Why are diamonds so expensive?
923739
They are artificially held up in price by DeBeers and associated firms, there are actually huge amounts of diamonds being held back from the market to maintain the price levels.  The diamond cartel also funds massive ad campaigns to create a market.  The truly valuable gems are large, uncrazed emeralds, spinels, peridots, and sapphires...especially star sapphires (red sapphires are called rubies).  Large, well cut aquamarines are good value as well.\n\nAvoid opals and pearls....opals craze very easily if not in the proper humidity, and pearls can wear through the nacre after just a few years of being worn and rubbing against clothe.
460854
Someone can buy you the most expensive gift, but treats you bad. Can you love them? Expensive things lose their value, their luster, their shine..Love is from the heart, not the wallet. You can't put a price on love. Listen to The Beatles.
762355
Diamonds are plentiful. The reason why the price is so high is because there are very few "families" that actual run the diamond mines. The DeBeers (not sure of spelling) family is one that basically owns 99% of the diamond mines in South Africa. They have gone to great lengths to make sure they are one of the few diamond brokers in the world. Great lengths is an understatement, for much of what they have supposedly done would be illegal if these mines where in the US. It's basically a "turf war". That said, diamonds aren't rare nor precious. \nAs for price, you can find cheap diamonds but the cheaper...the less "perfect" in the three C's. Clarity, Cut and Carat (don't quote me because the last C always gets me). \n\nDon't waste a dime unless you plan on dropping big coin on a perfect stone.
149669
The Most expensive precious metal that can be found naturally is carbon not plutonium because plutonium is man made element and can not be found naturally, the carbon most expensive precious metal ever because diamond made from that metal created by tremindous pressure,heat,and time  below the crust of the earth.
247586
Current market price for platinum is approx $1040 /oz. There is really no answer to your question because it depends on the quality of the diamond. Industrial diamonds can be purchased for less than a penny an ounce (< 50 cents per carat).\nTop quality diamonds can go for millions of dollars apiece. It all depends.
791444
I think the answer will depend on what you mean by "popular." If by popular you mean the most carats of gemstones sold commercially, then I think we would be looking at a less expensive gemstone such as amethyst or citrine (normally super-heated amethyst) or topaz in one of its many enhanced-color options.\n\nIf by popular you mean valuable, then emeralds and rubies are the most valuable monetarily. In fact, an emerald or ruby of equal size and quality are normally more valuable than their diamond counterparts.
1092269
Yup diamonds burn.  At 800 degree Celsius.
451747
Millions of pounds.\n\n\nDer realy expensive
666494
first of all do you know anything about diamonds?Do you know how to grade a diamond??Can you tell a real one from a fake??Do you have people or a place to sell your diamonds???There is a lot to know before you put your money or even your trust into a venture you are thinking about.
413769
diamonds are just carbon atoms that are compressed so much that they become clear and shiny... theyre expensive because they are rare and very difficult to mine... they are often formed in places where there is a lot of heat and pressure such as deep down in earth... nobody knows where diamonds were first found cause they are so old that they date back to before there were and major written records
717853
Don't sell Diamonds..\n\nYou buy them very expensive and no store will accept to buy them from you except for 1/4 the original price.\n\ndon't sell or you're gonna loose alot.\n\nCheers.
5200
According to Ian Flemmings (the creator of James Bond):  Diamonds are Forever.\n\nI know it sounds like a cop-out, but I don't think diamonds degrade, so in theory, they SHOULD last forever.
24324
For the same reason that a plasma TV or a Saab is expensive: you pay for the quality of the product. Plus it doesn't help that they're an extremely hot item right now.
655958
The average diamond is approximately 3 billion years old. Some newer some older. Thats about 2/3 the age of the planet.\nDiamonds are not created in the earths crust, but rather deep in the earths mantle at about 1800 degrees F. The diamonds are brought to the surface by volcanic activity.
1056049
diamond tables might be expensive but, well ,u get what\nu pay for because diamond offers the best quality available\nin the design and in construction of their HANDCRAFTED  tables.\nconsider their moto Designed by Players - Built for Players\nso if you're a true Player get a Diamond u won't be disappointed.
207264
Getting an accurate history of diamond prices is difficult since different types have appreciated differently. I don't have estimates for 2005. If you  look at the 1st link (page 4) you will see that rough diamond prices have gone from ~1000 to ~1800 from 1980 to 2004, an increase of 80%. From the second link you can see the consumer price index went from 246.8 to 565.7, an increase of 129%.  Rough diamond prices have gone up less than inflation.  (I can't find comparable figures for cut diamonds, but they tend to follow rough prices.)  The next problem is that you buy retail and sell wholesale, and the wholesale price is often 1/2 of retail. (See third and fourth links) I don't think of diamonds as a good investment. (Except my wife likes the one I got her, so it was a good investment from that standpoint)
863045
Life would be unrecognizable. Diamonds are the corner-stone (sorry for the pun) of modern high tec industry. They are used in everything from making cars to producing contact lenses, from heavy industry to neuro-surgery. In some applications they can be replaced by other hard materials but the equipment has to run slower and it wears out in a fraction of the time. All in all  much of what we  regard as "normal" today would not be here without diamond technology.