this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2025
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Futurology

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Diamond prices are down 60% since a 2011 high, and they are still falling. It's not all down to lab-grown diamonds, demand is down too, especially in China.

No one can lab-grow gold yet, so its rarity and scarcity protect its value, but that will end too. It's just a question of when. China launched an asteroid touch-down mission this week, which will make it the 4th country/region to do so, after Europe, the US & Japan.

How soon will it be feasible to mine asteroids? Who knows, but a breakthrough in space propulsion might mean the prospect happens quickly when it does. It's possible gold has twenty years or less of being high value left.

The $80 Billion Diamond Market Crash Leaves De Beers Reeling

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[–] [email protected] 32 points 3 days ago (2 children)
[–] [email protected] 34 points 3 days ago (2 children)

Surely there exists a better source. Not clicking on Fox News.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

Here is an archived snapshot I found of the Fox article

At the bottom it says the story originally ran in The Sun, here is a snapshot of that page as well.

I followed the other user's snarky DDG link and the first hit is this article from Smithsonian Magazine that appears to be about the same story.

Finally, here is a far less sweaty page from NASA about the actual object, though the composition of metals isn't discussed in detail.

After skimming all this I kinda feel like it's a stretch to say that asteroid is "made of gold".

[–] [email protected] 15 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I think "enough gold to completely destroy the gold industry (as a precious metal)" is close enough to "made of gold" for me.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 3 days ago
[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Do you not understand the offense you just did by linking to fucking fox news? Seriously?

[–] [email protected] 9 points 3 days ago (1 children)

Pearls in pig slop, I know. They reference another article, give the asteroid name, give a list of expected metals to be found, and wrap it in a lovely Fox News bow of some pundit giving his idea of what that all means for the rest of us. As journalism goes, it's top tier for Fox.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Surprised fox didnt comment how this is against the natural order and bringing back gold from space will unleash a hoard of demons on the earth.