"Great...now I'm a party to this ugly little secret."
Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
11–20 of 82 posts
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#12I agree in principal that it's silly to buy a diamond engagement ring. But I also feel like the large expense helps solidify your intent. Without the ring, proposals would lose some of their weight. The ring helps keep more proposals serious, which benefits everyone involved.
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#13The punchline is the second to last paragraph: > Today, De Beers hold on the industry supply chain is less strong. And yet, price continue to rise as new deposits haven’t been found recently and demand for diamonds is increasing in India and China. For now, it’s less necessary that the company monopolize the supply chain because its lie that a diamond is a proxy for a man’s worth in life has infected the rest of the…
There are very real and noticeable differences between a $30k and $90k BMW other than top speed. There are NOT noticeable differences between a $30k diamond and a $3k moissanite stone. A better analogy would be $100 "professional HDMI cable" and a $10 standard HDMI cable.
However, to many women who grew up in the US, there are huge differences between the two stones. One is a diamond, the other isn't. There's a cultural expectation here about diamonds that's pervasive, and women who say that diamonds don't matter and actually believe it are rare. My now wife was actually willing to go along with a no-diamond ring, but she was clearly bummed, so I ended up finding a diamond that never went through DeBeers hands (but still cost a lot due to their influence)
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#14I agree in principal that it's silly to buy a diamond engagement ring. But I also feel like the large expense helps solidify your intent. Without the ring, proposals would lose some of their weight. The ring helps keep more proposals serious, which benefits everyone involved.
Doesn't it happen that lots of people use their Aunt's wedding ring, or a ring from a previous failed proposal? I feel as if I see this on TV pretty often (I'm 25 and unmarried and not particularly familiar with the diamond buying process although I'm always fascinated walking through the Diamond District in New York City). If that's the case doesn't it bring it back to a lesser investment? Although it's true that if it is your Aunt's Wedding Ring you probably hold it very dearly (which might make it more of an investment). But if you get five failed proposals for three grand it's not too bad.
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#15He proposes that diamonds are an essential part in the mating ritual and then goes on to say they are not an investment? As silly as it is if the dumb ring helps you convince your future wife she should be your future wife I'm going to go ahead and say that it is actually a wise investment. I don't see peacocks wandering around saying "feathers are bullshit" Subjective theory of value...etc.
And/or that you need to demonstrate your feelings for someone else through an object that has inflated worth...
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#16The punchline is the second to last paragraph: > Today, De Beers hold on the industry supply chain is less strong. And yet, price continue to rise as new deposits haven’t been found recently and demand for diamonds is increasing in India and China. For now, it’s less necessary that the company monopolize the supply chain because its lie that a diamond is a proxy for a man’s worth in life has infected the rest of the…
Top-end BMW is more fun. Better-sounding speakers, more comfortable seats, snappier response (not unlike SSD vs HDD seek time), etc. You might not get above 60 in the city but if you want to have fun you can take it out to the country and hope you don't get a ticket
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#17I once told the woman I eventually married that I "would rather die a lonely bitter old man than ever give a penny to the diamond industry."
I since went back on that thought and clarified that those genuine diamonds grown in a factory were pretty cool.
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#18I tried to explain all that to my gf, but she was having none of it. It was either a diamond or hit the road, Jack.
Proposed to her last Saturday with a shiny diamond ring, she's now my fiance, so I think it was worth it.
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#19Earlier quoted context omitted.
There are very real and noticeable differences between a $30k and $90k BMW other than top speed. There are NOT noticeable differences between a $30k diamond and a $3k moissanite stone. A better analogy would be $100 "professional HDMI cable" and a $10 standard HDMI cable.
However, to many women who grew up in the US, there are huge differences between the two stones. One is a diamond, the other isn't. There's a cultural expectation here about diamonds that's pervasive, and women who say that diamonds don't matter and actually believe it are rare. My now wife was actually willing to go along with a no-diamond ring, but she was clearly bummed, so I ended up finding a diamond that never…
No there aren't. The majority of the people can't tell the difference between a man made diamond and a natural one. Most people can tell when they are in a super car instead of a Honda civic.
Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)
#20I've always wondered if there's a space for some serious disruption in this industry. One of the things I've always seen, having gone to lots of auctions as a kid, is that you can buy diamond rings for a fraction of the price on the auction block. Even if you just rip the diamond out, and set it in a new ring, you'd be saving money, not to mention the metals you have left over from the ring.
If there were a company whose sole purpose was reselling jewelry like this at a pretty big markdown from competitors, I wonder how sustainable/successful it would be, because I know I would support it.
Part of my thinking about this is just my desire to "stick it to the bad guys", but part of it really is a recognition that traditions aren't going to change over night, so we might as well try to save some people a little money.