polygon6121,

I am also convinced that diamonds are a scam. If you like the stone and think it is worth it, by all means, go ahead and buy it. I fucking love shiny things too. But really? Have you seen the price for a tiny 1 karat stone on a ring? That is ridiculous, there is no way in hell those stones are rare enough or warrant that kind of price, and even if the cutting process was the reason for the price ( as if it is not completely fucking automated by now). Fuck the diamond industry.

runswithjedi,

I was shopping for a ring and the salesperson said it’s not even worth buying a diamond now because synthetics are expected to take over the market in a few years. It will likely tank the price of real diamonds because they’re chemically and structurally identical.

TexasDrunk,

For a while they weren’t as good. Then they were TOO good. They were identical but the way the inclusions were structured was a giveaway (supposedly, I’m still not sure how true that was).

Now? The biggest giveaway is the lab certificate of authenticity.

captainlezbian,

Also like why would I care if it was made in a lab instead of obtained through large amounts of human suffering?

And as it is lab grown corundum is good enough for me. Choice in color, low price, and it’s not like I run in circles that have a problem with sapphire

Psaldorn,
@Psaldorn@lemmy.world avatar

Moissanite is the same, fraction of the price. DeBeers can suck it

0x4E4F,
@0x4E4F@sh.itjust.works avatar
SuperIce, (edited )

The reflections that moissanite makes are a lot more colorful. I prefer that, but some people may prefer the more subdued colors of diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are similarly priced, so just choose which one you prefer.

FlyingSquid, (edited )
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Either way, you’re getting something lab grown. Almost all moissanite is synthetic because the natural stuff is far rarer than diamond. I don’t know why it matters if it’s formed naturally or made in a lab anyway (aside from avoiding the blood diamond problem obviously). Is it because we’re playing god with diamonds?

LordOfTheChia,

I think they’re better. Way more fire, less brittle, and a more unique and much rarer stone.

First discovered 120 years ago in very tiny amounts in a meteorite crater, it wasn’t till the 90s that you could actually get a moissanite gemstone.

NotATurtle, (edited )

It’s definitely a scam, because they gained their value through manipulation as well as artificial and controlled rarity.

LordOfTheChia,

I am also convinced that diamonds are a scam.

There’s a whole book about the scam and it’s available online:

www.2facetruth.com/…/prologue.htm

Was a very good read before I proposed.

frickineh,

Also, all the violence involved in the industry. I prefer my sparkly shit to involve less blood.

Swedneck,
@Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

diamonds aren’t even that pretty, like oh wow how impressive, a bit of particularly reflective glass…

meanwhile there’s minerals like labradorite or opal that have actually interesting optical effects and CHANGE COLOUR, for a fraction of the price.

nBodyProblem,

Moissanite is by far a better buy. It has more fire for 1/100th the price than a natural diamond.

But I feel like the people saying clear stones like diamond and moissanite aren’t pretty have never seen a clear, well cut, multi karat, example in the sun. The rainbow colors and brilliance from a clear high refraction stone like a diamond is frankly insane. You can see the rainbow colors shooting off of it from like 100 yards away if the lighting is right. No colored stone has quite the same wow factor as a good diamond or moissanite in the right light. That’s why diamonds have historically been in such high demand.

Opal, Alexandrite, and many other stones are equally beautiful in their own way. But it’s weird to make that point by putting down clear stones that are absolutely spectacular.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

I disagree on the first part. I think diamonds, properly cut diamonds anyway, are very pretty. But they are vastly overvalued and if humanity as a whole gave up on diamonds as an aesthetic item, I wouldn’t shed a tear.

ray,

Boomers are buying diamonds - why?

Aleric,

Because they were brainwashed into believing they’re somehow valuable and a good investment that retains its value, despite them actually being neither of those.

Awkwardparticle,

It’s funny because once the diamond is on the ring and sold it becomes worthless, the metal in the ring may be worth more than the stones after it leaves the store. I had thousands of dollars worth of diamond jewelry and could barely get a few hundred for it.

Kolanaki,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

Even before I knew how common diamonds actually are and that their perceived rarity and thus price are bullshit, I wasn’t at all interested in shiny rocks. I’m not a fucking bird.

jtk,
@jtk@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Cries in Gorilla Tag

CulturedLout,

I love shiny rocks. But diamonds are boring.

Buddahriffic,

I am so anti-diamond that if a partner insisted on a diamond ring, I would have to think very hard about the whole relationship. Especially because it’s one of the less interesting stones, even ignoring all the scam and ethical issues.

