# Diamonds, De Beers, and the Death of Artificial Scarcity | A CFO Explains Diamonds

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/run-the-numbers-6739797/diamonds-de-beers-and-the-death-of-artificial-scarcity-a-cfo-explains-diamonds
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/run-the-numbers-6739797/diamonds-de-beers-and-the-death-of-artificial-scarcity-a-cfo-explains-diamonds.md
Podcast: [Run the Numbers](https://stenobird.com/podcast/run-the-numbers-6739797)
Published: 2026-05-04T09:02:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/cjgustafson222/episodes/Diamonds--De-Beers--and-the-Death-of-Artificial-Scarcity--A-CFO-Explains-Diamonds-e3iorm8
Audio file: https://anchor.fm/s/10e7a9a40/podcast/play/119352456/https%3A%2F%2Fd3ctxlq1ktw2nl.cloudfront.net%2Fstaging%2F2026-4-4%2F423426537-44100-2-ef48aea07db0e.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1619

## Resource

In this episode of Run the Numbers, CJ Gustafson breaks down the diamond industry as a business model: how De Beers controlled supply, engineered demand, and built one of the most powerful pricing machines in history. From the Central Selling Organization to “A Diamond Is Forever” to the rise of lab-grown diamonds, this episode unpacks monopolies, scarcity, pricing power, and what happens when technology forces transparency. — SPONSORS: RightRev is an automated revenue recognition platform built for teams that have outgrown spreadsheets and billing tool workarounds. It handles high-volume subscriptions, usage-based contracts, and mid-cycle upgrades, so you can scale without scrambling at month-end. For RevRec that keeps your books clean, visit https://www.rightrev.com/CJ Rillet is an AI-native ERP built for modern finance teams that want to replace NetSuite and close faster. With revenue recognition, close management, multi-entity support, and native Stripe and Salesforce integrations, Rillet helps scaling companies run their finance stack in one place. Hundreds of teams, including Windsurf and Mercor, use Rillet to make the zero-day close real. Book a demo at https://www.rillet.com/cj EY works with high-growth tech companies to navigate the messy realities of scaling—from regulatory requirements to IPO readiness. By helping teams get it right early and often, EY lets founders stay focused on building while reducing risk as they grow. Learn more at https://www.ey.com/techstartups SpendHound is a SaaS spend management platform built for finance and procurement teams that want visibility and leverage in every deal. By tracking all your software, benchmarking pricing across thousands of vendors, and surfacing contracts and renewals, SpendHound helps you stop overpaying an…

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