http://extremetechnology.blogspot.com/2006/02/yes-theyre-real.html
The tag may seem odd, but the number of women I know who crave getting fancy jewelry (diamonds, specifically) as a sign of affection is sadly high. That’s a mindset that originates far earlier than the medieval period, but given what we know today about the cartel’s insidious intentions, the links to terrorist activity, and the horrors implicit in ‘conflict diamonds,’ the fact that anyone would still desire a stone is appalling.
Luckily, these gents have found a high-tech way to “grow” diamonds cheaply. , and (so far) no one has had any limbs amputated to do it. Let’s hope the next step will be flooding the market so that the current diamond values plummet, making them far less useful to Al Qaeda and the like.
Of course, a market glut might also devalue the symbolism of the gem, so for their next trick I suggest the diamond-makers figure out a way to allow men to express their emotions better. Though I imagine a more likely scenario is that the long-stemmed-rose cartel will seize their opportunity…