Have people made assumptions about your wealth due to your jewelry?

[Eeveepenny]

If anyone’s made assumptions about me based on my jewelry they’ve done so silently. That said, I don’t wear especially big diamonds or branded pieces. In general I don’t think many people think about or even really notice other people’s jewelry the way we do.

As for the MMD side convo — I think someone who is going to make assumptions will sooner assume a large MMD is fake than that large diamonds have become affordable.

A MMD isn’t fake though..
also, in regards to what I was saying. I didn’t say that natural diamonds would become affordable I said diamonds in general will become affordable as people have the option to buy lab diamonds for a lot less if they choose to

 

[123ducklings]

A MMD isn’t fake though..
also, in regards to what I was saying. I didn’t say that natural diamonds would become affordable I said diamonds in general will become affordable as people have the option to buy lab diamonds for a lot less if they choose to

I understood your comments. What I’m saying is that diamonds — mined or lab — and many simulants appear the same to the casual observer looking at another person at a conversational distance. Someone who knows how much a well-cut, high color 2ct mined diamond costs and sees a stone of that size and appearance on the hand of say a young suburban college student working a retail job might think “that diamond doesn’t seem to match its wearer, it is likely fake” regardless of whether the stone is mined, lab, CZ, or otherwise.

This thread is about what people assume. Sure, lab diamonds are real. But as you say who would know it’s a lab diamond unless you told them?

 

[Eeveepenny]

I understood your comments. What I’m saying is that diamonds — mined or lab — and many simulants appear the same to the casual observer looking at another person at a conversational distance. Someone who knows how much a well-cut, high color 2ct mined diamond costs and sees a stone of that size and appearance on the hand of say a young suburban college student working a retail job might think “that diamond doesn’t seem to match its wearer, it is likely fake” regardless of whether the stone is mined, lab, CZ, or otherwise.

This thread is about what people assume. Sure, lab diamonds are real. But as you say who would know it’s a lab diamond unless you told them?

Yes 100% agree with you

 

[LilAlex]

Isn't that the whole point of wearing big diamonds?

OTOH, you could wear a six-figure Kashmir sapphire or unheated Mogok ruby (minus the side diamonds) -- or even a tiny fancy vivid diamond -- and no one would suspect a thing.

 

[dk168]

I have only received comments recently after I revealed I bought a new car as well as having a new panel van custom converted into a RV.

I had to explain I tapped into my pensions to fund these, and was able to do so this year when I reached a certain age.

Friends and family know I am 'comfortable', as I am a healthcare professional and have been in gainful employment all my life except for very brief periods of a few months.

No one knows exactly how much I am earning and what I have saved etc...

I don't have a flashy lifestyle and have never bragged about my jewellery. I seldom wear my nicer pieces due to lack of opportunities to do so.

Hence PS is a relief, as I can freely talk about my bling obsession!

DK

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

I have only ever notice it when I travel to other countries and are at markets and things - people will generally try and charge you more money in the tourist trade according to your outfit/bag/shoes/jewellery.
I noticed it when I was younger as I had a much nicer ring then any of my friends could afford - so assumptions were made.
Still now in my industry people see you as a *struggling artist* and are surprised by my wardrobe and jewellery.
Assumptions will always be made though so you can’t worry about what other people think.

 

[Beautiful-disaster]

Oh I have noticed I get good service in jewellery stores after they notice my ER. Which is never a bad thing.

 

[Austina]

I had someone grab my hand to look at Bella and make a comment along the lines of “what did I have to do to get that”! I told her, “put up with him for 40 years”

 

[Dancing Fire]

I think some of you are super rich

Yup, A lot of rich old white ladies on PS...

 

[Dancing Fire]

I don't have a flashy lifestyle and have never bragged about my jewellery. I seldom wear my nicer pieces due to lack of opportunities to do so.

DK

I'd but nobody cares...

 

[Daisys and Diamonds]

Ive always found it rude to talk about money
but when i wore my inherited rings to work on my day off my workmate asked if my family was well off
We had a pretty nice middle class 1980s existence before my dad died

Ive never had a very well paying job so its all been down hill for me

 

[1ofakind]

Isn't that the whole point of wearing big diamonds?

OTOH, you could wear a six-figure Kashmir sapphire or unheated Mogok ruby (minus the side diamonds) -- or even a tiny fancy vivid diamond -- and no one would suspect a thing.

Speaking of assumptions...that is a big one!

I wear what I wear because I like it. I don’t give a hoot what anyone else thinks and that sentiment has been echoed by many posters on PS.
If I liked colored stones I would wear them even if people thought they were cheaper.

But I still think most people don‘t have a clue about the jewelry I wear. If they did they may still be confused...I’m rich enough to wear diamonds but I shop in thrift stores and finish my own drywall instead of hiring it out. I do take off my rings before getting into the spackle though.

