# Questions concerning expensive lumps of carbon **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 6, 2006, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264 "2006-02-06T18:07:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Mollie\_Magill](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mollie_magill/32/20882_2.png) [@Mollie\_Magill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mollie_Magill)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/41 "2006-02-10T18:47:54Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > Tips for buying diamonds - don’t go to a mall or a “wedding jeweler” Find a guy who is selling jewelry out of an office building somewhere - a family business. The stones are better quality and its a lot cheaper (less overhead). Visit several of these guys (and let them know you are shopping around). They will help you pick a good stone for a reasonable amount of money, and their business is in seeing you back for the fifth anniversary. I have to second this. DO NOT go to a mall jewelry store. Go to a proper jeweler who will show you the stone unmounted. Look at a lot of stones. Know your options. Look for a stone that is pretty, not a stone that is large. A .5 carat stone that is ideally cut will be much prettier and look much nicer than a poorly cut 2 carat stone. For me, a matter of taste is to avoid the bling. A simple well cut solitaire on an otherwise unadorned hand will always look nicer and more classy than a shitload of rocks the size of dimes. ---
**Author:** ![Millit\_the\_Frail](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/51bf81/32.png) [@Millit\_the\_Frail](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Millit_the_Frail)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/42 "2006-02-10T19:31:28Z")
> [@](#): > > My recommendation is to get a clear diamond over the other things. You can’t really see inclusions with the naked eye but you can see color. Agreed. My ring is E (I think) and SI, and it looks awesome. My husband spent more than necessary on it, but I didn’t want to break his heart and tell him to exchange it for something smaller. He had done a great job surprising me with something I really did like. Now, I loved being surprised, and I think it can be done well. Without further ado, Millit’s guide for any guy who wants to pull off a pleasant surprise! –Open the conversation one day, preferably long before the Big Question Day. Just do it! Couch it in something casual, but don’t be too sneaky-sounding. My husband said to me one day, “Someday, if I were looking for jewelry for you…which is a pretty real possiblity, considering what our future looks like, um…what do you like?” I was happy to talk. Then, get the answers to these essential questions: –White gold, platinum or yellow gold? –Diamond, or any other stones you like? –Solitaire–yes or no? –Traditional or modern? –Simple or bling-bling? –Anything you absolutely hate? (i.e. In my case, anything with baguette diamonds.) –Those questions give you a LOT to work with, and she’ll probably give you more than that. Take the answers to the jewelry store and only deal with someone who will take all of your wife-to-be’s answers into consideration and show you a few different styles. Pick one that you feel looks like “her,” and you can’t have done a better job. –Surprise! Give her the ring. Let her know that you’re willing to find something else if she isn’t fond of it, but she’ll probably be delighted. Congrats, and good luck! ---
**Author:** ![tiltypig](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dbc845/32.png) [@tiltypig](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tiltypig)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/43 "2006-02-10T19:47:47Z")
I just wanted to offer up these options: [Green Karat](http://www.greenkarat.com/) specializes in ethical/ecologically responsible jewelry. They have some very lovely settings shown on their site. You might also look into [lab diamonds](http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.html). From what I’ve heard, they are much cheaper and chemically identical to real ones. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/44 "2006-02-10T20:04:54Z")
Also, Canadian diamonds are available - no blood on anyone’s hands, not attached to the DeBeers cartel. ---
**Author:** ![GingerOfTheNorth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/cdc98d/32.png) [@GingerOfTheNorth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GingerOfTheNorth)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/45 "2006-02-10T20:20:53Z")
> [@YaWanna](#): > > Also, Canadian diamonds are available - no blood on anyone’s hands, not attached to the DeBeers cartel. Yes, I mentioned that up there ^. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/46 "2006-02-10T20:34:38Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > Yes, I mentioned that up there ^. 😃 Whoopsie - well, another endorsement from down south can’t hurt, eh? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/47 "2006-02-10T20:45:49Z")
> [@tiltypig](#): > > I just wanted to offer up these options: > > [Green Karat](http://www.greenkarat.com/) specializes in ethical/ecologically responsible jewelry. They have some very lovely settings shown on their site. > > You might also look into [lab diamonds](http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/11.09/diamond.html). From what I’ve heard, they are much cheaper and chemically identical to real ones. [Gemesis](http://www.gemesis.com/gallery.htm#) makes yellow or ‘canary’ diamonds, which are popular in some circles. [Chatham](http://www.chatham.com/diamondintro.html) makes pink and blue ones. [Apollo](http://www.apollodiamond.com/) will be selling white ones sometime this year. And there’s also [Lifegem](http://www.lifegem.com), if you have any, ah, unused carbon lying around. 😉 :eek: 😛 I’ve seen one of the Gemesis ones, and while I personally don’t care for yellow diamonds, it was still spectacular. ---
**Author:** ![jaderabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@jaderabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jaderabbit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/48 "2006-02-10T21:04:38Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > [ > And there’s also [Lifegem](http://www.lifegem.com), if you have any, ah, unused carbon lying around. 😉 :eek: 😛 I thought Lifegem was a joke until one of my co-workers looked at their offices and said, “Wow, these areas all correspond to Mob power bases.” Didn’t dare ask her how she knew. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2006, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264/49 "2006-02-10T22:31:09Z")
> [@GingerOfTheNorth](#): > > Yes, I mentioned that up there ^. 😃 I’m so glad to see that I’m not the only one that this happens to! **THespos** , my husband and I designed my engagement ring together, and it is almost exactly what I wanted (they got one detail a little wrong, but I plan on having it fixed when we add more diamonds for our tenth wedding anniversary.:D) I agree with everyone who said don’t surprise her with the finished product - she’s the one who will be wearing and looking at the ring every day for (hopefully) the rest of her life. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-concerning-expensive-lumps-of-carbon/343264.md?page=2)