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The Debunker: Is a Diamond Engagement Ring Traditional?

by Ken Jennings

Thanks to the hard work of the Association of American State Geologists, the second week of October has been officially declared "Earth Science Week" every year since 1998. So we decided to have Jeopardy!'s rarest gem, Ken Jennings, school us on the hardest rock of them all: diamonds. Are they really forever? Are they a girl's best friend? Let's shed the cold, hard light of 10-carat truth onto some of these semiprecious superstitions.

The Debunker: Is a Diamond Engagement Ring Traditional?

Today, everyone knows that if you like it, you should put a ring on it. Diamonds, after all, are an age-old symbol of permanence and strength. What could be a better symbol for the start of a marriage? You'll probably be surprised to hear that the idea of a diamond engagement ring isn't a storied tradition at all. In fact, it's a mid-20th century invention, the result of the most successful ad campaign in history.

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More likely that not, your grandparents never bought a diamond engagement ring. Over 80 percent of today's engagement rings contain diamonds, but around World War II, only about 10 percent did. The Great Depression had been pretty tough on De Beers, the global cartel that had a virtual monopoly on the world's diamonds. To pump up sales, De Beers's New York ad agency began sending lecturers to high schools, singing the praises of the diamond engagement ring as a must-have for young brides. The "one-month salary" rule of thumb (since doubled to two months) was invented arbitrarily. A copywriter dreamed up the slogan "A Diamond Is Forever," to make sure that diamonds were never resold, that engaged couples would always buy a new diamond from De Beers rather than buy one used or recycle a family heirloom. The campaign worked like gangbusters worldwide. In 1967, De Beers rolled it out in Japan, where just 5 percent of engaged women had diamond rings. Fifteen years later, that number was 60 percent.

Why did De Beers need to pump up demand for a commodity as rare as diamonds? It turns out that diamonds aren't all that rare. In fact, they're believed to be the most common gemstone both on the international market and in the Earth's crust. Partially as a result, they're not the most valuable stone either—at most sizes, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires are more expensive. If diamonds have any mystique at all, it was created pretty much from the whole cloth by clever copywriters.

Quick Quiz: According to the traditional lullaby "Hush, Little Baby," what will Mama buy you if your diamond ring turns brass?