Shining Like The Stars
Diamonds in Pop-culture
Performed by Marilyn Monroe in 1953’s Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, the song Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend is just one case where diamonds have employed as a muse, for entertainment’s sake. Since then and still today we see these indestructible gems popping up in everything from film and literature to songs and even fashion statements amongst particular sub-cultures.
Let us take a journey through time, as we search for diamonds in the world of popular culture.
Diamonds Are Forever (1971, Danjaq)
Directed by Guy Hamilton, the seventh film in the 007 series sees Sean Connery take the role of secret agent James Bond. Bond takes on the alias of Peter Franks to investigate the disappearance of large shipments of diamonds from South-African mines. Posing as a smuggler, Bond discovers that behind the diamond smuggling is none other than his arch-nemesis Ernst Stavros Blofeld. Blofeld has a maniacal plan of using the diamond to create a laser satellite capable of enormous damage to targets on land sea and air. With the assistance of a foxy co-smuggler, Tiffany Case, Bond must avoid deadly assassins find Blofeld, save the day and avenge the death of his wife.
Emma Frost (1979, Marvel)
Making her first appearance in the Uncanny X-Men #129, Emma Grace Frost was born a
mutant although did not develop her abilities until puberty. Gaining the interest of the Hellfire Club, Frost auditioned as a dancer using her telepathic abilities to influence the response of the crowds; working for the Hellfire Club she soon became The White Queen. Much later, in New X-Men #116 in 2001, a violent Sentinel attack on the island nation of Genosha, triggered a secondary mutation within Emma Frost. Found alive, by the X-Men, Frost’s skin and hair had turned into a nigh-on indestructible diamond form. Frost now possesses the ability to switch between her two forms however she cannot use her telepathic abilities whilst in diamond formation.
Boulder Dash (1984, First Star)
Originally released for consoles such as the Apple II, Commodore 64 and Atari 400/800, Boulder Dash was a video game that put players in the role of Rockford. The object of the game was to dig through caves, collecting gems and diamonds whilst avoiding dangerous obstacles such as poisonous scorpions, bats and plummeting stones that fall into empty spaces opened up by Rockford’s process.
Boulder Dash paved the way for many games founding the genre of Rocks-and-Diamonds games. The genre includes titles such as Dig-dug, Paganitzu and Crystal Mines all of which share common game-play elements such as tile-based movement and the object of collecting diamonds.
Still in modern video games diamonds are constantly used as items to be collected. They usually act as a form of wealth or power.
Bling-Bling (1990’s)
The term bling bling, later shortened to just bling, became popular in the late 90s.
Its appearance can be attributed to hip-hop and rap artists such as Cash Money Records’ B.G and Lil Wayne. Whilst not exclusive to diamonds, bling or bling-bling is a term used to describe gaudy, expensive jewellery commonly worn by rap artists and those involved in the industry.
The word itself is an ideophone, the sound of it envokes the idea of diamond glittering in the light. Mass popularity of the word led to its inclusion in the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary in 2002 and to the Merriam Webster dictionary in 2006.
Although many rappers consider the word, bling, to be redundant due to excess use amongst contemporary white culture, it is still common practice for rappers and hip-hop artists to get around with diamond encrusted watches, rings, necklaces and teeth also known as grills.
Snatch (2000, Columbia Pictures)
This hit, crime story written and directed by Guy Ritchie followed and assisted in the creation of the new British crime film (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Layer Cake etc). The movie saw Brad Pitt, Jason Statham, Ewan Bremner, Benicio Del Toro and a host of others appear as supposed Jewish jewellers, two-bit wannabe criminals, shady businessmen, relentless boxing promoters and Russian gangsters. Between them they cause ruckus, mayhem and violence in a no-holds-barred hunt for a priceless stolen diamond.
Bling (2005, Marvel)
Also hailing from the vast Marvel Universe, Bling made her first appearance in X-Men #171. Bling was born Roxy Washington and is the daughter of celebrity hip-hop artists Roy “Daddy Libido” Washington and Angel “Sexy Mutha” Depres. Not wanting to follow in her parent’s footsteps she joined the Xavier Institution and began studying under Gambit. Her mutant alias, Bling, refers to her ability to create diamond shards within her bone marrow then expel them like projectiles at great velocities.
Steev Cowled