Diamonds Are a Girl’s Prettiest Frenemy

Today Jason Kottke links to one of the best articles of the 20th century (!), Edward Jay Epstein’s “Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond?” from the February 1982 issue of The Atlantic (and excerpted from The Rise and Fall of Diamonds). If you haven’t read it, it’s about the history of diamonds, their trickery-based ascent to the top of the American engagement ring ladder, and the evil De Beers. It’s terrific. Also, diamonds are beautiful. Sapphires are beautiful! Everything is beautiful, especially your jewelry.

Plus: An updated version of the article is available on Amazon.