I’ve read all the negative stuff about the diamond industry and I accept it all as true – diamonds have very little intrinsic value, they have next to no resale value, cultured diamonds are “real” in every meaningful sense of the word, etc etc.
That said, I, uhh, need to buy a big-ass diamond. For a thing.
How best do I go about leverage my belief that diamonds are a scam to actually get a good deal on a diamond? I read from some diamond website that lab-created diamonds are a bad deal because they have almost no value on the 2nd hand market. Which sounds great to me, can I buy one of those somewhere? Has anyone successfully navigated this minefield?
Nonsense, I would never marry someone obsessed with silly things like big ass shiny rocks. This is for a completely different project. Maybe a death ray or something.
I have the same general opinion of the diamond industry and my wife wanted a stone on her finger. We found a very nice ring at an estate sale which got her the rock and allowed me to salvage some moral footing at not (directly) supporting the diamond industry.
Yeah, I think buying second hand might be the best way to “win,” but some woman have strong opinions on “used” diamonds. I’d feel out your thing’s feelings on that first…
I have zero idea how good/reliable these sites are, but I found altr and brilliant earth. Altr was linked in a Forbes article and apparently owned existing (old) diamond-house that’s trying to work both the mined and lab-created market. Brilliant Earth seems to have a “build your own” page.
Finding one secondhand is your best bet if you want to save money but it is not your best bet if you want to save time.
How the diamond appears TO YOU is the most important thing. (If you spend time shopping you will notice some look nicer than others.) While this is generally connected with the quality of the stone, it’s not absolutely, one hundred percent connected. A stone with a flaw you can’t see from above can be cheaper despite looking very nice.
Diamonds aren’t a scam. “Intrinsic value” is a meaningless phrase. things are worth what the market says they are, and the market for diamonds is such that they cost a lot of money.
I bought my [del]thing[/del] wife a sapphire ring. Prettier (in our opinion) and less expensive than diamond. They come in every color. And (maybe?) fewer oppressed people mining them.
Those are better words, but I knew a girl in college who was presented with her fiancee’s beloved late grandmother’s engagement ring, but cried about how she didn’t want “some dead woman’s ring.” And then complained her “new” ring was so much smaller, since the guy couldn’t afford a whole karat.:dubious::rolleyes: