Ok, here’s the deal. My girlfriend of two year’s birthday is coming up November 3, and i want to get her something special this year. I’ve looked around all of the “affordable” stores here in town (jc penny, Kohl’s, Elder Beerman, K Mart, etc). I’ve been saving some money for a while, so I asked the attendants what they have for $50, +/- $20.
What I found at jc penny was a ring with large pink cubic zirconia on it. $74.
At Kohl’s there is a sale that ends tonight, and I found a ring that has three small diamonds in it for $89.
With some extra work I can subsidize the extra $15, but I want to know the opinion of the Dope. Is it worth it?
I would probably prefer the big fake pink thing, but I’m also not your girlfriend. Do you really think it is something she’d care about? If so, get the diamonds.
That said, have you looked at gem stones? You can buy a nice ring with some lab created gemstones for not all that much money- from a real jewelery store at that.
If she’s your average woman and not particularly educated on how worthless diamonds are, I’d get her the diamond ring and impress her properly. However, I think 14K solid gold earrings are far more practical as a gift, and plenty of those are available on Amazon.com at good prices. If you get her a diamond ring (or even cubic zirconia) I’d be WAY concerned about her reading “far too much” into it.
I won’t wear diamonds for social/political reasons, but I would side with getting something ‘real’. DiosaBellissima is right, you can get a decent gemstone for about that much money if you look. Or something that is just gold, like a pretty necklace or earrings. Have you looked at JC Penney’s website? They have a variety of deeply-discounted items there. It’s hard to suggest anything without knowing your girlfriend’s taste.
Are you in high school? If your parents have a membership to a local wholesale club (Sam’s, Costco, or BJs), they also have some inexpensive fine jewelry.
I wouldn’t bother with tiny diamonds, or big man-made crystals. I’d go with a semi-precious stone, some of those have fantastic colors, deep clear and bright. At least then you can say it’s a garnet, or amethyst, or pearl, something that is both natural and pretty, instead of something created to be a cheap copy of a real stone.
Agreed. Alexandrite is a pink gemstone that at least sounds cooler than “cubic zirconia”, and it’s cheap. If you go into a real jewelry store, you’ll find oodles of stuff in the “birthstones” section.
If you want to score big points, get her a “November” birthstone. (Topaz or Citrine). Any jewelry store should have lots of selection.
Here’s a quick link. This is a tiny selection. Don’t worry, once you get in there, you’ll have more selection around the price of the one in the bottom right corner.
Well, I’m not sure how to put this politely, but I didn’t know you could spend so much on fake jewelry. I certainly don’t think I’d spend $70 for a CZ.
How about these nice JC Penny rings for $20 instead?
Just to point out something here… the “cheap copy of a real stone” only exists because the artificially inflated price of optical quality diamond prevents dependable industrial application. The sale of artificial diamond gemstones is a means to subsidize research into the production of an industrial raw material… mainly because they’re useless for anything other than abrasives due to discoloration and crystal defects… which ironically can make them more valuable as gemstones.
As a side effect of this business with selling off the failures as jewelry, it’s been discovered that diamond has qualities similar to silicon… though so far they’ve been difficult to control and exploit. And the production of diamond materials with interesting electrical properties has emerged, and all their waste products are also making it into the gem stream.
BUT, I’d rather have a bit of industrial waste that finances materials science research than the alternative “real” diamonds and all the rape of the earth and African genocide that comes along with it. Some “fake” diamonds also glow in the dark… which is way cool.
BUT, yeah. You should get her whichever you think she’d like more or more closely fits her personality. I’d wager you could get her something considerably more interesting to look at than a rock on a metal hoop and for less money.
I agree with the others who say “get her what she wants.”
That said, I’d go for the cubic zirconia, or another semi-precious gemstone. And I’m no jewelry cheapskate! Mr. Athena likes buying jewelry (yes, he IS a great guy) and as a result I’ve got a fair bit of nice, expensive stuff (pearls, lots of high-carat gold, sapphires, etc. They look good when I parade around town in my carhartts and swampers.)
That said, I don’t think I own even one diamond. Even my engagement ring is a sapphire. Like others have said, diamonds are a nasty business, and their worth is very much the result of a good marketing campaign, not actual rarity. The only diamondy thing I ever wanted was a pair of diamond-looking stud earrings, and I went and bought some nice quality cubic zirconias for $50. A comparable set of good quality diamond earrings could easily cost $10K (they’re BIG cubic zirconias.)
Of course, an engagement ring should have real diamonds. Other than that, I personally prefer c.z. They are just as beautiful and no one (presumably) died in the process. Plus I can afford beautiful c.z. jewelry that I wouldn’t want to spend on a real diamond. I also have a penchant for, um, misplacing things. And with c.z. I don’t have to worry about putting my jewelry in a safe.
The key is that I get the stone(s) mounted in 14k gold (white or yellow) or sterling silver. I wouldn’t recommend gold plated jewelry.
I won’t buy diamonds for the social-politico-cuckhold DeBeers has on everyone.
except the engagement ring. That was before Al Gore invented the internet and we were still Pre-Google and jumping between the rings of Dante’s Circle.
CZ all the way.
But, enough about me, get her what she wants. Or just be like Mr. Ujest. Get her a Hockey stick, wrap it up, give it to me and then use it that night for a game. *Lurve, exciting and new! come aboard! Were expecting you![/size]
I do believe it’s not “good luck” to give a girl a diamond before giving an engagement ring. My favorite piece of jewelry that my husband bought me is a $20 necklace from Hecht’s (now Macy’s) with a blue stone (feels like plastic). I have worn it every day for about 5 years now.
So, look into her style, and get her something she would like. Don’t feel that you have to go for diamonds for the sake of buying her diamonds.
I think you have to consider just how serious this relationship is and what message you want to convey with your gift. Dating for two years? Well…okay, are you engaged? Have you and she been talking about commitment, marriage perhaps? If it’s been simply “dating,” you should be careful about the impression you make. Without knowing more, I’d say go with her birth stone – a pendant on a 14K gold chain – not a ring. (A ring seems more “serious.”) Whether a CZ or a diamond, it may convey a message that you may not intend. A pair of 14K (or 18K) gold earrings (posts or small hoops) is always safe.
Thanks for the advice everyone. I was going to go for the diamond because they had it marked down by about 300%, but then I decided that it does indeed seem too much like an engagement ring. I think i’ll get her the birthstone (which also is her favorite color). Now, my only problem is that the only metal she’s not allergic to is white gold, and NOBODY here sells white gold with citrine. Time to start the scavenger hunt, I guess. Thanks for the advice!
I’m glad you decided against the diamond. I don’t like the way the DeBeers cartel operates in the diamond industry, and besides that I agree that it could easily give her the wrong idea about marriage plans.
I’m not an expert on jewelery, but I do know that retail jewelery is generally really highly marked up, even when they have “sales”. So, personally, I would suggest that you look into buying jewelery secondhand instead. Check the jewelery ads on Craig’s List, or maybe check some pawn shops.