Nah. The 'diamonds' thing was created by de Beers by advertising. Making everyone think you had to give a wedding ring when you get married - something everyone now believes. Getting control of all diamond mines, and restricting supply so prices are super-high. It's a huge and amazingly effective scam.
Whoops, I meant, a diamond ring. From the De Beers website (!) :
"1930s Diamond sales in the US were at an all time low They were seen as an extravagance for the wealthy, and sales, already declining for more than two decades, had plummeted during the Great Depression.
De Beers needed a strategy to create a multi-faceted
demand for diamonds In the unique position of having to
create demand for a product that hadn't been widely marketed before.
1938 De Beers hired advertising agency N.W. Ayer to craft a campaign They were chosen for their approach - to conduct extensive research on social attitudes to
diamonds.
A new form of advertising was born The brilliant concept was to create an emotional link to diamonds, the sentiment being love, like diamonds, is eternal.
1947 Frances Gerety A copywriter on the De Beers account at the advertising agency N.W. Ayer solidified the link between eternal romance and diamonds by suggesting the
line 'A diamond is forever'.
These four iconic words have been used ever since Making it one of the longest running and successful campaigns in history. By 1951 8/10 brides in the United States received a diamond engagement ring The engagement diamond tradition was established.
An emblem of love 'A diamond is forever' became a symbol of enduring love weaving itself into popular culture and inspiring books, films and songs.
1999 Slogan of the century It's no wonder Advertising Age voted the De Beers campaign as the top advertising slogan of the past century."