How much did you spend on a engagement ring?

[Sugarphreak]

....

[Asian_defender]

I don't know why people haven't mentioned moissanite.
Seems to be a good alternative for people that don't want to fall victim to the De beers cartel

[Mitsu3000gt]

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This is also why it's probably better to purchase something you think you'll keep for the long run instead of "buy now, upgrade later" mentality.

But the "by now, upgrade later" mentality works at the start, and then later on in life when your wife no longer wants an expensive ring for the singular purpose of telling her friends how much it cost, you might be off the hook for the upgrade haha.

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I don't know why people haven't mentioned moissanite.
Seems to be a good alternative for people that don't want to fall victim to the De beers cartel

That's another good one - I was trying to think of it earlier but I forgot the name, thanks. I would bet 99% of people wouldn't be able to tell moissanite from a diamond. It's also extremely durable, doesn't yellow over time like a CZ, conflict free (for those who care) and resists dirt/oil well. They sparkle even more, which probably looks even more impressive to other ladies in the diamond-brag sessions. If you couldn't tell the difference between that and a diamond reliably in a blind test, might as well pay 1/10 the price.

[sabad66]

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The used diamond market is designed to be terrible so that it doesn't affect the demand/supply balance of the new market, which can get away with controlling market prices.

It's crazy how cheap diamonds/rings are on the used market. It's kinda surprising that people don't check used first before buying new (including myself). I wonder if it's simply because people don't trust the used market (i.e. fakes)?

Someone really needs to disrupt the diamond industry. Maybe some sort of consignment service where you send a company your diamond/ring, they assess it and confirm it's real, take pictures and list it, hold on to it while it's listed, ship directly to buyer, then take 20% and give the rest to the owner? Great new business idea if anyone wants to steal this idea :P

[Mitsu3000gt]

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It's crazy how cheap diamonds/rings are on the used market. It's kinda surprising that people don't check used first before buying new (including myself). I wonder if it's simply because people don't trust the used market (i.e. fakes)?

Someone really needs to disrupt the diamond industry. Maybe some sort of consignment service where you send a company your diamond/ring, they assess it and confirm it's real, take pictures and list it, hold on to it while it's listed, ship directly to buyer, then take 20% and give the rest to the owner? Great new business idea if anyone wants to steal this idea :P

You don't need to trust the used market, you would just get an independent appraisal and/or matching of the the laser etched serial number to the certification sheet from the GIA or whatever. Looking used is a good idea though, and then you can always change the setting to make it unique.

I hope the lab diamonds start to disrupt the industry more. They are getting cheaper and cheaper, which is a sign that people are buying them in greater numbers. Also the fact that it's literally a real diamond that simply costs less helps.

[sabad66]

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You don't need to trust the used market, you would just get an independent appraisal and/or matching of the the laser etched serial number to the certification sheet from the GIA or whatever. Looking used is a good idea though, and then you can always change the setting to make it unique.

Sure you could do that, but if you've narrowed it down to say 3 you're interested in, now you have to pay for 3 separate independent appraisals and coordinating with all 3 sellers to find a time/location to get it appraised. Overall a huge PITA for both the buyer and the seller.

With a centralized service it would be a lot easier as a buyer to just browse listings and know they are all legit. And easier for the seller too - just mail it in, have them list it, then wait til it sells (you could adjust price).

[JRSC00LUDE]

Someone wants to get married to me again they can buy ME an engagement watch ($7-10K) and give me a $300K security deposit. If you can't afford that, I can't afford you!

[BerserkerCatSplat]

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I don't know why people haven't mentioned moissanite.
Seems to be a good alternative for people that don't want to fall victim to the De beers cartel

Moissanites are awesome. No ethical concerns, second-hardest stone (behind diamond) so it's not going to scratch, looks amazing and sparkles more than diamond. There's still a range of quality and price, but even the current upper-end ones (C&C Forever One) are like a tenth the price of a comparable diamond. The wife has one in her setting and absolutely loves it - diamonds were a non-starter for us.

[Misterman]

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It's crazy how cheap diamonds/rings are on the used market. It's kinda surprising that people don't check used first before buying new (including myself). I wonder if it's simply because people don't trust the used market (i.e. fakes)?

Someone really needs to disrupt the diamond industry. Maybe some sort of consignment service where you send a company your diamond/ring, they assess it and confirm it's real, take pictures and list it, hold on to it while it's listed, ship directly to buyer, then take 20% and give the rest to the owner? Great new business idea if anyone wants to steal this idea :P

It's purely because bitches be crazy. 90% of women would flip their wig if they found out you bought them some used diamond with bad luck associated with it from someone elses failed marriage.

[you&me]

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Someone wants to get married to me again they can buy ME an engagement watch ($7-10K) and give me a $300K security deposit. If you can't afford that, I can't afford you!

That's actually the deal I have (well, not the security deposit)... The amount spent on a ring is equal to what I can spend on watches... I'm pretty happy with that.

[JRSC00LUDE]

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That's actually the deal I have (well, not the security deposit)... The amount spent on a ring is equal to what I can spend on watches... I'm pretty happy with that.

Yes but that's still YOU spending, get off your lady wallet woman this is equality!

[rage2]

Hilariously enough, lab diamonds are dropping in price because of DeBeers. They’re producing their own and tanking the price so that there’s a higher perceived value in mined diamonds, even though it’s the same thing. They’re marketing it as a cheap alternative not suitable for something as important as marriage.

edit - here’s the article I found a while back talking about the strategy. Goal is to drive prices down closer to $300 a carat production costs to kill the margins and future investment on lab grown.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-d...-idUSKCN1OK0MQ

[ExtraSlow]

That's genius. They both artificially restrict the supply of mined diamonds AND flood the market of lab grown diamonds?

debeers, distorting the market since 1888!

[beecue]

Daaaaamn, used Spence a couple of months ago. Oh well, she likes it.

[CompletelyNumb]

Debeers, the real OG.

I was over $20k all in once the wedding bands were added I think... it's been a few years now. 1.5ct, perfect cut, good color and clarity. It's bigger and brighter than all her friends' is all I know.

[JustinL]

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Is lab grown beef real cow?

Interesting example. Does knowing that your steak walked the earth give you more enjoyment from it? If the steak was nearly indistinguishable except for a serial number, but tastier, healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly, I'd go for the synthetic every time.

[killramos]

I’d go with my walk the earth cow every time just to lord it over the synthetic cow untermensch

[mr2mike]

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Buy 0.9ct and tell people (including wife) its 1.0ct

You've probably been telling her it's 12" for years so why not bump this up too?

[ExtraSlow]

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You've probably been telling her it's 12" for years so why not bump this up too?

You mean yours didn't bust out the tape measure on your second date?

[mr2mike]

Just sent her pics with a banana for scale