Law & Order

The Gerard Diamond Company appears to be based on the real-life South African De Beers corporation, the world's largest diamond producer. De Beers had been known to trade in conflict diamonds, but put voluntary restrictions in place in 1990 and strengthened it to a zero-tolerance policy in 1999. De Beers controls 70% of African diamond production and 40% of the world supply. As with the fictional Gerard company in this episode, they have been accused of artificially controlling the world supply to manipulate prices. The idea that diamonds become heirlooms, therefore eliminating a market for used jewelry, is a page taken directly from De Beers' "A Diamond Is Forever", considered one of the most successful advertising slogans in history.