Diamonds are forever! Really?

I am a big fan of the television serial big bang theory, especially of the science geek Sheldon! In one of the episodes he goes to buy diamonds for his girlfriend and he is aghast that they are expensive. His argument is "how can the carbon which I buy locally everyday is so cheap and just slightly rearranged and polished carbon , that is diamonds, are so expensive?".
There lies a lesson for all of us..... in particular the tambrahm community which still thinks that a wedding is incomplete without diamond studs being gifted to the bride(of course not by the groom's family , but by the bride's parents!).
First item of discussion between mamas and mamis in a family on hearing the news of a wedding being fixed is whether or not diamond studs have been demanded and which place is the best one to buy, how one has to check the doshams for the stones etc, etc. They seem to know more about the diamonds and also ways to find fault with the choice others have made.

  There are scores of middle class girls in tambrahm community whose wedding is delayed just for the reason that the parents cannot afford to buy a pair of diamond studs. What a shame! even the so called educated grooms don't realise that diamonds are just a form of carbon and can become ash in no time. The utlimate goal of a middle class tambrahm family is that of buying diamond for their daughter and this ranks next only to owning a house. I just hope and pray that future in laws of my daughters realize that diamonds are not forever and have the magnanimity to accept them for what they are!