Diamonds…. the global status symbol….. always for the rich and the famous. The ‘rare’ stone has had a big fan following over the years. And now, they seem to have found a way into our lives too…

Every other day you will find a new company launching a range of diamond jewellery at ‘affordable’ prices, accompanied with the tacky one-liners that say how it is the only way to express your true emotions for your lady love. And of course there are a number of elegant female celebrities endorsing the diamonds and the beautiful, royal, chic design, saying to you how diamonds are a girl’s best friend.

To tell you the truth, I myself was pretty fond of the lovely stone… I thought that the man who loves me should be able to give me a diamond ring… Come on, I mean, don’t I deserve it? Isn’t it amazing to show someone the ring and say “Here, I got engaged!!!”

The other day I was chatting with a friend, and she was talking about her personal experiences in the diamond mine zones of South Africa. She was mentioning that since the prices of diamond are fixed in the global market, one of the ways that the companies earn profit is by keeping the wage rates to the bare minimum. She also mentioned that the single reason for the increased prevalence of HIV/AIDS in this region could be accounted to the growing migrant labour population who worked at these mines.

So here’s my question to myself… how important is this piece of stone in my life? They say a diamond is forever. Yes, they are… Just like my books, my music, my favourite friend, my family and my love for the one person I wish to spend my entire life with… Aren’t diamonds the commonest stone that I see almost every other person wearing? How important is it for me to own that one huge stone? Does the size of the stone really portray how much that person loves me? Isn’t love priceless, or is it comparable to the price of a stone which came out tainted with the blood and sweat of a fellow human being….