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Diamonds Are Bullshit

blog.priceonomics.com

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Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#511

Post by melvinmt »

lostlogin wrote: post #460
btilly wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to find the right woman. A bit over 23 years ago I had a wedding which - including wedding bands - was under $200. I'm still married to her. We're both glad we didn't go into debt to get married...

I was gobsmacked when I heard that people borrow money to have a wedding. I have never heard of that happening in New Zealand. How common is this? Or am I just mixing in the wrong circles?

It's quite common to be $30,000+ in debt for a wedding where my family is from (Turkey).

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#512

Post by lxwang »

pyre wrote: post #365
enraged_camel wrote: post #304

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't have anything to do with financial security. Look, if your man is spending three months worth of salary on a piece of shiny rock, he is exercising poor financial judgment and that is a signal against future financial security. Women want diamonds not because of any symbolic reasons ("Diamonds are forever!") but because of reasons that are much more practical: they want to be able to show off the diamonds t…

| It doesn't have anything to do with financial | security. Look, if your man is spending three | months worth of salary on a piece of shiny | rock, he is exercising poor financial judgment | and that is a signal against future financial | security. But A Diamond is Forever. It's an investment. If you're ever on hard times, then you can just turn around and sell the... oh... ;-)

If you are seriously worried about that, it's a huge sign you're not committed. Tiny resale value is preferable here.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#513

Post by jaggederest »

triplesec wrote: post #486
jaggederest wrote: post #471

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wine. Wine prices are based mostly on arbitrary criteria, not on actual quality. If you blind taste test wines, it looks like there's nearly no correlation between price and quality above $5-$10 a bottle.

Up to a point. The correlation is not good, and I've had some horredous expensive wines, but for a weak-medium price-quality correlation I'd say the cut off is more like $50 or so, after which it gets a lot weaker! This is because there are better wines, but you can't tell the nuances until you hone your palate... practise a lot! It's just as a professional skier gets more use out of the nuances of his or her skis fo…

No, I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but they used trained wine experts. No statistically valid correlation between price and quality.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#514

Post by [deleted] »

drivebyacct2 wrote: post #294
rayiner wrote: post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) I can guarantee you oil extraction from places like Nigeria isn't free of child exploitation, but I bet you continue to make the lifestyle choice of driving. 2) I didn't say adoption is bad for smart parents I said its not equivalent to having children of your own for smart parents. There aren't exactly a ton of children of high IQ couples in the adoption market. My bother in law is adopted and he is a doll and ad…

1) That is very obviously and intentionally not a response to what I asked. I barely, barely drive as it is. I commute to work, I'm within biking distance of my grocery store. Besides, transportation is sort of essential in the United States to commute and buy food. A diamond has none of that utility. None at all. The fact that you compare them, use it to justify any sort of exploitation is incredible. 2) I should've…

[deleted]

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#516

Post by [deleted] »

clicks wrote: post #158
rayiner wrote: post #133

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It doesn't qualify (3), which is a very important one. I've got a daughter. She's only 4 months old, but I've had occasion to think a bit about this. I would not want her to marry someone who wasn't willing to give her a ring? Why? Reasons (1) and (2) I mentioned, sure, but also reason (3). It is the mark of a sensible man that he cares what other people think about him. People who buck social conventions sometimes b…

Right, so that's a conveniently pragmatic approach to the issue. Most of us nerds are fighting the idea of diamonds signifying social standing. The practice, and culture of giving expensive rings is objectively wacky. You're right that in your social circle taking an odd position will cost you your reputation, but consider that in the past many morally reprehensible practices were the norm and being an odd one out wo…

[deleted]

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#517

Post by junto »

I'd really rather not marry the kind of woman that expected a large overpriced shiny rock on her hand so that she could show-off to her friends, which once married is then a piece of (relatively) worthless jewellery that will sit in a box until she dies and her child inherits it.

Luckily the woman I chose to marry, preferred that our money would be better spent on putting a roof over our heads and paying for our children's education.

At the end of the day, the people that sell diamonds being mined out of the earth, are a bunch of scum, trading on the poverty and blood of (mostly) war torn Africa.

I would have serious doubts about any woman, that feels that their necessity for an expensive shiny stone, is worth the suffering of others.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#518

Post by cookiecaper »

lostlogin wrote: post #460
btilly wrote: post #377

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have to find the right woman. A bit over 23 years ago I had a wedding which - including wedding bands - was under $200. I'm still married to her. We're both glad we didn't go into debt to get married...

I was gobsmacked when I heard that people borrow money to have a wedding. I have never heard of that happening in New Zealand. How common is this? Or am I just mixing in the wrong circles?

I don't know if a lot of people borrow, but ridiculously expensive weddings are common in America, and they are terrible. Many people won't get married if they can't "afford a wedding". Like the parent, our wedding was under $200 when all was said and done, including rings (which neither of us wear).

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#519

Post by alan_cx »

fosap wrote: post #152

While De Beers business plan was/is genius, i think Swaroski topped it. While De Beers sells useless rocks for top prices, Swaroski sell glass imitates of these for similar prices.

It gets better. Mrs Me used to work for Swarovski, who sell "crystal", which basically differs from glass by lead content. Except, the lead content has been regulated down and now their "crystal" is essentially just fairly high spec glass. Had this "crystal" been invented today, it would be called glass.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#520

Post by setrofim_ »

n09n wrote: post #496
slavak wrote: post #476

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> This is why many women will accept, at the rational level, that diamonds are horrible and stupid and even evil (since they fuel all kinds of violence in Africa, where they are mined). But most of them will not be able to bring themselves to accept substitutes such as sapphires, rubies, or emeralds. Because that would make their female friends think that the guy does not value them as much (or that they weren't able…

Wanting the respect of others in your peer group is sad now?

I think what's sad here is not the desire for the respect of one's peers, but the means chosen to attain it; or rather, the arbitrarily-established mechanisms for doing so.
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