for public use.. I'd never encountered this before. Also, to get your stuff.. you walked up to this thick window, and talked through slits in the glass, then you put the money in this metal thing like a bank teller window.... and then they put your stuff in and send it back outside....
Does anyone know what I'm talking about? and is this common??

Also.. I feel stupid asking for all this advice and stuff, so I thought of something that might be useful to you city folk!!!

If you go cow tippin... don't do the ones with horns Smile

hehehe
And do you guys know what crickin is? (just curious)

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*raised eyebrow*

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soserene some of us are rural farm folks who just happen to have city experiance so I know where your comming from. Anyone know what hogging is Smile

"If you go cow tippin... don't do the ones with horns"

ya it's not smart to milk em either lol

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I know hogging (though I never have), but I don't know crickin... What's crickin?

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I've never been tippin', hogging or crickin, it's not obscene is it? Cause then maybe............ :wink:

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Country girl needs Enlightenment

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