 

[Big Fat Facets]

I haven't had anyone, overtly, do that. People pay nice compliments. I have had people become friendly with me because they noticed a jewelry piece or two that i was wearing. Later on, actually becoming friends...

I really enjoy wearing jewelry for myself. It's fun, especially need cheering up during these scary times. Maybe they assume i'm wealthy...or otherwise...
But what others think of me is none of my business.

 

[missy]

Has anyone ever commented that you must be rich bc you are wearing X,Y orZ? Or do most people you come across have no idea how much you have spent on your jewelry?

Some people who don't know me. Sure. Those are generally younger and naive people who are easily dazzled. I remember only two instances and in both instances they were lovely as they were drooling over my ER. My first ER.

I also found out many people have no clue how much diamonds cost. So both ends of the spectrum. Those who think we are rich and those who have no clue. The truth falls somewhere in between. As with most things.

I always go to my fall back (one of my) life philosophy. What others think of me (and my personal business including wealth etc) is none of my business. Period.


"What others think of me will never have any importance to me, unless I choose to give it that importance. It cannot hurt me unless I choose to let it hurt me. For this reason I now try to live my life by the philosophy of 'what you think of me is none of my business."

 

[missy]

i feel some pieces are automatically status symbol, i.e. cartier, hermes, etc. if i saw anyone wearing a stack of cartier, vca and hermes, etc... and big bling bling diamonds.. i would automatically assume the person is rich!

No I don't assume this at all. People drive fancy and expensive cars who are not rich. Yet there they are driving those cars. Lots of it has to do with your risk tolerance level and how OK you are with living on credit. Some must pay cash for their material goods (guilty) and some live on credit. Really cannot make assumptions without knowing the facts. Or rather you can make assumptions but you might be very wrong.

 

[monipod]

I was particularly uncomfortable because they could easily afford jewelry but simply choose to spend their money elsewhere. To each his own.

And then there's that. I am 47 and only really paid attention to diamonds in the last year. Prior to then, I had a lovely .33ct engagement ring and a pendant my mother gave me. Nothing has changed in the last year other than my interest. Same income though lol

I guess it's like some people have very flashy cars but can barely pay their rent. I imagine there are some women sporting rings that have been financed and won't be paid off for years.

 

[m-cubed]

My MIL has a few mill in the bank but she wears not a scrap of jewelry, not even a wedding ring. Her watch is a $10 one from the markets and when it stops she just buys another one. She is so frugal she goes to the Charity shops to buy stuff. She loves that they give her price reductions / extras because they assume she’s an pensioner struggling to get by on benefits.

Well, you know what they say...you don’t get rich by spending money.

 

[dk168]

@Daisys and Diamonds concur it is rude to talk about money. It makes me feel uncomfortable especially when complete strangers I meet at social gatherings ask me how much I earn immediately after asking what I do as a living. I find that VERY intrusive, and would normally move away from them pronto.

I am only working a third of my capacity at present and am "comfortable".

DK

 

[Elizabeth35]

No I don't assume this at all. People drive fancy and expensive cars who are not rich. Yet there they are driving those cars. Lots of it has to do with your risk tolerance level and how OK you are with living on credit. Some must pay cash for their material goods (guilty) and some live on credit. Really cannot make assumptions without knowing the facts. Or rather you can make assumptions but you might be very wrong.

This is very true. Luxury cars are much more likely to be leased, so that is just a 'how much per month' type thing,

I have had people compliment me on things but I have not had anyone say anything regarding money or wealth.

Wealthy people we know (mid-7 figures and up) do not have huge diamonds or logo jewelry. Some have luxury cars but some drive Nissans and Hondas.
You really cannot tell how much money anyone has by what they drive or their jewelry.

 

[KristinTech]

>>Has anyone ever commented that you must be rich bc you are wearing X,Y orZ?<<

No, never. People that know us know that I have been jewelry-obsessed since I was very young. They would sooner comment with, are you obsessed? than, “Are you rich?,” lol. They don’t care. They also know that we live a pretty modest lifestyle. I don’t know what they’re thinking, of course. But no one has ever assumed wealth over and above our social circle. Meaning, that it’s not discussed since it’s presumably a non-issue as we all seem to be in about the same outward financial situation.

>>>Or do most people you come across have no idea how much you have spent on your jewelry?<<<

They have no idea, and I know that they don’t care. Even if someone starts a conversation about a piece, their eyes glaze over by the start of my second sentence. My sister indulges me in more in-depth discussions. We have different styles, but we are both obsessed in our own ways! This is why I love you people on PS! MY PEOPLE!

