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The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

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Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#181
post #121
post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That the diamond industry has convinced people that the amount of money you spend show the worth of your love? Tell you what, I can set up a website that sells moissanite for 10x their retail price if you like. Give me a day to set up a Square account and you can buy from me.

Buying from your website might burn the requisite amount of money, but it wouldn't be conformist enough. Signalling conformity with social norms is also important to some people.

that guy selling glass with a Russian royalty like name in every mall around the world beat him to it anyway

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#182
post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honestly, second hand diamond and other gemstone jewelry seems like such a missed opportunity. I feel like people would go for it, with the new focus on sustainability and what-not. I wonder why that's not a thing?

It can feel like a bad luck kind of thing. Basically the only reason someone would have to sell their wedding rings are divorce or some other downturn. And don't want to invite bad luck by buying it. Similar to not buying clothing from someone deceased or a wedding dress from someone divorced. Can argue that this is not very rational. But much about the wedding process isn't :)

My wife wears my great grandmother's ring. I thought that she would not be interested but was elated when I discussed the option. When I was talking about marriage with my parents my mom mentioned that she had a couple rings I would be welcome to, but then mentioned: "one is from a very long and happy marriage, that would probably be best, the other...".

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#183
post #3

I would like to take this moment to thank https://diamondssuck.com/ for preventing me from buying my wife a diamond, and getting her a much prettier moissanite instead. It's been on hn's front page several times.

Fun fact: when my wife and me got married, we went to the flea market and got ourselves two simple silver rings that cost us about $5 each and that was it (we were both kinda broke at the time). 15 years later, we're still wearing the same rings.

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#184

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Guys, buying diamonds, can complain all day about what a rip off it is (it is). But if you apprise your fiancé of the alternatives / opp costs (moissanite, man made, second hand, etc) and she still wants a new diamond, just get her a new diamond. It will make her happy for years. My wife had her heart set on a pink diamond, so that’s what I got her. I made it clear though that if I got this, she is not getting a new…

Better advice: upgrade to a fiance that isn't distracted by pointless bling.

[deleted]

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#186
post #4

Has anyone ever tried to sell an engagement or wedding ring with diamonds? You get cents on the dollar. Even or I should say especially brand names like Tiffany. The whole thing is a scam from start to finish and I wish I could go back in time and avoid the entire thing.

> Has anyone ever tried to sell an engagement or wedding ring with diamonds? You get cents on the dollar. Does that mean you can buy one second-hand at a low price, and avoid the inflated market entirely?

Even a used one will be priced pretty high. Paid 400 or so for a used one, then immediately took it to someone else to verify it's real...they offered 75 for it(I didn't ask, she just said how much she'll pay for it).

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#187
post #99

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you, uh... want to explain? It's definitely a cringy, antiquated phrase, but it doesn't seem harmful. People with wives should tie their own happiness to their wife's, shouldn't they?

>People with wives should tie their own happiness to their wife's, shouldn't they? No, this invites emotional manipulation and abuse: "do/don't do this or you'll make me unhappy".

Loving someone means wanting them to be happy. The type of emotional abuse you describe is available to anyone in a loving relationship.

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#188
post #63
post #42

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Gold, just gold, is an investment simply because people value it - it's a shiny noble metal that stays "pure", ergo percieved value. From a resource utility PoV it costs more to source than copper or aluminium which are nearly as conductive - so they win out for electronic and power transmision applications. There are applications where gold is the clear winner - "forever" circuits and switches that are worth the ext…

Copper is significantly more conductive than gold. Folklore holds a.myth that gold is really good, but basic physics disagrees.

Gold does not corrode, and can be formed into thinner parts.

Re: The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

#190
post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> People with wives should tie their own happiness to their wife's, shouldn't they? I think it's more that the expectation that husbands exist to serve their wives is harmful. Be honest, do you really think a phrase meaning "keeping your husband happy and satisfied would make your life better" is not harmful?

The reality is the person with lower leverage in the relationship does the keeping of the one with higher leverage happy. In marriages men have the lower leverage due to various reasons. One of which is favorable treatment of women in the family courts.

If your wife is using that as leverage over you, your marriage is already done for.
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