Diamonds: The seven “C’s”, Part 2 – Cartels, confidence and concessions

The Cullinan diamond mine in Gauteng, South Africa – one of the largest man-made holes on earth and the place where the biggest diamond of all times, the Cullinan, was found in 1905 (© Wikimedia Creative Commons/Paul Parsons)

Experts traditionally judge the quality of a finished diamond by four criteria: cut, clarity, color and carat. But there is a dark side to the story of this brilliant, beautiful stone—the hardest substance we know of. In these two programmes we look at both the sparkle and the stain. Among the many guests in these two programmes, we speak with the Amsterdam diamond trader whose ancestor cut the greatest of all diamonds in history—the legendary Koh-i-Noor, found in India and now part of the Royal Crown Jewels. We speak with diamond merchants in Antwerp and London, and about new technological possibilities that might make the cult around diamonds totally superfluous. And we speak with the maker of the famous “diamond” necklace that starred in the film epic “Titanic”.

Producer: Marijke van der Meer

Broadcast: June 23, 1998