Welcome to Snafu, a newsletter about authentic influence in our chaotic world.

I went down a rabbit hold when I bought my wife an engagement ring.

The desire for diamonds, it turns out, isn’t natural or ancient — it was manufactured by one company inside a single decade.

I went looking for the whole story: South Africa, the De Beers cartel, and the most successful persuasion campaign in modern history.

Today, I'm pleased to shatre that story.

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The Most Successful Marketing Campaign in History

The desire for diamonds isn’t natural, and it’s not ancient. It’s entirely manufactured by one company inside a single decade.

I got engaged last year. And like most women in America, my wife had a couple of criteria: a ring, and a diamond on it. Specifically, she wanted a lab-grown diamond.

I got curious and went on a deep research inquiry into the history of diamonds, the origins of the diamond engagement ring, and the cartel behind it all.

Over the course of this episode, we dive into the history of diamonds. We study the myth behind diamonds, and we go from the founding of the diamond industry in South Africa — the De Beers cartel — all the way through the current day, and how that empire, which lasted for more than 100 years, has been radically disrupted by the adoption en masse of lab-grown diamonds.

Here is that story:

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For this research, I’ve pulled on a lot of resources, but three books in particular:

• ​The Last Empire: De Beers, Diamonds, and the World by Stefan Kanfer
• ​The Rise and Fall of Diamonds: The Shattering of a Brilliant Illusion by Edward Jay Epstein
• ​The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire by Tom Zoellner

We start with the myth of diamonds, then the history of the cartel, and then bring it all the way to the present day to ask: why did this industry work?

As with any successful persuasive campaign, it’s important to understand what was done, why we believe what we do, and how you can protect against these techniques being used on you in the future.

Listen to the episode on Youtube, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.

3 Things I’ve Loved This Week

Tool I'm Using

​Timeshifter App​

I'm heading to Japan on my honeymoon this week, and using this app to help orient myself to a completely different time zone.

Language Learning I'm Enjoying

​Michel Thomas on Japanese​

I've raved about Michel Thomas before, including his incredible biography Test of Courage. There are no known recordings of him teaching Japanese, but one of his students has several hours of Japanese via the Michel Thomas site. I've been slowly working my way through the recording, and it is great!

Tool I'm Loving

​OLIGHT Oclip Pro Rechargeable Flashlight​

A colleague had this little flashlight on a film set this week, and now I'm obsessed.

Sometimes you need a flashlight that is bigger than your phone but smaller than a handheld light. This little rechargeable OLIGHT is just that. It's magnetic, clips onto your shirt, is omnidirectional, and is now a part of my everyday carry.

Want more?

Until next week,
Robin