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The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

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411–420 of 619 posts

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

#411

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This was really never true though. Second hand diamonds have been incredibly cheap compared to retail for a long time. Good luck reselling that engagement ring, the pawn shop has a box overflowing with them.

Why don't more people buy diamond rings at pawn shops?

Because of the propaganda campaign from the foaming mfrs: “if you don’t spend a lot do you really love her? What signal are you sending?”

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

#412
post #396

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I guess that works for most men. Personally, one of my criteria is that she can't want a diamond, that might sound crazy but I want a partner in life that is financially sensible and fiscally responsible, we have to leave our children with more than we were left with or we have failed, that is a core part of my philosophy of family building. Thankfully I found her. I also had a talk with her dad about it after I met…

Having children is not financially nor fiscally sensible. And it's also bad for the environment.

On the contrary. If you care about the environment, it is your duty to have kids and raise them caring about the environment.

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

#413
post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Thats exactly my point: the whole infrastructure of breach of promise, (somewhat) rarity of diamonds etc has been obsolete for decades, almost a century in the US. Any point of an expensive engagement ring has not had practical value in living memory. Just a residual, empty practice.

Every aspect of a wedding outside of the government paperwork is without practical value. It's almost like the practical value isn't the only thing that matters.

Another way of thinking about it is that a wedding itself is a public commitment you’re making in front of witnesses (so in theory harder to back out of — not a bad idea as it provides some hysteresis to overcome transient conflicts).

Meanwhile the government is simply providing some infrastructure as a service to people who want to make such commitments.

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

#414
post #21

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The origin of diamond engagement rings was insurance: with the decline of "breach of promise" suits, the fiancée at least had something to sell as a settlement if the fiancé reneged on the promise of marriage. All of that nonsense is long gone; the fetish for engagement rings is just a residual and empty metaphor. Good riddance. My US gf was astonished and dubious that my relatives (in various other countries) didn't…

Nitpick, not diamond engagement rings. It was valuable engagement rings, it didn't have to be diamonds. The PR men created the diamond specific thing, and gutted the entire meaning of the tradition.

Good point.

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

#415

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…

No one is perfectly like you'd want them to be...

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

#416

https://archive.today/89rNF

I haven't been able to access archive.today in a good long while. Cloudflare's challenge page lets me solve a captcha, but doesn't actually remember that I've solved it. So I'm in an endless loop of challenge pages. If you're wondering, I'm on Firefox connected thru Google Fiber. I've tried disabling Enhanced Tracking Protection, but all that does is make it so I don't have to solve a captcha. I still get the endless…

Are you using Cloudfare DNS (1.1.1.1)?

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=36970702

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

#417

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are a lot of diamond mines, many in Canada, a number in Australia, there are a number that are mobile marine based ventures with state of the art ships sucking in sediments and sifting for diamonds. https://edition.cnn.com/2018/09/03/africa/marine-diamond-min... None of your comments applies to any of the mines mentioned; Canada, Australia, and the marine operations all abide by OSHA regulations and pay good wa…

If you think that just because a mine isn't in Africa that means it's a good place to work then I disagree

I work at one at the aforementioned diamond mines in Canada and it is in fact a good place to work. Cold as shit but safety is the number one concern.

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

#418

Earlier quoted context omitted.

oh yes preference for a diamond ring is definitely a dealbreaker

Can't tell if you're being sarcastic, but it definitely is a deal breaker for me. It speaks to someone's priorities. If they're more concerned about outdoing their girlfriends over cosmopolitans or worthless trinkets than the fiscal health of their family I don't want to start a family with them. And that's what this is all about right, family. I'd like to leave my kids with something significant and more than I was…

In reality even having a several "deal breakers" means you would need infinite options to find a match that doesn't have any of the so called deal breakers. Most guys don't get to pick from infinite, or even 10s of options. So you need to settle or stay single.

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

#419
post #403

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.

Having a loving person to share a personal history with is an advantage that's difficult to outweigh.

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

#420
post #403

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Hate is irrational, and yet it does not justify murder.

Similarly, you can love w/o sabotaging the relationship by marrying, giving the other party a red button and a strong incentive to press it, effectively pushing the relationship out of balance.

Statistically, they will. And statistically, you'll be screwed.

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