South Africa Conspiracy Theories
3 theories
Confirmed
Diamonds Are Forever — Artificial Scarcity by De Beers
De Beers ran a confirmed monopoly on diamond supply for over a century while using the 1947 'A Diamond Is Forever' campaign to manufacture the tradition of diamond engagement rings and suppress resale markets.
1888 · South Africa · Cecil Rhodes, Ernest Oppenheimer, De Beers
Confirmed
De Beers Synthetic Diamond Suppression
De Beers acquired synthetic diamond technology from GE in 1955 and kept lab-grown gems off the market for decades while controlling pricing. Confirmed through antitrust investigations.
1955 · South Africa · De Beers, GE (General Electric), Element Six
Confirmed
Diamond Resale Value Myth / Engineered Illiquidity
De Beers deliberately built a retail market with no buy-back mechanism, trapping consumers in an illiquid asset that loses 50% of its value upon purchase — a designed feature, not a bug.
1888 · South Africa · De Beers, Cecil Rhodes, Ernest Oppenheimer