Nicely put.
The only winning move is not to play.
How about a nice game of chess?
The correct question is;
Would you like to play a game?
How about thermonuclear war? (Buying diamonds for things without consulting things can lead to this)
And then you play tic tac toe
The only way to “win” is to take your thing shopping or buy a used ring and have the stone put in a new setting
Malvin, you told me to tell you when you’re acting like that…
The problem with cheaper alternatives to ‘real’ diamonds is that diamonds are a Veblen good. A Veblen good is one that is desirable primarily because it is expensive. A diamond is supposed to signify commitment - if you really love that thing, you’ll be happy to spend your potential down payment on a new home for your new family on a shiny rock instead, because that says you really care.
This was the genius of the marketing campaign the diamond industry landed on. And the fact that a diamond is right there on your thing’s hand all the time means there is plenty of peer pressure from other things to let everyone know just how caring you are - or aren’t.
I hope if she ever posts here, she calls herself steronzsthing. That’s not taken, is it?
Opals are the gem of choice-such beauty and variety that diamonds cannot even dream of.
Convince the diamond market, most importantly other buyers, that your belief is correct. Even lab diamonds are expensive if you want a good size because … well because there are people willing to pay that much.
So, as a former jewelry maker and seller, I can tell you that in a lot of cases, the reason a non-diamond diamond doesn’t look as good is the setting. The reasoning is that diamonds, being a precious stone, deserve a precious setting. White sapphires, cubic zirconia and their ilk, being non- or semiprecious, do not deserve such a great setting.
I will also say that certain rich people get two identical pieces made (or four identical in the case of earrings), one set with the actual precious stone, to put in the vault, and one to wear. And if it’s in the same setting, you can’t tell the difference. Equal fire, equal clarity, equal color and in the case of manmade diamonds, no flaws.
I’m just saying it’s not just the stone. Get a good setting worthy of a precious stone along with whatever stone.
I took the more sensible approach of finding a partner who would laugh at the idea of spending four figures on a crystal unless it could present Dragon Ball FighterZ in full high-framerate high-resolution glory.
How would she feel about getting a used diamond, and have it placed in a new setting?
There’s a lab created diamond place by the mall near my parents. They are all stunning. Like it’s way too good to be true. That’s like the only way I can tell a diamond is not natural (like out of the ground natural).
Or, perhaps if you’re willing to fund your favorite sub-saharan conflict. [J/K!]
I vote for what looks good to you. Here’s the trick, get a lot of experience looking at diamonds. You want clean, super sparkly in normal sunlight, eye clean (no fissures or cracks or black spots via the naked eye; ideally, none on the face with a loop). If you can’t see white or yellow in the shitty diamonds, you might be picking out a shitty diamond. If you need help, find a jeweler that you can trust and ask for an ungraded diamond.
I love opals, and I agree they’re gorgeous. But they’re also fragile and shatter rather easily. I wouldn’t want an opal for a ring I would be wearing close to 100% of the time.
And … da da da DAAAAAA… they’re “bad luck” if they’re not the wearer’s birth stone (Ocotober birthday).
- Hi Opal!
I work for a jewelry store. We probably have more diamonds than any single independent store in Northern Ohio. Indeed, lab-created diamonds are a thing and will only get more prevalent. But that doesn’t mean you can get one fore a bargain just yet. Might be a few years.
I remember when cubic zirconia (CZs) first were produced 30 years or more ago. They wholesaled for $500+/ carat. Today they wholesale for $10/carat. It will happen(maybe not as dramatically as CZs) to lab created diamponds, but it will happen. Just not quickly.
Does your thang require a diamond that is free of flaws? You can get a 1 carat diamond for under $1000. Maybe as low as $500. Just will have bad flaws.
A possible source for buying secondhand is your own family. Figure out who has died in the last few years, and talk to their heirs. Use emotional attachments: tell Grandpa “My fiancee has beautiful blond hair, just like Grandma had when she was young, so I’d like her to have Grandma’s ring to wear. Maybe it’ll make our marriage last as long & happy as yours did.” (And offer to pay Grandpa in cash, so Social Security never hears about it.)
Brilliant Earth is a scam to the extent they claim to source conflict-free diamonds (from Canada, in specific) but there’s no way, even in principle, to verify where a specific stone comes from, so, since everyone wants to claim to sell conflict-free stones, all stones must be considered to be blood diamonds.
Buying second-hand diamonds is the best way to mitigate the effects of blood diamonds, in that at least you’re not creating demand for new blood diamonds in the world.
Yep, white sapphire.
Or- what is her birthstone?
I worked in jewelry, too, and I agree With you.
It was a giveaway to see “diamond” earrings in flimsy setting (a carat stud being held by 4 thin prongs, hmmmm).
There were two other tricks. First is to buy a believable size. If you are loaded get a big one and nobody will doubt it. A perfect stone that looks to be about 3 carats is possible but unlikely for most people.
The other trick was to get a setting with some real diamonds. It made the setting more believable.
Buy it in Johannesburg. Saved thousands, and get a nice vacation trip to boot.