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Diamonds Suck (2006)

diamondssuck.com

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Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#171

Post by weliketocode »

shoo wrote: post #105
retSava wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's upsetting. As soon as merchandise X is prefixed with "wedding", the cost is doubled. Wedding cake? Boom. Wedding napkins? Check. Etc. It's astonishing how easy it is to fall into the trap of "it's just a one-time event", "it's the most important day of my life", etc.

> Yeah, it's upsetting. As soon as merchandise X is prefixed with "wedding", the cost is doubled. Wedding cake? Boom. Wedding napkins? Check. Etc. i believe one partial cause of this is because there are higher expectations around the quality of goods and services applied for weddings. e.g. if you make fancy decorated cakes to order, what are the odds that the customer or one of their relatives is going to go berserk…

I agree that this has to be a huge factor in the price discrepancy. Even for lavish bar mitzvahs and the like, people don't typically sweat the details the way they do for weddings.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#172

Post by mymythisisthis »

tzaman wrote: post #14

Out of curiosity, what's all the fuss with engagement rings in the first place? When me and my wife got engaged, I gave her nothing (nor did she expect anything), just asked her to marry me and she agreed, we kissed and that was it. We did, however, made wedding rings, which together were about $1300, but that's because they were made out of gold. Why overcomplicate things? :)

Got married, skipped much of the shady symbolism associated with marriage. Asking permission from the father, like your wife is a piece of chattel, no. 9 month engagement to make sure the baby is yours, no. White wedding dress stating virginity, no. Engagement ring, no. We need to update many crazy symbols, they've just become too offensive. The longer we wait the crazier they become.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#173

Post by Frondo »

Antimachides wrote: post #131
charlesdm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything is about money though. Want to have an extravagant wedding? Fine. Want something basic? Also fine. Yes: diamonds, jewellery, mechanical watches etc are all bad value for money. People don't buy them because they're bad value. They buy them because they like wearing them, and women buy jewellery because it makes them feel pretty. That's life. It's fine throwing money away sometime.

Not fine with me. If a girl wanted a diamond ring and/or and extravagant wedding I'd dump her. Materialistic, low IQ and shallow. Though that's what most people are, I suppose.

Yes, probably most people are materialistic, low IQ, and shallow. You're probably no different, and I don't mean that as an insult -- just that you're human, too, like all of us. Welcome to the club.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#174

Post by Blackstone4 »

collyw wrote: post #126
Freak_NL wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "it's the most important day of my life" Implying that its all downhill from there. I find this such a depressing way of looking at life.

From peep show, one of the funniest comedies around in my opinion. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4QRf-HKJ8E&t=8m20s

That video was blocked for me.... maybe because I'm in the UK.

Is it this clip? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUH6oRkWm-Q

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#175

Post by igorgue »

tzaman wrote: post #14

Out of curiosity, what's all the fuss with engagement rings in the first place? When me and my wife got engaged, I gave her nothing (nor did she expect anything), just asked her to marry me and she agreed, we kissed and that was it. We did, however, made wedding rings, which together were about $1300, but that's because they were made out of gold. Why overcomplicate things? :)

Well, I take it a level further, why get married?

Why overcomplicate things? :)

Oh yeah cause of culture, the same reason people like gold or people like diamonds or bitcoin.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#176

Post by theunixbeard »

throwawaymath wrote: post #156
charlesdm wrote: post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not everything is about money though. Want to have an extravagant wedding? Fine. Want something basic? Also fine. Yes: diamonds, jewellery, mechanical watches etc are all bad value for money. People don't buy them because they're bad value. They buy them because they like wearing them, and women buy jewellery because it makes them feel pretty. That's life. It's fine throwing money away sometime.

Yes, you're right. I don't understand the myopia on this forum when it comes to people spending money irrationally. Human beings are not hyper-efficient savings maximization engines. Every time the story about why "diamonds suck" hits the front page (maybe once a year or so?), the same rounds of patting-on-the-back are exchanged in the comments for rehashing a one-dimensional social commentary that buying diamonds is…

Are you an entrepreneur with a profitable business or successful exit?

If not, 30K might represent 6-12 months of personal runway to build your own business.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#177

Post by quadyeast »

charlesdm wrote: post #6
isostatic wrote: post #4

> If I can prevent a single reader from needlessly dropping $6,000-10,000+ on a diamond engagement ring, this site will be a success. Financial worries are the #1 cause of stress in a married relationship - there is absolutely NO excuse to start your married life by taking on that level of debt. Average U.S. wedding cost $30k in 2014, while the average engagement ring was $5600, or 19% of the cost [0] https://www.val…

Not everything is about money though. Want to have an extravagant wedding? Fine. Want something basic? Also fine. Yes: diamonds, jewellery, mechanical watches etc are all bad value for money. People don't buy them because they're bad value. They buy them because they like wearing them, and women buy jewellery because it makes them feel pretty. That's life. It's fine throwing money away sometime.

Is it something you really want or is it expected of you?

Do you really want to enrich debeers? Buy a 2K wedding cake?

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#178

Post by ngngngng »

pjc50 wrote: post #29
maaaats wrote: post #5

What is the difference between a diamond and an expensive handbag or other accessory? If a thing is worth what people pay, how come diamonds are a scam and other items not? I have a hard time grasping this everytime an anti-diamond article pops up. I can see the logic in not using that kind of money on a ring, but not what's so special about the price/scarcity/fashion of diamonds compared to other luxury goods.

Handbags don't get quite as many people killed in the process of their manufacture and shipment. There's a real problem with conflict diamonds. Even if you buy one with a non-conflict pedigree, you're still supporting the price .

Non-conflict pedigrees are a scam. There's no way to track diamonds and prove a particular diamond came from a non conflict mine.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#179

Post by quadyeast »

arethuza wrote: post #53
lostcolony wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some aspects of a wedding are unnecessary inflated...others aren't or don't have to be. The engagement ring is one that is. It's totally worth diving into what is and isn't a sensible expense, but diamonds are unique in that you can get substitutes or alternatives for far cheaper, far more humanely, and in the case of a synthetic, at least, aren't even visibly different.

A couple of years back my wife (of 27 years) bought a ring for herself with a conspicuous "diamond" on it - I think it cost about £30. Anyone who noticed thought it must have cost tens of thousands and how generous I was.... even though it was fake and she bought it for herself on a whim!

This is great.

I would ask my wife if she wanted a fake diamond and new car or a real diamond.

Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)

#180

Post by ergothus »

retSava wrote: post #22
isostatic wrote: post #4

> If I can prevent a single reader from needlessly dropping $6,000-10,000+ on a diamond engagement ring, this site will be a success. Financial worries are the #1 cause of stress in a married relationship - there is absolutely NO excuse to start your married life by taking on that level of debt. Average U.S. wedding cost $30k in 2014, while the average engagement ring was $5600, or 19% of the cost [0] https://www.val…

Yeah, it's upsetting. As soon as merchandise X is prefixed with "wedding", the cost is doubled. Wedding cake? Boom. Wedding napkins? Check. Etc. It's astonishing how easy it is to fall into the trap of "it's just a one-time event", "it's the most important day of my life", etc.

This is not an exaggeration. Many fields such as makeup, hair, and photography literally charge more for the same work if it is a wedding.

I have a friend who is a makeup artist who gets angry if she discovers a client has hidden the fact that the work is for a wedding. Not because it impacts the work, but solely because it changes the hourly rate she would charge.

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