How diamonds became the de facto engagement stone
Spoiler: It’s less about romance and more about marketing
Read more about the history of engagement diamonds:
How diamonds became forever (New York Times)
Have you ever tried to sell a diamond? (The Atlantic)
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Listen to more audio explainers:
- How to buy an engagement ring — a man's guide
- Plagiarism: An abbreviated history
- The science of making a guitar sound like a human voice
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Carmel Lobello is the business editor at TheWeek.com. Previously, she was an editor at DeathandTaxesMag.com.
-
The Week Unwrapped: Who shot Hvaldimir the 'spy whale'?
Podcast Plus, Chinese TV targeting African hearts and minds, and the former supermodel who sparked a cancer row
By The Week Staff Published
-
Peter Kennard: Archive of Dissent – 'striking' political photomontages
The Week Recommends Whitechapel Gallery retrospective showcases half-a-century of the British artist's 'powerful' political works
By The Week UK Published
-
Jay Rayner shares his favourite books
The Week Recommends The journalist and food critic picks works by Nora Ephron, Fliss Freeborn and more
By The Week UK Published