With regard to the jewelry-obsessed AND the “super rich“ people on PS—God bless you and we’re happy you’re here! Seriously, though, even the PSers with the largest collections—they have posted in the past about their pieces that they don’t wear, the pieces that are at the bank/safe, living in the dark... the museum that they’re curating they only our eyes will ever really see and appreciate. I don’t know, it’s a hobby and an intense interest that goes well beyond budgets, yanno? It’s not always what you can afford, it’s what you CHOOSE to afford at some point.

I’m also obsessed with Great Lakes freighters, and when I tell friends that I have a ship-watching app and “I love ships,” they want to tell me about yachts and sailboat races I might be interested in seeing. I get sad and ask, “But do you know anything about freighters?”


People do make assumptions, but they probably verbalize those assumptions, oh, say, 5% of the time?

 

[YadaYadaYada]

Even if they did think I was "rich" wearing all my vintage diamond treasures once they saw my car that would put any assumptions to rest

I've had a couple of comments, one was in a pawn shop of all places!

 

[KristinTech]

And then there's that. I am 47 and only really paid attention to diamonds in the last year. Prior to then, I had a lovely .33ct engagement ring and a pendant my mother gave me. Nothing has changed in the last year other than my interest. Same income though lol

I guess it's like some people have very flashy cars but can barely pay their rent. I imagine there are some women sporting rings that have been financed and won't be paid off for years.

Exactly what I was trying to get at with part of my post! Welcome to the club!

 

[Skyjems]

I will be able to afford only MMD for sure, I want a no heat pigeon blood ruby of Burmese origin instead of a "real" diamond . Could you believe that I had never seen a "real" diamond in my life? Maybe I saw something around 0.5ct and wasn't' impressed...Maybe I saw them in a moll, but I wasn't shopping for them. Being "rich" is not bad at all! It is a good sign that many people can afford big and sparkly things. Nothing to be ashamed of!

You could always buy natural white sapphire or natural white zircon instead of MMD

They are a fraction of the price of even synthetic diamonds and they are natural mined from the earth gems which have been used in jewelry for thousands of years!

 

[dk168]

Can't make assumptions based on appearances - some of the wealthiest people I know dressed like tramps!

DK

 

[Big Fat Facets]

people have NO idea how much I spend on jewelry other than the vendors i purchase from and a few people that i trust. I don't think it's anyone's business how much i spend.

 

[lyra]

I'm trying to elevate my look to Old Navy sweatpants and t-shirts this year.I doubt people think any jewelry I wear is real. I don't care. As others have said, we have rich relations that don't even wear jewelry and buy everything they have at Costco. I will add one thing though, in Canada, MMD are only 20% less expensive than mined. If they were 80% less here, I'd have some.

 

[kgizo]

in Canada, MMD are only 20% less expensive than mined

That’s interesting. Is it because of limited vendors, ie no Lightbox?

 

[1ofakind]

Well, you know what they say...you don’t get rich by spending money.

THIS!! Unless one is super rich there is often a choice to be made. One can either appear to be wealthy or actually BE wealthy.
We have income peers who drive expensive cars, take expensive vacations are part of all that a 80's/90's country club life would entail (our town might be a few decades out of touch, lol). Side by side they definitely look wealthier than we do. But I go to lunch with the wife and she's fretting about where they will scrounge $300 this month for some monthly payment. And then goes on to tell how her personal interior decorator had to be involved with picking out a new door mat or throw pillow. That is her choice, no judgement....we each have priorities. We don't live like we are poor but we have always prioritized saving and are content with a less flashy lifestyle. I'd rather pick out my own doormat and save for something sparkly.

 

[lyra]

@kgizo I think so only one vendor I know of, Spence Diamonds which is overrated and expensive.

 

[partgypsy]

Both places where I lived (midwest, now in NC) at least the people I know, are not into jewelry particularly large diamond jewelry. Other than maybe a fun silver piece almost to point it's frowned upon. You know who is well off based on their house, gossip etc. Anyways lots of people who could rock big jewelry but don't. I remember chatting with this one woman on the playground who was worth millions. She had on nice but 1, maybe 1.5 ctw max diamond studs in.
The only time I'd see decent jewelry is there used to be a dance festival in our town, and going to a concert you would see older ladies with beautiful often artistic looking pieces.
I knew another woman through work who had very high achieving jobs including being a vp (also has a trust fund). Conservative east coast family. I remember I was wearing one of my gemstone rings and she saw it, complimented it and said something like, "I couldn't spend that much money on myself for jewelry."

I know nothing about name brands so I am oblivious about those cues. I wear no "labels". The only time I think people treat me differently if I happen to go to a store right after work and I'm a little more dressed up, wearing nice slacks, maybe a piece or two of jewelry. Then the sale staff are very friendly. anyways I'd rather look poor and be rich, than the other way around if you kwim