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Diamonds Are Bullshit

blog.priceonomics.com

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Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#191

Post by gnaritas »

rayiner wrote: post #133
clicks wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

1) It demonstrates the man's ability to provide; 2) It demonstrates the man's willingness to forgo the other things he could buy with the money for a gift for her that does not directly benefit him in any way; and 3) It demonstrates to the woman's peers her husband's social standing. To play devil's advocate here: If you substitute 'ring' with 'a $3k donation to redcross' you could still potentially qualify all of th…

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…

You're preaching exactly the nonsense DeBeer's wants you to preach; they've got you hook, line, and sinker. None of those things require wasting money on a stupid worthless rock. You've shut down thinking.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#192

Post by jlgreco »

guest wrote: post #118
czr80 wrote: post #93

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, they should spend money on something sensible, like a Porsche.

Porsche makes WAY more sense than a diamond ring. So do hookers and blow!

Either one is a status symbol, but at least you can take your kids to school in one of them.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#194

Post by rayiner »

lotyrin wrote: post #171
rayiner wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It irks me a little bit that the issue is painted as one of "reason" versus lack thereof. There is a rationality in adhering to social convention. My wife is a diamond nerd, as well as one of the most rational people you'll ever meet, and she'd explain it this way: the diamond is a test that serves various useful purposes from the perspective of the woman: 1) It demonstrates the man's ability to provide; 2) It demons…

Just in case this hasn't already been driven home: what you've demonstrated here is absolutely disgusting to a growing number of people. 1. Adherence to social convention for its own sake 2. Submission to a multinational construed as something positive 3. Imbalanced monogamous relationships based on opportunity cost and trading status for reproductive capacity 4. Spending money and life on creating more humans Probab…

We're a society of monkeys that use social convention as a fluid device for mediating social interaction. We are a species where, thus far, the burdens of motherhood are associated with a single gender. We are a species that derives deep satisfaction from reproducing (from hard-wired hormonal responses), and have structured our society so that it would collapse without the assurance of continued generations of future humans. These things are true whether or not you would prefer an alternative world in which they weren't. Relevant to HN: at the end of the day Facebook stock is worth a lot less, and VC funding dries up if it becomes apparent that the 16-25 demographic is one of monotonically decreasing size...

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#195

Post by arbuge »

jpdoctor wrote: post #174
arbuge wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I agree with this. My wife wanted a ruby ring, not diamond, for our engagement. The expectation clearly was that it would still be expensive though! The marketing campaigns by jewelers have first and foremost been successful at setting an expectation of big spending. The stone type itself might be somewhat negotiable.

> My wife wanted a ruby ring, not diamond, for our engagement. I consider this an amazing social signal: She is verifying that you have a proper amount of resources to burn, but does not want her girlfriends to easily calibrate how many you have. Therefore, she leaves them a little bit in the dark about what a great catch you are (because most women can't calibrate ruby pricing by just looking.) My compliments to you…

Good guess, but that's not the reason :-) She's from China and ruby is her birthstone.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#196

Post by DanBC »

It's a bit weird to see people so against diamonds (something they don't want and don't need) and happily using dead Africans in their discussion, but when you start talking about gold or rare earth minerals that shiny gadget isn't bullshit, it's an important tool. (Never mind that a machine from 5 years ago is for almost everybody just as capable.)

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#197

Post by logn »

jasonhanley wrote: post #57

What do people think about BlueNile? Diamond prices there are about 50% of retail -- perhaps a bit closer to the true "market" value?

I don't know about their margins but I found an attractive ring for 1 week's salary (vs. the crazy idea we should spend 2 months). Even if they make a nice margin you have sufficient selection and control over the 4 C's that you can save money that way. I decided to get the a very good cut and best color possible since those are visible to the naked eye. Clarity (at least at the levels offered on blue nile) is only noticeable under 10x magnification. So it make no sense to me but skimp on clarity. Then I chose between shape, and carats. The marquise shape can also save you money because it looks larger with less carats. Also say what you want about the stupidity of engagement rings, but if you're going to get one, choosing a very small diamond just looks unbalanced to me on a finger.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#198

Post by [deleted] »

guylhem wrote: post #178

I see people talking about various things like the (1) (2) (3) arguments for a women to evaluate a man : (1) is the ability to provide; 2) is the willingness to forgo other things (opportunity costs to talk economics) (3) "is demonstrating to the woman's peers her husband's social standing." (signalling) Raynier posted this deep down in a reply which might be lost to you if you don't read all the comments. It would b…

[deleted]

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#199

Post by Zimahl »

mikeash wrote: post #182
Zimahl wrote: post #134

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Think of how men are marketed to and you'll see the difference. It's not a name brand or a lifestyle, almost everything marketed to men has some sort of pragmatic function to it. Be it the big F-150 that can tow a ton, to the comfortable (yet fuel efficient!) 4-door sedan. Sport cars might be an exception for most men (although not for me). As much as you don't need it, a $2000 60" HDTV is still more functional than…

> As much as you don't need it, a $2000 60" HDTV is still more functional than a purse that costs the same amount of money. Are you serious? Is this a joke? A purse actually serves a useful function. It doesn't serve $2000 of function, but it's useful in that it lets you carry around important items. A TV serves no useful purpose whatsoever . None. Zero. There is nothing useful in your life that the TV lets you do. I…

You are saying that a TV that probably costs to make at least a portion of that $2000 is worth less than a purse that can be knocked off to look EXACTLY THE SAME but cost 2 orders of magnitude less are the same?

I won't bother arguing the value of a TV. I think there are many that can argue the value of a designer purse.

Re: Diamonds Are Bullshit

#200

Post by rayiner »

guylhem wrote: post #178

I see people talking about various things like the (1) (2) (3) arguments for a women to evaluate a man : (1) is the ability to provide; 2) is the willingness to forgo other things (opportunity costs to talk economics) (3) "is demonstrating to the woman's peers her husband's social standing." (signalling) Raynier posted this deep down in a reply which might be lost to you if you don't read all the comments. It would b…

Its' really hard to live life stepping on eggshells worrying about injustices to other people. At the end of the day, I bet most people on this thread drive, and there is very little else that humans do that does more violence to the environment and to other humans than the use of fossil fuels. It goes far beyond that. If you're an American, your comfortable life exists because of the American government's willingness to inflict violence on other people to maintain our status in the world.

It's massively hypocritical to single out diamonds amongst all this.

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