if I remember correctly, one company has control of ALL the world's diamond market. they have countless, limitless diamonds, but only release so many every year to the public, keeping prices artificially high. if it's a ring you're after, go for a lab diamond. chemically identical to a natural diamond, everything is the same, but they're way cheaper and youre not giving money to those shmucks who rip everyone off by selling rocks, just because they can.