"I'm over Diamonds... I'm on to Sapphires"

[Bancsy]

This is what a coworker just called me over to tell me. She is over diamonds and she is on to sapphires due to this article below.

https://www.ranker.com/list/why-you-shouldnt-buy-a-diamond/rhune-kincaid?ref=dshare&source=emshare

For the record, the article has had exactly zero impact on my love of diamonds. But I'm wondering if others have seen/discussed such articles. Coworker seems to think I will now justify my love to her...

 

[bludiva]

lol @ "put a thimble on it"

i agree with a lot of this but have come to really appreciate the craft of cutting the stones and what that can do for the appearance of diamonds and other gems. i love seeing more colored stone engagement rings popping up and wish people felt free to not have one at all. i know people who bought or received one out of tradition, peer pressure, expectations of others and never wear it which just seems like a waste. if you think about it we're kind of like magpies tying shiny rocks on our fingers, it's silly when you zoom out far enough.

 

[HDer]

To be honest, I didn't want a diamond, but my SO wanted one.

I think it's great that some people don't want diamonds. They're luxury products, and if the prices come down, then that's probably a good thing for the rest of us.

 

[partgypsy]

Neither diamonds nor sapphires are necessary, or necessarily kind to the environment. Gemstones (Burma) have been involved in conflicts as well as child labor, so changing to sapphires doesn't affect those things. You can avoid the cost by either buying smaller stones and/or second hand. I think the tradition of diamonds in engagement ring goes back father than the 1950's, as I believe my great grandmother had a diamond ring for her engagement ring (1920's) eta I looked it up and the first diamond engagement ring was in 1477 (Archduke Maximillian of Austria). I agree that the prices of diamonds are due to artificial scarcity.
The use of diamonds in engagement rings is not arbitrary; they can be worn for a lifetime and retain their beauty, and even passed down to later generations.
I'm glad there are both gemstones and diamonds, they are beautiful in different ways.

 

[MissGotRocks]

Who knows why the heart and head want what they want? I don't think any of that article is news to many of us. Most of what we buy - outside of having some sort of roof over your head, clothing and food is unnecessary. We don't need fancy houses and cars or gourmet restaurants but we enjoy some of those things too. We choose and pay for our pleasures!

 

[whitewave]

Dude doesn’t want to buy gf a diamond lol.

 

[AprilBaby]

Argue away, I still love my diamonds.

 

[Texas Leaguer]

This is what a coworker just called me over to tell me. She is over diamonds and she is on to sapphires due to this article below.

https://www.ranker.com/list/why-you-shouldnt-buy-a-diamond/rhune-kincaid?ref=dshare&source=emshare

For the record, the article has had exactly zero impact on my love of diamonds. But I'm wondering if others have seen/discussed such articles. Coworker seems to think I will now justify my love to her...

Not that I don't think sapphires are wonderful. I do. But it is always a shame when someone formulates an opinion on the basis of outdated, misleading, and just plain inaccurate information.

Mined diamonds ARE rare and getting rarer. Diamond mines are becoming depleted and new discoveries are not keeping pace. Conflict diamonds represent a fraction of 1% of total diamond production. Debeers has no monopoly- there is healthy global competition through the supply chain from the mining sector to the retailer. E-commerce has shrunk margins to a level that astute consumers are getting excellent value. Few consumer purchases deliver the stored value that a high quality certified diamond can provide.

Human beings have always been enamored by beautiful natural objects, and diamonds are no exception. The fact that diamonds have been marketed successfully is not a reason to demonize them, any more than it makes sense to demonize Apple, Starbucks or other successful businesses or products.

 

[whitewave]

Yes, diamonds make me so happy, joyful.

I hate shopping, clothes, stuff, Knick knacks, etc. I don’t care for things.

But, gems and diamonds? I adore them and they make me so happy.

It also makes me happy to know that down the line, people who have never met me will inherit my pieces and think, “I don’t know who this whitewave was, but she was clearly super cool and an amazing woman.”

No one will inherit my IBM system 36 lol or my iPhone 7 Plus.

 

[Gussie]

Guess I am a big ole sucker!!!

 

[WinkHPD]

My friend Bryan from WhiteFlash has beaten me to the punch with some of his excellent comments.

As for this comment in the article: "To quote our hero Edward J. Epstein". Our poor prognosticator Edward J. Epstein Published "The Rise and Fall of Diamonds" back in 1982 and they have done a heck of a lot more rising than falling in the time since he published his prejudicial book. During that time DeBeers has lost much of its control over the market as a percentage share, but is still a LARGE part of that market.

It seems to be fashionable for "young firebrands" to point to the "great unwashed and their love of sparkly things", yet those of us who treasure and adore sparkly things just keep on enjoying them because of the TRUTH that they make us happy.

