Wednesday, October 10, 2007

In the search for diamonds.



The Diavik mine is currently searching for diamonds in Canada's north. One picture was taken in the year 2000, the other in 2005. I'll let you guess which is which...

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Strip mining leaves such a hideous scar on our planet.....

Sawsee said...

Hi Lady!

It will be interesting to see if the mine owners attempt to return the land to its original condition after exhausting any gems.

Anonymous said...

Wow. That is amazing, the business of diamonds can move people to change the face of the planet so fast. When they are done, I doubt they resolve such massive scarring. How far down are they allowed to go?
JDH

Greybishop said...

Aside from the industrial applications of diamonds, the whole industry is based on an artificially created demand.

Jewelry makes me cringe.

Sawsee said...

Hey GB & JDH!

I'm sure they have very few restrictions. I read that this site is in the middle of a massive cariboo migration route.

Yes, the marketing of diamonds is a text book case study.

I remember a number of years ago, the Hunt Brothers tried to gain control of the silver market but ended virtually bankrupt (comparitively speaking!).

Anonymous said...

Eeesh, that is really depressing. Earth damage and also the human toll in places like Sierra Leone, it really makes you reassess their beauty.

Sawsee said...

Hi newbie!

Absolutely! Rarely, do we look at the big picture and weigh it against our motivation.

Can you imagine what this area will look like if they find tons of diamonds.

Greybishop said...

It's particularly irritating to me on a personal level.

I have an ex-girlfriend who had a serious diamond addiction. All she ever wanted as birthday/x-mas gifts was jewelry. I never understood the attraction, since to my eyes an artificial fake looks EXACTLY the same and costs a tenth as much.

I wish I'd had these pics then...

Sawsee said...

Long live Zircons!

If aluminum was rare and gold was plentiful...