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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

#271

Post by Retric »

Exoristos wrote: post #246
Retric wrote: post #230

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This isn’t some random person off the street, this is someone you’re hopefully spending the majority of your life with. It’s ok to be picky.

The point is there's no one who is not irrational. It's foundationally human.

Ignoring differences in magnitude is a mistake.

Buying a lottery ticket when the jackpot hits a billion dollars and blowing 100k in Las Vegas are both gambling, but the first is essentially harmless fun while the second is a sign of deeper issues.

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

#272

Post by [deleted] »

Retric wrote: post #207
seattle_spring wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Splurging every once in a while does not inherently make someone “fiscally irresponsible.” For many people, especially on this forum, $3k-$5k for a ring is literally a few days work or less worth of pay. (Please no one get pedantic on ring cost to me, absolutely not the point of this comment)

It’s not the cost that’s the issue, it’s the underlying desire. Belief in astrology is seemingly harmless, but it’s a sign of underlying irrationality that I find unacceptable. The ritual around a hunk of carbon is the same category of thinking IMO. Also, ‘a few days salary’ rather defeats the rituals purpose.

[deleted]

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

#273

Post by [deleted] »

atleastoptimal wrote: post #261
xivzgrev wrote: post #46

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…

I wouldn't marry anyone whose happiness is dependent on a artificially expensive hard and shiny rock whose prestige was inflated for years by an industry built on slave labor, especially when far less expensive alternatives exist. If she is apprised of the alternatives and still demands "No I want EXPENSIVE shiny thing" then it's cultural shaming factoring into the decision making. You have to reevaluate what she see…

[deleted]

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

#274

Post by blindhippo »

atleastoptimal wrote: post #261
xivzgrev wrote: post #46

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…

I wouldn't marry anyone whose happiness is dependent on a artificially expensive hard and shiny rock whose prestige was inflated for years by an industry built on slave labor, especially when far less expensive alternatives exist. If she is apprised of the alternatives and still demands "No I want EXPENSIVE shiny thing" then it's cultural shaming factoring into the decision making. You have to reevaluate what she see…

Yikes, that's quite the binary distinction... Surely there is room between those subjective descriptions of people for "hey, I like this thing even though it's irrational, ok?"

Let people live their lives and you do you. People aren't a "provider mannequin" just because they like to make their partner happy.

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

#275

Post by londons_explore »

atleastoptimal wrote: post #261
xivzgrev wrote: post #46

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…

I wouldn't marry anyone whose happiness is dependent on a artificially expensive hard and shiny rock whose prestige was inflated for years by an industry built on slave labor, especially when far less expensive alternatives exist. If she is apprised of the alternatives and still demands "No I want EXPENSIVE shiny thing" then it's cultural shaming factoring into the decision making. You have to reevaluate what she see…

Plenty of animals do pointless wasteful things to impress partners. I don't think we can expect humans to be any different.

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

#276

Post by ben0x539 »

blindhippo wrote: post #274
atleastoptimal wrote: post #261

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wouldn't marry anyone whose happiness is dependent on a artificially expensive hard and shiny rock whose prestige was inflated for years by an industry built on slave labor, especially when far less expensive alternatives exist. If she is apprised of the alternatives and still demands "No I want EXPENSIVE shiny thing" then it's cultural shaming factoring into the decision making. You have to reevaluate what she see…

Yikes, that's quite the binary distinction... Surely there is room between those subjective descriptions of people for "hey, I like this thing even though it's irrational, ok?" Let people live their lives and you do you. People aren't a "provider mannequin" just because they like to make their partner happy.

Not marrying someone given such a huge values discrepancy sounds like the right move, though.

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

#277

Post by mongol »

Retric wrote: post #207
seattle_spring wrote: post #203

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Splurging every once in a while does not inherently make someone “fiscally irresponsible.” For many people, especially on this forum, $3k-$5k for a ring is literally a few days work or less worth of pay. (Please no one get pedantic on ring cost to me, absolutely not the point of this comment)

It’s not the cost that’s the issue, it’s the underlying desire. Belief in astrology is seemingly harmless, but it’s a sign of underlying irrationality that I find unacceptable. The ritual around a hunk of carbon is the same category of thinking IMO. Also, ‘a few days salary’ rather defeats the rituals purpose.

It is no different than all material traditions around Christmas.

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

#278

Post by bryanrasmussen »

atleastoptimal wrote: post #261
xivzgrev wrote: post #46

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…

I wouldn't marry anyone whose happiness is dependent on a artificially expensive hard and shiny rock whose prestige was inflated for years by an industry built on slave labor, especially when far less expensive alternatives exist. If she is apprised of the alternatives and still demands "No I want EXPENSIVE shiny thing" then it's cultural shaming factoring into the decision making. You have to reevaluate what she see…

>I wouldn't marry anyone...

yeah but I wouldn't tell someone that seems reasonably happy with the person they married that I wouldn't marry them.

As long as we're listing the things we wouldn't do.

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

#279

Post by Doxin »

dkersten wrote: post #267
ridgeguy wrote: post #179

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are cheap handheld thermal conductivity testers that will immediately distinguish diamond from moissanite and other stimulants.

But who goes around asking their friends to let them test their diamonds with their thermal tester?

Insane people, but let's not pretend those don't exist.

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

#280

Post by RichardCA »

ridgeguy wrote: post #179
gnicholas wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

From what I hear, moissanite (and man-made diamonds) are pretty much indistinguishable from natural diamonds. How would someone's friends figure out that it's not a natural diamond? I would think the only way the wife would know is if she asked about the diamond's papers, if she was going to get an insurance policy for it or something.

There are cheap handheld thermal conductivity testers that will immediately distinguish diamond from moissanite and other stimulants.

I'm no expert, but there's a lot of misinformation around this point. Apparently there is no 100% reliable test apart from spectrometry.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WE51TMRJn8U

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