Young firebrands seem to come and go, while the joy of sparkly things just seems to keep on growing as a wonderful means of commemorating life's milestones. I am so blessed to be in the business of helping people commemorate those milestones, it has been one of the great joys of my life.

Wink

 

[Yimmers]

How is anything in that article anything new? If the person doesn't want to buy the SO a diamond, so be it. Just be prepared to never hear the end of it if SO WANTS a diamond, heh heh.

Cars also depreciate once they are driven off the lot. Yes, some become total classics or collector's items, but to tell me that they're somehow a better status symbol than a diamond...not sure I buy THAT.

 

[LLJsmom]

The only thing I need to say to justify MY purchase of MY diamonds and MY jewelry with MY money is because I WANT TO. I don’t think you owe anyone an explanation.

 

[Austina]

^^^^^^^ What she said!

 

[JPie]

Tell your coworker she can send her diamonds to me.

 

[msop04]

Tell your coworker she can send her diamonds to me.

This... only to me. LOL

 

[stracci2000]

This article was so negative!
Many of the points brought up by the author can be said for any luxury item.
Apparently, this guy's fiance is getting a toaster to celebrate their engagement!

 

[whitewave]

I should email him and ask him if he is still single lol

 

[TreeScientist]

How is anything in that article anything new? If the person doesn't want to buy the SO a diamond, so be it. Just be prepared to never hear the end of it if SO WANTS a diamond, heh heh.

Cars also depreciate once they are driven off the lot. Yes, some become total classics or collector's items, but to tell me that they're somehow a better status symbol than a diamond...not sure I buy THAT.

The percentage of cars that become collectors items is so small, well, I don't even think it's possible to calculate. Especially with modern production systems where you have hundreds of thousands of each model being produced every year. Unless it's something like a Koenigsegg, which are produced in extremely limited quantities (usually 100 or less) chances are it will never become a collectors item or appreciate in value whatsoever. Basically, if your care is destined to become a collectors item, you'll know it as soon as you purchase it. And in this case, you probably would be storing it in a climate-controlled garage like Jay Leno. Daily drivers are never collectors items.

Men who think their BMWs and Porsches are somehow collectors items and talk about them as such always make me chuckle.

"But this one is different. It's the SE/Turbo/Super/blah blah blah model."

Uh huh. Yeah. Tell that to the tens of thousands of other owners of literally the exact same car who will be trying to sell it 5-10 years down the road for 10-20% of the original purchase price.

And personally, I think a car is a terrible waste of money if you're trying to use it as a status symbol. A car is a status symbol that people may see you in, what, 5% of the time? If I were going to spend my money on something purely to get the approval of others, then I would buy a watch (for men) or jewelry (for women). At least people will always see you with it since, after all, it's attached to your body.

Sorry for the rant. I just really cannot wrap my head around the whole "luxury cars are somehow different from other luxury items" mentality. If you want a luxury car because it makes you happy and you have the liquid funds to buy one, then great. But admit that a luxury car is a luxury item, and don't judge other people for the luxury items that they choose to purchase.

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

I didn't read more than a few lines.....cuz it was uninteresting and uninformed. Old whine in old bottles.

cheers--Sharon

 

[srke]

If he's bothered by the depreciation in value of diamonds, I wonder what the resale potential of an engagement thimble is?

 

[partgypsy]

One of his reasons is diamonds are "earth cheese". What do you think, is he going to give his girlfriend a car or autographed underwear of a **** star for their engagement?

 

[canuk-gal]

At the risk of sounding like Jane Austin, via this thread that article is getting "undue distinction".

 

[bludiva]

If he's bothered by the depreciation in value of diamonds, I wonder what the resale potential of an engagement thimble is?

i would really like to meet someone rocking an engagement thimble i can totally understand someone wanting a goth'd out black spinel or their favorite color gemstone or a birthstone over a diamond but i think people who want an alternative to the traditional diamond engagement ring often still want some kind of ring.

 

[MissGotRocks]

One of his reasons is diamonds are "earth cheese". What do you think, is he going to give his girlfriend a car or autographed underwear of a **** star for their engagement?

That is one of my number one reason for loving them - they were created by natural process and there is something so appealing to me about this. I don't want a recreation of the process manufactured in a steel tube!

 

[AnastasiaBeaverhausen]

*shrug* I'm a greedy monkey, so whenever there's an issue of either/or, my response is usually "Why not both?"

 

[partgypsy]

 

[dk168]

Got bored after reading a few lines.
DK

 

[yssie]

At the risk of sounding like Jane Austin, via this thread that article is getting "undue distinction".

One can never go wrong sounding like Jane Austen

 

[canuk-gal]

One can never go wrong sounding like Jane Austen

Thanks for spelling her name correctly! I saw my typo but it was too late to edit....doh