The Diamond Racket

oggiesnr said:
Ogden's Law of Marriages "The length of a marriage is inversely proportionate to it's cost"
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While I know that's not necessarily true, [anecdotal]my marriage that cost $25 at the courthouse has outlasted every one of my friends' marriages that cost thousands or tens of thousands of bucks.[/anecdotal]

I can't even begin to imagine myself even contemplating spending that much money on a wedding. It's just a day, for goodness sake!

It's the marriage that counts, not the wedding. If you pick the right person to begin with, it won't matter how much you spent on the wedding.
 
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Madalch said:
And she said, "None, you moron, it was mined in Canada."
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1) If this was a decade or so back there were no certificates to prove country of origin so there was no way to know it wasn't a blood diamond.

2) The certificates in use today only came about because customers started to become educated on the issue of said blood diamonds. While today's certificates are FAR from perfect they do make a difference and that can all be chalked up to consumer awareness. A little education can help.

3) De beers turned a blind eye to blood diamond problem for years and years. Supporting them, even by purchasing Canadian diamonds is still supporting them. That is not something I approve of in my life.... if someone else chooses to fine but.....

4) If people show me a ring and expect me to be excited it isn't going to happen.

You have every right to purchase a diamond if material positions such as that trip your trigger but don't expect others to be all gushy just because we have been trained by society (and De beers) for that reaction. If you pull up in my driveway with a Hummer you will probably get the same reaction from me for just about the same reasons.

I think owning a diamond is a waste of money and potentially harmful to my fellow humans, I should not be expected to smile and make gushing sounds for something that I vehemently disagree with on a personal level. On top of that, if you go out of your way to let your feelings about diamonds be known by showing me your ring I feel inclined to reciprocate and open up my feelings on the issue....

:dewink:
 
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On the positive side, diamonds have real value and they aren't going down in price.
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Even if that were true you have to buy retail and sell wholesale, so it's a pretty poor investment.

Consider the consumer. Here's one...the bride. Let's get her a fake diamond instead of the real thing. How cool is that?
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When they get to the point that even experts can't tell, get her the fake and never tell a soul.

If the US government wanted, they could clamp down on them for "unfair trade practices." They did it to Microsoft after all. No political will?
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No, they have wives, and at least occasionally like to have sex with them.
 
Vic Vega said:
That was incredibly boorish. I hope she slapped you in the face.
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If she had I would have just smacked her back. I believe in the principle of proportional retaliation and have no issues with hitting a woman if she hits me first. If she then got her fiance to come after me then he would meet the same fate.

Madalch said:
And she said, "None, you moron, it was mined in Canada."
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A decade ago, I doubt it. It might have come from Russia but that doesn't change that she had a stupid and pointless thing on her finger that may have helped contribute to immeasurable misery and cruelty.
 
Grimoire said:
$10k for a wedding? That's pretty cheap to the way my friends have been doing it. Most of their weddings were in the $40k to $60k range. My sister's upcoming wedding is going to be an small, inexpensive wedding on the beach not that far from where most people live, and it is probably going to cost about $15k.
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What I paid for the diamond I more than saved by eloping with my wife and not inviting anyone to our wedding. We did the wedding and honeymoon all in one trip. My parents and hers did get pictures though. She bought a cute white wedding dress and I a suit.

I consider eloping to be a favor to others. Who really wants to go to somebody else's wedding anyway? It's a major pain in the butt and expensive too. I can't imagine spending $40 K on a wedding.
 
Travis said:
A decade ago, I doubt it.
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Canadian diamonds came onto the market at least 15 years ago (since I was looking at them with wassername, who dumped me in 1994).

It might have come from Russia but that doesn't change that she had a stupid and pointless thing on her finger that may have helped contribute to immeasurable misery and cruelty.
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Emphasis mine.
 
oggiesnr said:
Ogden's Law of Marriages "The length of a marriage is inversely proportionate to it's cost"

Steve
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15 years and still going strong here. We eloped. :D

One more data point to confirm your theory. (Yes, I know about confirmation bias. I'm just funning.)
 
Travis said:
A decade ago, I doubt it. It might have come from Russia but that doesn't change that she had a stupid and pointless thing on her finger that may have helped contribute to immeasurable misery and cruelty.
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Ever owned a laptop? Ever admired one? The metal in there may have in interesting history. Not just diamonds that came out of the DRC.
 
wolfgirl said:
I once showed it to someone, who said, "Oh, isn't that cute?" (Tell me that wasn't meant as an insult...cute is code for small!)
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I don't think it was necessarily meant as an insult. What was the 'correct' thing to say? Some people like 'cute' things.

Maybe this is because I'm borderline asperger's or something. I almost never intend to insult people with what I say, but it wouldn't occur to me in a million years that describing someone's ring as "cute" would be taken as an insult.
 
Puppycow said:
I don't think it was necessarily meant as an insult. What was the 'correct' thing to say? Some people like 'cute' things.

Maybe this is because I'm borderline asperger's or something. I almost never intend to insult people with what I say, but it wouldn't occur to me in a million years that describing someone's ring as "cute" would be taken as an insult.
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Yeah, but I once had a woman refer to my manhood as cute, and I did not take the compliment well.
 
roger said:
If you want sparkle I can break a coke bottle for you in your driveway, I guarantee more sparkle than that little 1 caret diamond on your finger.
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Well, no, you can't really. Glass doesn't really 'sparkle' like diamond (or cubic zirconia for that matter) at all, however well (or carelessly by interaction with driveway) you cut it. 'Fire' in gems is a real phenomenon caused by refraction and internal reflection (which is why the cut is so important, to create the necessary surfaces and angles) but, again pointing out that diamond is overvalued, it doesn't have the most fire - cubic zirconia and other materials can have more. But some would then say they look 'vulgar' because they have 'too much' fire... can't win.

Personally I have a soft spot for tanzanite, which genuinely is rare and unusual...
 
geni said:
Ever owned a laptop? Ever admired one? The metal in there may have in interesting history. Not just diamonds that came out of the DRC.
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Computers are useful. You'll note I haven't decried diamonds for industrial purposes either. It's the pointless frivolity of diamond ornamentation that bugs me.
 
big-E said:
Well, no, you can't really. Glass doesn't really 'sparkle' like diamond (or cubic zirconia for that matter) at all, however well (or carelessly by interaction with driveway) you cut it. 'Fire' in gems is a real phenomenon caused by refraction and internal reflection (which is why the cut is so important, to create the necessary surfaces and angles) but, again pointing out that diamond is overvalued, it doesn't have the most fire - cubic zirconia and other materials can have more. But some would then say they look 'vulgar' because they have 'too much' fire... can't win.
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Well yes, I know about refraction and reflection in diamonds - there's a reason they are used in scientific optic apparatus. However, honestly, have you seen this phenomenon in any significant way in somebody's half caret engagement ring in normal light? 1 coke bottle equals a lot more light relection than a half caret ring. A broken bottle can momentarily blind you; never had that happen with a ring.

A million dollar broach - okay, that can be pretty amazing, for the reasons you mentioned. But a typical engagement ring just doesn't give off that sparkle in everyday light and life, in my experience. More than the same sized glass? Sure. Enough to really impress? Not me, at least.

Here's a link to a 1/2 caret diamond in pretty strong light.
http://pics.hoobly.com/full/VULC2MEOZ3BZDGCTTQ.jpg

Meh. A coke bottle in the sun can hurt your eyes.

(n.b. I'm half jokey, half serious here)
 
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