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Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

blog.priceonomics.com

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Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#51

Post by aalvarado »

city41 wrote: post #12

I 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.

The ring is standard culture, a social aspect of getting married, if that's important to your partner, and you believe that it is important to support what they consider it to be, I would invest in whatever made them happy.

I found someone that a ring has no value for the proposition, my word sufficed. We did get wedding bands, but we ended up not wearing them. :D

My point is, why not give her something really meaningful instead, then?

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#52

Post by zentiggr »

hueving wrote: post #32
dangayle wrote: post #18

I 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.

Sounds like you got a raw deal. You just proposed to someone who literally would dump you over not getting a shiny rock. Coercion like that is a major red flag.

Most of nature has mating rituals to signify fitness of a mate, in almost infinite variety.

A fraction of homo sapiens was convinced into an irrational addition to that ritual by being unaware of the psychological manipulation targeted directly at that mating ritual, and the omnipresent self-esteem trigger.

It's not coercion, it's an instinct corrupted by greed.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#53

Post by jklinger410 »

superuser2 wrote: post #16
rayiner wrote: post #3

The 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

Thank you for illuminating this for everyone.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#54

Post by nosuchthing »

DanBC wrote: post #38
nosuchthing wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Healthy relationships have a multitude of ways to communicate feelings and connectivity. If a shiney finger stone seems to be required to prove something, that should be some self reflection on the relationship.

If you feel the meed to deny your partner something that brings them joy, even though you think it's bullshit -- that should make you think twice about the relationship. The desire to control your partner that is displayed by many people in these diamond threads is a really unpleasant character flaw.

The justification of heroin/meth/alcohol addicts would be in the same boat.

It's not about "control", it's about human relationships and value.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#55

Post by rhino369 »

jawngee wrote: post #28
dangayle wrote: post #18

I 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.

Not to be a dick or anything, but "diamond or hit the road" sounds like she is valuing the diamond more than you. I'm sure there was some hyperbole involved, maybe your post is actually an ironic fable, but if neither of those are true ... well, good luck!

The same could be said about someone trying to cheap out on a ring, he's valuing a couple thousand dollars over her. Its just a fiance signing bonus.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#56

Post by jkestner »

kriro wrote: post #7

He 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.

True - perhaps it's wrens think those feathers are bullshit. I wouldn't have picked my wife if she had been the type to want a 2-months-salary ring. (My time and attention were more valuable.) But we're not peacocks.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#57

Post by Joeboy »

jkestner wrote: post #43
jawngee wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to be a dick or anything, but "diamond or hit the road" sounds like she is valuing the diamond more than you. I'm sure there was some hyperbole involved, maybe your post is actually an ironic fable, but if neither of those are true ... well, good luck!

Yeah, I'm curious about that attitude. Not personally examining the grandparent (to whom I wish a long and happy marriage), but is that a real thing, that a woman would break off a promising life because of the lack of a diamond ring? If she would, does that indicate that she doesn't know how to otherwise value a mate, or sees it as an overriding signal of this mate's suitability (even over rational things like job p…

This has come up before and people on HN seem adamant that women will dump you if you don't buy them diamonds. My suspicion is that either this theory hasn't actually been thoroughly tested, or it's to do with the kind of women the men of Silicon Valley tend to seek out.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#58

Post by pen2l »

city41 wrote: post #27
samjordan2 wrote: post #8

Earlier 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.

> There are NOT noticeable differences between a $30k diamond and a $3k moissanite stone My wife and I felt the same way too, until we actually compared them. The sparkle and brilliance in the diamond was dramatically better than any other stone we compared it to. We went into ring shopping pretty determined to not get a diamond, and yet still bought one.

Which stones did you compare it to? The stones available in the shop? That's the problem -- there are cheaper alternatives that have a shine comparable to diamonds, but not very widely available in brick and mortar stores. You were kind of had by salesman gimmicks.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#59

Post by samjordan2 »

city41 wrote: post #27
samjordan2 wrote: post #8

Earlier 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.

> There are NOT noticeable differences between a $30k diamond and a $3k moissanite stone My wife and I felt the same way too, until we actually compared them. The sparkle and brilliance in the diamond was dramatically better than any other stone we compared it to. We went into ring shopping pretty determined to not get a diamond, and yet still bought one.

That is great that you like the product that you bought.

Re: Diamonds are Bullshit (2013)

#60

Post by alexggordon »

BinaryIdiot wrote: post #30
alexggordon wrote: post #20

I'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 w…

> I've always wondered if there's a space for some serious disruption in this industry. Not sure about how to do the disruption on Earth but when we can start, effectively, mining asteroids? Well precious metals should be able to take a nose dive. Not sure how much diamonds exist in asteroids but I wouldn't be surprised if a company can effectively mine asteroids to disrupt all precious metal industries.

Along those same lines, I think eventually we're going to be able to drill into earths crust, or some other incredibly high pressure place and possible just mine the diamonds from there[0]. That said though, I haven't heard anything about planetary resources recently[1]...

[0] http://geology.about.com/od/mantle/a/The-Diamond-Zone.htm [1] http://www.planetaryresources.com/

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