They never seem to mention diversifying tastes in articles like this. If I were to buy a diamond it’d be lab-grown, but I’d never buy one for someone because it’s boring. Anyone who grew up online is hyper-exposed to alternatives which are way more interesting. The cultural reverence for diamonds comes from the same people who think turf lawns are beautiful, and I don’t care about their gaudy Sopranos-ass tastes. My partner would get a meteorite, fossil, historical artefact, or really dynamic mineral/gem. The only jewellery I’ve ever gotten her were brass olive leaves made in Palestine, and that’s much more valuable to me in terms of the story it tells than diamond earrings costing 100x as much.

It’s a ghoulish industry for ghouls.