The Social Construction of Diamond Engagement Rings

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Brain, David

Keywords

Diamond, Social Construction, Sociology

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

Within the past 60 years, the act of giving/receiving a diamond engagement ring as a token of romantic commitment has become nearly universal and obligatory in contemporary American culture. This phenomenon is puzzling when analyzed critically, not only due to the absence of a long-term tradition in western culture, but also due to diamond rings' extremely high cost, low resale value, lack of utility, and the existence of inexpensive yet high quality synthetics. This thesis constitutes an effort to understand how this previously neutral object emerged as the quintessential symbol of romantic commitment in American society, and why people continue to think they're so important. More broadly, it considers the discursive process of how consumer products in late capitalist societies become loaded with cultural meaning, and how theses objects become a part of and contribute to culture. Three distinct methodological tools facilitated the production of my results: 1) secondary historical research on the ritual of giving diamond engagement rings and the history of the diamond industry, 2) a content analysis of recent diamond ring advertisements, and 3) the production and administration of written questionnaires designed to illicit individual's opinions on and experiences with diamond engagement rings. The central arguments of this thesis are that 1) De Beers Consolidated Mines has been and continues to be the most powerful actor in the social construction of the diamond engagement ring by shaping public and private discourse about diamond rings through mass media advertising and public relations efforts, and that (2) consumers reinforce De Beers' marketing messages by engaging in consumer rituals.

Rights

This bibliographic record is available under the Creative Commons CC0 public domain dedication. The New College of Florida, as creator of this bibliographic record, has waived all rights to it worldwide under copyright law, including all related and neighboring rights, to the extent allowed by law.

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