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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

#401

Post by meiraleal »

TeMPOraL wrote: post #329
serf wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

acknowledgement of irrationality, especially one that isn't accompanied with a wish to better themselves away from that irrationality, would be a major red flag for me personally entering into a long-term relationship. there is also a great distinction between "Yeah I know another helping of chocolate syrup on my ice cream is a bad decision, but it'll make me feel good today.", and "You need to make a 10kUSD+ purchas…

> "You need to make a 10kUSD+ purchase on a totally arbitrary piece of jewelry that very well may have incited real human suffering and violence, even though I know that desire is irrational and poorly balanced." That's a tricky topic to broach. Drop one zero from the price tag, and this definitely applies much more to your smartphone and computer than it does to gems. Drop one or two more zeroes, and this covers the…

> Or, my point in short: cut people some slack

That's what we are doing here! But in this case most people seems to be sympathetic to the people that suffered to get you and your wife a diamond? I don't think rich people with frivolous desires need any more "empathy"

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

#402

Post by saiya-jin »

smt88 wrote: post #99
ta93754829 wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

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?

Maybe I misunderstand the wording as non-native speaker, but I prefer making myself happy, and then happiness spreads on its own further, no real effort required. Also its the easiest person to get happy since I know quite well what I want.

I've heard my share of unhappy comments from mothers that sacrificed their life completely for the kids without thinking about themselves at all, and its not coming back.

In similar vein as in plane losing pressure - first help yourself and then help the others (kids in this case but I still like this comparison)

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

#403

Post by snvzz »

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…

Marrying is irrational to begin with.

A man that relies on rational thought should avoid marriage; the cons absolutely outweigh any advantage.

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

#404

Post by meiraleal »

ako wrote: post #392
TeMPOraL wrote: post #375

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Part of the comparison here is that the alternatives are both cheaper and practically better. It's not the case here, because you're not buying gems for their practical value. If you were, then there would not be an issue - lab-grown diamonds for cutting things would be even cheaper than they are, and you wouldn't care about other gems unless you were playing with lasers or something. As much a I hate it, the entir…

Jewelry is not unpractical, it's like an insurance for bad times. When shit hits the fan you still have your jewelry to sell.

In this case the ex-poor wifes bought by rich men will have a jewelry to sell in the case of a breakup

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

#405

Post by ChrisRR »

xivzgrev wrote: post #46
brink wrote: 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.

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…

Or get her a pre-owned and/or lab-grown diamond which are insanely cheaper. While the cost of diamonds is pure marketing, I wouldn't want to pay thousands for something that is physically identical.

If the fact it's been on someone's finger before bothers her more than the potential conflict, slave labour, manipulation and underhanded trading, then I don't think a little white lie is a bad thing. Spend the money on something else

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

#406

Post by nly »

ako wrote: post #390
serf wrote: post #298

Earlier quoted context omitted.

acknowledgement of irrationality, especially one that isn't accompanied with a wish to better themselves away from that irrationality, would be a major red flag for me personally entering into a long-term relationship. there is also a great distinction between "Yeah I know another helping of chocolate syrup on my ice cream is a bad decision, but it'll make me feel good today.", and "You need to make a 10kUSD+ purchas…

There's so much irrationality in the world, everyone is guilty of them: irrationally believing in gods, irrationally being happy when someone else wins a sports match, irrationally being happy with a very expensive red sportscar, etc, etc, etc.

All of those things are rational.

- Religion brings some people comfort and peace.

- Sports speak to our tribal nature evolved over millions of years.

- Sports cars are fun and exhilarating to drive and a status symbol or wealth and success, which help to attract mates.

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

#407

Post by bjackman »

oblio wrote: post #393
isbvhodnvemrwvn wrote: post #386

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Road quality in 1600s would make it quite difficult I think.

I was thinking that about 2 months ago. And then I saw people doing bikepacking/long distance bike touring, and I was quite amazed. With wide enough tires, adequate tire pressure control and seat suspension, people ride huge distances with no problems, on old fashion dirt roads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QSrBIIC4po The reason I linked a bike above was that they truly are a modern marvel. So unassuming and yet…

I don't think you need seat suspension for bicycles to beat walking. On the kinds of surfaces that foot traffic naturally forms, am average commuter bike is gonna perform very decently.

I think the only qualitative difference would be that modern roads are usable all year whereas natural tracks are generally gonna get unusable when it rains a lot.

It's incredible that we have machines that can take that kind of a beating, while also having precision components on them, and also being light enough to pick up in 1 hand, and being affordable to the poorest members of society.

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

#408

Post by globular-toast »

dustypotato wrote: post #387
globular-toast wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, it's not brainwashing. That's hilarious if people think any marketing company would go to the effort to brainwash people, if such a thing is even possible. Marketing companies leverage what is already there. Car companies didn't brainwash men into wanting "rugged", "angry" looking "trucks". They merely recognised the slightly pathetic tendency for some men to want to make themselves look bigger and tougher. It'…

The difference being: Another person doesn't have to pay for it

You think men buying rings for women is a selfless gift? They are buying them for the same reason they buy the trucks and many other things: it's for sex.

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

#409

Post by TeMPOraL »

meiraleal wrote: post #401
TeMPOraL wrote: post #329

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> "You need to make a 10kUSD+ purchase on a totally arbitrary piece of jewelry that very well may have incited real human suffering and violence, even though I know that desire is irrational and poorly balanced." That's a tricky topic to broach. Drop one zero from the price tag, and this definitely applies much more to your smartphone and computer than it does to gems. Drop one or two more zeroes, and this covers the…

> Or, my point in short: cut people some slack That's what we are doing here! But in this case most people seems to be sympathetic to the people that suffered to get you and your wife a diamond? I don't think rich people with frivolous desires need any more "empathy"

Diamonds aren't rich people game, they're middle-class and above game. Hell, probably even below. That's what makes the arguments about being associated[0] with violence fall on deaf ears - approximately everyone in the west is participating. Not the Evil Bad No Good Rich One-Percenters. It's all the 90-percenters.

--

[0] - It's always "some of them", "could be". The industry has blood on its hand. The particular rock you might buy your wife? Unclear. It's not like with e.g. tantalum capacitors which, at some point, AFAIK were all made out of tantalum sourced from child slavery mines in Africa. I honestly don't know if "some" diamonds are more like 50% or 5% or 0.5%.

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

#410

Post by 4gotunameagain »

snvzz wrote: post #403
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…

Marrying is irrational to begin with. A man that relies on rational thought should avoid marriage; the cons absolutely outweigh any advantage.

Love is irrational. If you avoid all irrational things, you are not human.
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