The greatest trick the devil ever pulled...

[setting_help_please]

...was convincing the world that he didn''t exist.

After about a month of reading, visiting jewelry stores, and asking questions, I can safely say that the greatest trick the retail diamond industry ever pulled was convincing the customer that ''cut'' doesn''t exist.

Armed with the knowledge that I have recently gained, I can''t believe that I walked into a ''mall jewelery store'' 1 month ago, inquired about a diamond''s cut, and all they said was "it''s round." How has this industry (mid to low end retail jewelers) been able to glaze over the most important aspect of a diamond and sell it to consumers based almost exclusively on ''color,'' ''clarity,'' and ''carat?''

 

[Garry H (Cut Nut)]

Because there is no universally accepted cut quality standard, there is no easy way to communicate cut, let alone teach it to retail sales staff.

The most well understood issue is carat weight, hence it is the most important.

 

[Mara]

There's a devil?

(sorry I couldn't resist...)

 

[optimized]

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadowy dealer, I will fear no salespeople: for Sarin and OGI art with me; thy angles and thy proportions they comfort me.

-or-

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Cutter, that whosoever believeth in geometry should not get cheated, but have everlasting light (and fire... and scintillation).

-or-

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the importance of cut, and shalt believe in thine heart that cut hath much to do with beauty, thou shalt be saved.

-or-

And Leonid, walking by the sea of diamond disinformation, saw two brethren, Jonathan called Rhino, and Garry his brother, casting a net into the WWW: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of gems. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

-or-

Then was the diamond shopper led up by the engagement into the mall to be tempted of the dealer. And when he had looked forty days and forty nights, he was afterward unimpressed. And when the dealer came to him, he said, If thou be the hotshot diamond shopper, concede that these stones be perfect color and clarity. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by color and clarity alone, but by every angle and proportion that yieldeth the ideal cut.











It somehow seems a sin to do all that without quoting the actual verses, so I hope you'll all forgive me as I testify for a moment....

(KJV)

Psalm 23:4
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Romans 10:9
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

Matthew 4:18-20
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

Matthew 4:1-4
Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to him, he said, If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.

End of sermon...

-Tim

 

[setting_help_please]

Most impressive!!!

 

[optimized]

equals25,

Thanks for the kind words. See, the Bible can be FUN!

-Tim

 

[Mara]

Tim, those were hilarious and very apt! I got a giggle at work and then made my better half view them tonite and he loved them as well. Good job!

 

[optimized]

Mara,

Thanks for the compliment. Wow, even your fiancé got an eyeful of that one, eh? I'm truly honored!

It's amazing what one can accomplish at 4 o'clock in the morning with a belly full of caffeine and a slightly demented mindset.

-Tim

 

[JayTee]

Bravo Tim,
I got a kick out of these as well. Must have taken you a while to come up with these, no?

 

[jetcaptain]

On 1/16/2003 10:43:55 PM equals25 wrote:

...was convincing the world that he didn't exist.


This idea does not coincide with what the Bible teaches. Satan's greatest deception was convincing Eve, and all the rest of us ever since, that she/we can be like God. And it is only logical that Satan should attempt this great deception, since his own pride had already convinced HIM that HE could be like God. Fortunately, neither Satan nor any of us ever has been or ever will be like God. We aren't qualified for the job, and never will be, regardless of what several of the world's religions teach. Those who choose to share Satan's delusion will ultimately share his eternal fate. To those of you who are offended by this posting, I'm sorry, but it's the truth, and it's a truth too important to ignore.

 

[optimized]

JayTee,

Thanks for the kind words! I suppose it did take a few minutes to think them up (mostly just to think of which initial verses from the Bible to tinker with), but once I'd settled on the verses it all came together pretty quickly. It was kind of fun to do, so it seemed to only take a few seconds...

jetcaptain,

I really don't think equals25 was actually claiming to quote the Bible, or otherwise trying to teach a central tenet of any religion. My guess would be, he was quoting the Kevin Spacey character in the movie "The Usual Suspects." I've heard the quote other places too, but that movie (using the exact phrasing he chose), certainly made it a popular saying for some folks. I understand where you're coming from, but I really don't think it was meant to be taken too seriously.