Swedneck,
@Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de avatar

oxidized titanium rings are better in literally every single way

nBodyProblem,

Same. I like the whole engagement ring ritual but I’ll be damned if our marriage is going to hinge on my “proving my love” with some overpriced trinket that costs a couple months’ salary and loses 95% of its value when it leaves the store. If that’s what it takes for us to get married it’s not the type of relationship I want in my life.

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

My wife wore a diamond engagement ring (multiple small diamonds set in a ring), but it belonged to my great-grandmother, so it had value beyond just buying a diamond for the purposes of showing off your engagement. One of the diamonds fell out and got lost, so she stopped wearing it before any of the rest fell out. I would certainly never have bought her a new diamond ring even if I could have afforded one and she wouldn’t have wanted me to.

aeki,

Same. My partner and I are engaged but there’s never going to be a diamond in the picture. If they had found the diamond ritual important, we wouldn’t be too compatible.

I also cannot deal with rings in general due to sensory issues.

We do want to find some kind of wearable, interesting symbol though.

AquaTofana,

Ooohhh have you about buying a band and wearing it on a chain around your neck instead? I know people who work with machinery do that to avoid their rings getting caught on the equipment.

I’ve always thought it was kind of sweet because now your ring hangs close to your heart everyday!

Suck_on_my_Presence,

I know it’s not the best recommendation, but my partner and I have matching tattoos on our ring fingers. It’s a symbol for something we both really really love and it’s delicate and sensible enough that no one looks twice. Even if we split, it’s not their name or anything and it’s still something that means a lot to me on its own and is vague enough to be something I’ll still enjoy

Dudewitbow,

millennials aren’t buying a rare earth gem that has its price and value artificially increased for maximum profits*

KSPAtlas,
@KSPAtlas@sopuli.xyz avatar

Isn’t it not rare earth as it doesn’t contain rare earth elements

henfredemars,

My wife wanted amethyst because “everyone gets a diamond ring. And it’s purple!” It was also very cost effective.

JusticeForPorygon,
@JusticeForPorygon@lemmy.world avatar

Because diamonds are dumb as fuck

-Gen Z

TrickDacy,
@TrickDacy@lemmy.world avatar

Also…they’re less likely to be morons who live their lives based on television commercials made by con artists

jtk,
@jtk@lemmy.sdf.org avatar

Have they tried marketing discolored green ones as “Avocado Diamonds”?

Darken,
@Darken@reddthat.com avatar

It’s not a bug it’s a feature

sebinspace,

I mean what does the diamond do besides just sit there and be pretty?

For the same money, I can buy a model train

Kolanaki,
@Kolanaki@yiffit.net avatar

They can cut glass very easily. But they can make artificial diamond good enough for that in a factory.

somePotato,

They can also make artificial diamonds that are good enough for jewelry, the perception that lab made diamond is different/worse than diamonds pulled from the ground is just propaganda to keep the artificial scarcity

sebinspace,

Think it’d rather take the artificial diamond cutters

Darken,
@Darken@reddthat.com avatar

Not sure about the be pretty part because they are barely visible when 1 nanometer of it costs a kidney

sebinspace,

Shit you’re right…

Mango,

For the same money I can buy a model. Why pretend it’s not transactional when it is?

sebinspace,

Huh?

ElBarto, (edited )
@ElBarto@sh.itjust.works avatar

For the same reason I only put $10 of fuel in at a time … I’M BROKE BITCH!

LifeInMultipleChoice,

$7 Today. The price was down to 2.58/gallon though. Win

FlyingSquid,
@FlyingSquid@lemmy.world avatar

Sure, but if you only put in $9 of fuel in that tank and saved that $1 for a diamond, you could get her that diamond ring in 50… 80 years tops!

Prethoryn, (edited )
@Prethoryn@lemmy.world avatar

Honestly, because diamonds are just cliché, over priced and over made meaning that don’t have a real high value and all the other gemstones have gone so unloved over the years. I mean, as a 28 year old man I fucking love my emerald earrings. Ruby ones as well for that matter. Fuck diamonds my dudes puts some color in the bling.

I am wearing opal right now. Diamond are just kind of meh.

Bigoldmustard,

Found me a lady who wanted an amethyst. Paid like $300, biggest issue was the stone was so big it kept getting loose. Those are our preferences though, some people want the diamond and that’s fine. It’s okay to want something dumb. Nothing you acquire will be meaningful in the long run, it’s the memories.

troyunrau,
@troyunrau@lemmy.ca avatar

I worked in diamond exploration for years. We joked that we were turning diesel into diamonds – just not through compression. Seriously kids, buy a lab diamond if you want one.

NaoPb,

Not falling for Debeers ads anymore probably.

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