The diamond world takes radical steps to stop a pricing plunge

Post by PawgerZ » Mon, Nov 13, 2023, 10:20 PM UTC

vel0city wrote: post #469

soco wrote: post #449

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I seriously doubt any regular person can tell the difference between diamond and moissanite, or even cubic zirconia. Of course it's bad policy to lie to your wife-to-be but technically I feel safe saying you could buy any of these and still claim it's a diamond - at least until they decide to pawn it but by that time it's also less important for your relationship I guess.

It's not hard to tell the difference between moissanite and diamond, but a lot of normal people won't really know what to put their finger on or if it's a good or bad thing. Whenever my wife gets comments about her moissanite, people notice it's different. Due to it's refractive index, it breaks light more and leads to a lot more colors seen when reflected back out of the stone. Loads of people just think it's a fanc…

Post by deafpolygon » Mon, Nov 13, 2023, 10:39 PM UTC

Post by anthonypasq » Mon, Nov 13, 2023, 10:41 PM UTC

amrocha wrote: post #256

throwaway2037 wrote: post #157

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In 2023, the diamond mining industry in South Africa and Botswana is pretty clean, treats workers well, and pays good wages. I cannot answer for other countries in Africa, but you can be very specific about the origin of your diamond when buying it.

Even if it's "clean" relative to worse places, it's still not ethical. Mining is still dangerous work. The workers are still underpaid. The profits are still stolen by companies that are literally the vestiges of European colonialism.

Post by forgetfreeman » Mon, Nov 13, 2023, 10:51 PM UTC

tsimionescu wrote: post #445

saiya-jin wrote: post #394

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not this level of worship, they were worn because they were shiny, and so were all the other precious stones, so was silver and gold. Diamonds had no real elevated value globally as jewelry before debeers marketing came along.

Absolutely. I'm just saying it's not fair to say they were industrial abrasives before debeers marketing came along.

Post by mplewis » Mon, Nov 13, 2023, 11:18 PM UTC

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…