Let's try not to get bogged down in pious dogma in the RockyTalk forums, eh? I think it was all meant to be lighthearted fun...

-Tim

 

[jetcaptain]

----------------
On 1/20/2003 6

1:47 PM optimized wrote:


JayTee,

Thanks for the kind words! I suppose it did take a few minutes to think them up (mostly just to think of which initial verses from the Bible to tinker with), but once I'd settled on the verses it all came together pretty quickly. It was kind of fun to do, so it seemed to only take a few seconds...

jetcaptain,

I really don't think equals25 was actually claiming to quote the Bible, or otherwise trying to teach a central tenet of any religion. My guess would be, he was quoting the Kevin Spacey character in the movie "The Usual Suspects." I've heard the quote other places too, but that movie (using the exact phrasing he chose), certainly made it a popular saying for some folks. I understand where you're coming from, but I really don't think it was meant to be taken too seriously.

Let's try not to get bogged down in pious dogma in the RockyTalk forums, eh? I think it was all meant to be lighthearted fun...

-Tim


----------------

Tim,

I find it rather curious that you, of all people, would presume to suggest that we not get bogged down in pious dogma on Rocky Talk. Aren't you the one that was quoting Bible verses earlier on this thread??? It's okay for you (and equals25)to interject religious humor, but it's unacceptable for me to make a serious point? Why is that?

I don't know where the quotation came from, and it really doesn't matter to me. It's false. I was only pointing that out. If I've spoiled your lighthearted fun, then I apologize. In the future, might I suggest that those who do not wish to have a religious discussion on Rocky Talk not use religious references in your postings? Criticizing someone who responds to an ongoing thread that already contains religious content doesn't really seem to be an appropriate response.

 

[Richard Sherwood]

Hey, let's talk politics too while we're at it!

 

[setting_help_please]

Didn't mean to start a holy war. Sorry.

 

[optimized]

jetcaptain,

I really don't want to get into a big debate about religion on these forums. I am a Christian and I believe in the verses I tinkered with (including John 3:16 and Romans 10:9, which are really among greatest central tenets of Christianity, and what saves us from the fate you described). I truly didn't mean to raise your ire or offend you in any way, and I wasn't trying to criticize you personally in any way. I was just trying to keep it "light," and to me, even as a Christian, delving deep into philosophical religious subtexts is a sure way to bring that "light" atmosphere to a grinding halt. Maybe it's my Catholic upbringing that makes me feel this way (thankfully shed since my youth), but IMO sometimes the deeper dogma is a serious downer.

My comments to you revolved around the idea that I didn't think equals25 was really talking about religion per se; I think he was just using the reference as a clever colloquial segue into his experiences with mall jewelers, and I know for a fact my humorous modifications of a few verses weren't meant to be any more seriously religious than equals25's. My personal belief is that it's okay to joke a bit about religion, and it doesn't necessitate a "serious" post to "set the record straight." That's why I replied to your post in that way.

With the benefit of hindsight, I probably could have written my reply a different way (especially the "pious dogma" comment, which while not inaccurate in a literal sense, does sound slightly harsh to me now). I'm sorry if I offended you with my comments.


To the members familiar with my penchant for running off at the keyboard,

I may be getting a bit better! This post is about 20% the length of the draft that I originally wrote. I started to get on one of my rolls, but pulled back as I realized I was starting to "go off" on one of my "point by point" analyses of the thread. I was tempted to post it (it was breathtaking

k> ), but thought better of it in the end. Let's hear it for Tim learning a bit of restraint!

Richard,

"Hey, let's talk politics too while we're at it!"

Okay! You start!

equals25,

"Didn't mean to start a holy war."

That's my line!

-Tim

 

[Mara]

There is email too guys!

You can always take something offline when it gets a little tricky....

 

[jetcaptain]

----------------
On 1/21/2003 11:54:17 AM Mara wrote:

There is email too guys!

You can always take something offline when it gets a little tricky....

----------------

Thanks Mara! I agree, and have already done what you are suggesting.

 

[Rhino]

Don't know what was said behind the scenes and don't want to know but quite frankly ... awesome thread.

Rhino