If you want to read about the insanity of manipulation in the diamond industry, this Atlantic article on de Beers from 1982 is a … gem.
Of the many shocking moments, one that stood out to me was the way they went after post-war Japan to convert their "backwards" desires to ones of a more "forward-thinking" diamond friendly impulse:
"J. Walter Thompson began its campaign by
suggesting that diamonds were a visible
sign of modern Western values. It created
a series of color advertisements in Japanese
magazines showing beautiful women displaying
their diamond rings. All the women had
Western facial features and wore European
clothes. Moreover, the women in most of
the advertisements were involved in some
activity -- such as bicycling, camping,
yachting, ocean swimming, or mountain
climbing -- that defied Japanese traditions.
In the background, there usually stood a
Japanese man, also attired in fashionable
European clothes. In addition, almost all
of the automobiles, sporting equipment, and
other artifacts in the picture were conspicuous
foreign imports. The message was clear:
diamonds represent a sharp break with the
Oriental past and a sign of entry into modern life."
"The campaign was remarkably successful. Until 1959,
the importation of diamonds had not even been
permitted by the postwar Japanese government. When
the campaign began, in 1967, not quite 5 percent
of engaged Japanese women received a diamond
engagement ring. By 1972, the proportion had risen
to 27 percent. By 1978, half of all Japanese women
who were married wore a diamond; by 1981, some 60
percent of Japanese brides wore diamonds. In a
mere fourteen years, the 1,500-year Japanese
tradition had been radically revised. Diamonds
became a staple of the Japanese marriage. Japan
became the second largest market, after the United
States, for the sale of diamond engagement rings."
This has for a long time now been the best article I’ve ever read from The Atlantic and I used to be a magazine subscriber. If you haven’t read it already, I highly recommend it!
I am operating under the assumption here that said articles can pertain to any topic, and not just diamonds. If that is not the case, I do apologize.
I am a huge fan of William Langewiesche's work (some of which, incidentally, has been for The Atlantic). He writes crisp, longform articles on a variety of topics, including but not limited to aviation [1], shipping [2], nuclear proliferation [3], the dark net [4], and private military contractors [5].
Of the many shocking moments, one that stood out to me was the way they went after post-war Japan to convert their "backwards" desires to ones of a more "forward-thinking" diamond friendly impulse:
"J. Walter Thompson began its campaign by suggesting that diamonds were a visible sign of modern Western values. It created a series of color advertisements in Japanese magazines showing beautiful women displaying their diamond rings. All the women had Western facial features and wore European clothes. Moreover, the women in most of the advertisements were involved in some activity -- such as bicycling, camping, yachting, ocean swimming, or mountain climbing -- that defied Japanese traditions. In the background, there usually stood a Japanese man, also attired in fashionable European clothes. In addition, almost all of the automobiles, sporting equipment, and other artifacts in the picture were conspicuous foreign imports. The message was clear: diamonds represent a sharp break with the Oriental past and a sign of entry into modern life."
"The campaign was remarkably successful. Until 1959, the importation of diamonds had not even been permitted by the postwar Japanese government. When the campaign began, in 1967, not quite 5 percent of engaged Japanese women received a diamond engagement ring. By 1972, the proportion had risen to 27 percent. By 1978, half of all Japanese women who were married wore a diamond; by 1981, some 60 percent of Japanese brides wore diamonds. In a mere fourteen years, the 1,500-year Japanese tradition had been radically revised. Diamonds became a staple of the Japanese marriage. Japan became the second largest market, after the United States, for the sale of diamond engagement rings."
https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-yo...