In the mid 1980's Paul Simon released a song called DIAMONDS ON THE SOLES OF HER SHOES on his award winning GRACELAND album. This concept is not as fictional as it sounds. One only has to travel in South Africa to witness poor people using diamonds for all types of ordinary purposes from shoe spikes to electrical insulators. Diamonds are not that hard to find, but, they are nearly impossible to export or sell, unless, you are one of the companies that make up the DE BEERS cartel. Diamonds were discovered in South Africa in the 1890's. By around 1907 the mine operators, like DE BEERS, realized that the only way to keep the precious gems value high, was to limit the production and distribution. Diamonds are thus regulated to this day. Hence they retain their value. On this fact begins my story:
There was a couple who fled Vietnam during the fall of Saigon in 1975. They ended up in Marlton NJ in a small one bedroom apartment and eventually birthed a daughter. When the girl grew older, they bought a used piano and started her on lessons. They called me to tune the piano. I serviced the piano for them several times a year and we became friends. The husband, who had been in finance in Vietnam, had taken an entry level job with a local bank and quickly rose to a high executive position. The little apartment was replaced with a mansion in Voorhees, and, the used piano with a concert grand that cost over $125,000.00. The daughter wound up as a student at the University Of Pennsylvania and there met her future husband.
One evening I arrived to tune the piano as the daughter was pulling out of the driveway. She stopped her car and called me over, waving her hand out the window to show off a diamond ring. Look! Look mister Aaron! I'm engaged! When I entered the house I immediately congratulated the parents. The mother smiled proudly. The father frowned and turned his head away. "Something wrong," I inquired? "The diamond he gave her is so small," he scoffed, "it's an insult." I told him, from my own observations, young people did not value jewelry in the same way that older generations did, and, that since his future son-in-law was a medical student, I was sure there would be bigger gems in his daughter's future. I also mentioned that his daughter seemed more than happy with her ring. He said, "You do not understand old friend. My wife and I had to bribe our way to Saigon using our diamond jewelry. Our rings got us seats on one of the last helicopters out of Vietnam. That ring that boy gave my daughter wouldn't get them bus fare to Camden!"
I explained that most people don't generally view their jewelry as a ticket to freedom. His daughter was born in America and raised as an American. She does not expect to have to flee on a moments notice. This explanation brought a smile to his face. "I understand now,old friend. I trust what you say." Incidentally, I now tune the daughter's piano. She, and her husband, just celebrated their tenth anniversary. Her husband bought her large diamond ear rings.
