50s: Starting with a storage ring

Chapter 506 A Diamond Is Forever
Novaya Zemlya is one of the most remote places in the world, but the sound of the nuclear explosion still shocked countries around the world.

The power of the "Tsar Bomba" explosion exceeded everyone's imagination; the fireball it created had a diameter of 8 kilometers.

The flash, as bright as the sun, could be seen from 1000 kilometers away and triggered a magnitude 5 earthquake, which was even felt in Finland.

At the same time, its high temperature melted the 3-meter-deep permafrost layer within a 20-kilometer radius.

The resulting electromagnetic pulse also directly caused Alaska's early warning radar and communication systems to malfunction for 20 hours.

The atmospheric disturbance caused by the explosion could be seen all over the world, circling the entire Earth three times before dissipating.

Most frighteningly, the explosion also caused the entire Eurasian tectonic plate to shift 9 millimeters laterally.

It is often said that humans are insignificant compared to nature, but the Tsar Bomba proved that human technological development has reached a point where it can affect the normal operation of the Earth.

It is said that after the explosion, the entire Pentagon fell into a deathly silence, and when Kennedy, who was working in the White House, heard the news, his hands trembled for a long time.

Because scientists analyzed the power of the explosion for him.

If the Tsar Bomba had been detonated over New York, it would have instantly vaporized Manhattan, the shockwave would have destroyed cities from Boston to Washington, and the radioactive fallout could have even reached Europe.

This is still a half-weighted version of the "Tsar Bomba." If it were the full version with a yield of 1 million tons of TNT, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Although the Russians subsequently shifted their focus to miniaturizing nuclear weapons, this test completely rewrote the rules of nuclear deterrence.

It proved that a single weapon is enough to destroy a continent, and that the United States had no means of defense against it.

This powerful weapon is what earned the Russian bear its fearsome reputation. Sun Zhiwei feels that this is exactly the kind of thing our family is lacking.

As someone once said, there are things we can hold but not use, but we can't be without them when we need them.

This is a matter of strategic initiative.

If necessary, Sun Zhiwei would not mind making another trip to Moscow to bring home the last remaining "Tsar Bomba".

However, his family will most likely not agree to him taking the risk.

After all, our DF-5 has already been successfully developed and is now capable of self-defense. Excessive deterrence could easily trigger negative reactions.

Taking economic development as the central task is not just a slogan; even the regular army is required to be patient. What can he do but endure it?

December is fast approaching, and the annual Christmas season is just around the corner. Businesses are starting to launch promotional activities.

The appraisal shop in Washington certainly wouldn't offer any promotions; antiques are all going up in price these days, so it would be foolish for them to lower prices.

There's also the appraisal fee, which represents his social standing. Offering a discounted appraisal would lower his status, and he wouldn't do that.

Since the ore extracted from the mines cannot meet the demand, there is naturally no need to carry out any activities.

Therefore, the only business he could still organize events with was the Magnificent Jewelry Store.

Jewelry stores need to prepare a lot of goods for promotions, and they don't lack gold, because they have a gold mine at home.

However, he doesn't own any gemstone or diamond mines, so he can't cut costs. But diamonds and gemstones aren't very expensive right now, and since he only has one shop, his demand isn't large, so ordering a small amount is enough for now.

But this is only a temporary measure. The gold and jewelry industry will definitely expand. He is already considering how to enter the diamond and gemstone field, and the first step is to have mines.

The world's four largest diamond-producing countries are South Africa, Russia, Australia, and Canada.

The largest reserves are found in the Argai region of Australia, where the rock formations contain extremely high levels of diamonds.

At the same time, it is also the cradle of pink diamonds, with 90% of the world's pink diamonds originating from the Argaire region.

Both the Russian and Canadian diamond mines are located in the permafrost near the Arctic Circle, where the harsh environment makes mining difficult and has not yet reached a large scale.

Many people believe that South Africa is the world's largest diamond producer, but this is a misconception. South African diamonds are famous because they produce many world-renowned large diamonds.

比如，戴比尔斯黄钻（428.5克拉1888年）、艾克沙修钻石（失踪995.2克拉1898年）、库里南钻石（3106.75克拉1905年）、尼阿科斯钻石（128.25克拉1954年）、泰勒·波顿钻石（240.80克拉1966）。

These famous diamonds discovered in the early years have all been claimed, especially the Cullinan diamond, which has been divided into 9 large diamonds and 96 smaller diamonds.

The largest of these diamonds, the Cullinan I, was named the Star of Africa. It weighs 530.2 carats and is now set in the British Royal Scepter.

The second largest diamond, the Cullinan II, weighs 317.4 carats and is set in the British Crown Jewels.

It is these world-renowned diamonds that have earned South African diamonds their reputation, but in terms of both production volume and overall quality of the mines, South Africa is not the best.

In terms of production volume, Australia produced 40 million carats of diamonds annually in the 2020s, making it the highest-producing country.

In terms of quality, Botswana in northern South Africa produces 50% of the world's gem-quality diamonds annually, making it the highest quality.

Unfortunately, the diamond mines in these areas are basically monopolized.

They are either monopolized by the state, like the Russians; or monopolized by capital, like De Beers.

De Beers is a diamond monopoly that rose to prominence during the Victorian era. Headquartered in London, it dominated the exploration, mining, trading, and processing of most diamonds worldwide in the 20th century.

The now-famous diamond grading standard, the 4Cs (carat weight, clarity, color, and cut), was proposed by this company in 1939.

You may not have heard its name, but you've definitely heard the saying: "A diamond is forever."

This advertising slogan has not yet appeared; it was translated by Hong Kong advertising professional Lau Shuang-en in 1999.

Its original translation comes from De Beers' advertising slogan launched in 1947: A Diamond is Forever.

At the time, World War I had just ended, and the economic situation was not good. The diamond industry was in a slump. In order to boost diamond sales, De Beers set its sights on the only country that seemed relatively stable: the United States.

In 1938, De Beers approached NW Ayer, an advertising agency in Philadelphia, which was said to be able to understand the needs of Americans for diamonds based on extensive research and then change their attitudes through marketing strategies.

The final research showed that during the Great Depression of the 30s, Americans viewed diamonds as a luxury item reserved for the super-rich, preferring to spend their money on cars and electronics.

(End of this chapter)