Another alternative is to simply buy second hand or from an auction.
Personally I see diamonds in a league with works of art. There is definitely value, but it's subjective, generally a lot less then expected and highly illiquid.
Diamonds Suck (2006)
11–20 of 55 posts
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#12Diamond alternatives are fine, but another option is just not getting a ring. My wife and I decided not to and nobody really cares. We spent the money on travel instead, and the memories are more valuable to us than a tiny rock. Don’t get me wrong, diamonds and other gems are beautiful and if you want one, go for it. But if it’s not something that is worth $5-10k to you, just know that it’s a choice, not an obligatio…
Or just don't blow a ton on rings? My wife and I spent roughly $200 each on rings. Or even just buy some of those silicon rings that are roughly $50. I really like wearing a wedding ring, but not being attached to any one ring that I'm worried about losing or damaging is nice too. Also like you say gems other than diamonds are nice. I'm seeing many more engagement rings recently that are opting for different stones a…
I splurged a bit on my wife's rings but absolutely didn't care about mine. I have two $30 tungsten carbide rings from Amazon, one I wear daily and a nicer one for special occasions.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#13My main squeeze and I wanted black rings, and we just got Oura Rings, which track sleep and activity. This way they actually have utility, and we get to ask each other in the mornings, "how'd you sleep?", and have data to back it up.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#14This lost a lot of credibility at the point where they linked to the moissanite.net shop.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#15The author focuses on the "object of beauty" role of the engagement stone, but I think that the more important role in marital tradition is as a "store of value". It publicly indicates the groom's value for the wife, while also handing her a measure of independence, to assist in exiting a bad marriage. That is, it helps to mark the union as consensual.
While a deed to real estate might serve these purposes better than a gemstone, the gemstone is easier to flaunt. But the details of its luster, etc., are still less important to the longevity of the tradition than its economic value.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#16I checked out moissanite when shopping for an engagement ring but I found even that to be too expensive for my (and more importantly, my future wife's) taste. I went with cubic zirconia, it looks great, maybe not as durable as diamond or moisannite but if it gets damaged I can replace it for $50-100.
Yep, and it's much likelier that a diamond (or any other stone) is lost, rather than damaged.
Indeed. Came here to say that over several decades the risk of losing a diamond is non-trivial. It's not even a matter of losing the ring; sometimes the ring setting can fail and the stone simply falls out.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#17Diamond alternatives are fine, but another option is just not getting a ring. My wife and I decided not to and nobody really cares. We spent the money on travel instead, and the memories are more valuable to us than a tiny rock. Don’t get me wrong, diamonds and other gems are beautiful and if you want one, go for it. But if it’s not something that is worth $5-10k to you, just know that it’s a choice, not an obligatio…
I'm in the don't buy a ring club and it has never come up in social situations.
No one cares about your stuff as much as you do.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#18Absolutely true, but FTR there are now lab grown diamonds which change the calculus a bit.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#19I'll add my name to the list of folks who did not get a dianmond, but a Moissanite ring. A couple of things I learned along the way: - I bought the ring and the Moissenite seperately. I bought the ring at a regular jewelry store (my spouse found one she liked). It is a very HARD sell when you buy the ring to also get the diamond. I ended up buying the ring online to pick it up, and I have wondered since then if they…
My spouse and I have had similar experiences with people remarking on the stone. Its funny how they think it must be so fancy, being quite large and flawless and shiny. Then when we tell them its actually a moissanite sometimes their opinions rapidly change. People somehow get hung up on the idea of manufactured versus mined stones, or that its a "fake" diamond.
Re: Diamonds Suck (2006)
#20Diamond alternatives are fine, but another option is just not getting a ring. My wife and I decided not to and nobody really cares. We spent the money on travel instead, and the memories are more valuable to us than a tiny rock. Don’t get me wrong, diamonds and other gems are beautiful and if you want one, go for it. But if it’s not something that is worth $5-10k to you, just know that it’s a choice, not an obligatio…
Or just don't blow a ton on rings? My wife and I spent roughly $200 each on rings. Or even just buy some of those silicon rings that are roughly $50. I really like wearing a wedding ring, but not being attached to any one ring that I'm worried about losing or damaging is nice too. Also like you say gems other than diamonds are nice. I'm seeing many more engagement rings recently that are opting for different stones a…
Is women giving men an engagement ring a new thing?
I got my wife (30 years ago) a ring with two opals and a center sapphire - custom made by a local jeweler. It makes diamond rings look pretty boring.