this post was submitted on 25 Jul 2025
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Video version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V7tGZzwe4mQ

For over a hundred years, DeBeers has dominated and controlled the global diamond trade.

But today, Chinese factories are mass-producing lab-grown diamonds, which are chemically identical to natural stones, and prices are collapsing worldwide for both man-made and natural diamonds.

DeBeers sources most of their rough diamonds from mines in Botswana, and the new government there is determined to move DeBeers' value chains to Botswana itself, thereby retaining billions of dollars in industry revenues in-country.

Anglo-American is DeBeers' parent company, and they are trying to divest their holdings. But even after writing off $4.5 billion in book value in two years, no buyers can be found.

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[โ€“] dessalines@lemmy.ml 48 points 2 days ago (5 children)

Can't wait for the upcoming NYT op-eds: "China is killing the diamond mining monopolies: but at what cost???"

[โ€“] appropriateghost@lemmy.ml 22 points 2 days ago

can someone pleaseee think of the oligarchy PLEAAAASE.

DEMOCRACY (copyrighted/trademarked) IS AT STAKE!!

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