why do people wear sims? are they trying to impress their friends?

[Dancing Fire]

because they certainly aren''t fooling themselves.

 

[winyan]

Them's fightin' words, Vtigger!!

How about simply because sims sparkle makes them happy? Some folk (like me right now, with both of us downsized) have other ways of spending money, (like on the mortgage) but still feel they are in need of a small treat. Sims fill that need.

win

 

[Lynn B]

Personally, I think there will always be a market for costume jewelry. Not everyone (honestly) wants or can afford a real diamond.

I have a lovely (14K) CZ ring that I bought specifically to wear when I travel. It sparkles and looks pretty, and if I lose it it's no big deal. I'm even thinking of getting another one... to have one in yellow gold, one in white. They're fun.

Just my 2 cents.

Lynn

 

[niceice]

Quite a few of our clients who have dropped some serious $$$ on their primary pieces have had us make reproductions of those pieces using simulant stones to be worn when they travel abroad... And other people will pick up a pair of cubic zirconia earrings just for fun because they want to add to their collection "now" but don't have the money to invest in real diamonds after dropping a load on their engagement ring... They serve a need, we don't see the problem.

 

[Dancing Fire]

And do they tell the truth if ask by others (are they real ?)

 

[Amethyste]

I Sure love my wedding set!!!! Doesn't it look real? I couldn't go fake!
You love it? I sure do!

 

[Amethyste]

Here's another one!

Why am I posting this? Because this is a moissanite, and to buy this in real diamond, I would have to pay about 50K. I paid less than 2,500 for the whole set. I know its not diamonds, but it's not CZs either. Moissanites are unique in their own class...

 

[Jennifer5973]

I agree with NiceIce --they serve a purpose. Personally, even when I couldn't afford real diamonds, i didn't cover myself with CZs...I had one or two pieces (like the bezel pendant I just got with a real diammond)....I also have a replica wedding band for travel... If I was asked, I told people they were sims. if someone just said "that is a nice necklace" I just said "thanks"

I also know a lot of women who have realistic studs...maybe .75 to 1 ct in each ear, believable...for many women, the 2 ct tw stud set is what they want but $8,000+ is jst way out of budget...so the CZs are a believeable & affordable alternative. I have never been into studs (although Pscope is changing that slowly...all the martini studs have me very interested...)

Sometimes I wonder about the people who load up on these giant 5 ct diamonoids from the home shopping channels...and they come in pink, yellow, you name it. That type of stuff--I don't know why anyone wears unless it's Halloween and you're going as Liberace.

 

[Mara]

Everyone has their own reasons, I would not wear a CZ ring. I love size just as much as the next size-obsessed gal but I'm not into fake things. Just like I wouldn't sport a fake LV bag or fake Fendi. However, pendant or earrings, those are more FUN and I would wear something like that if I couldn't get the real thing, but I would keep it tasteful. I had a Signity Star 1c pendant I wore before I had my Regent. But even though my Regent is .38c..as soon as I got it...now I only wear that and have relegated the SS to the jewelry box forever. I'd rather wear a small real diamond than a large fake one. But that is just me.

Sacrilege I know..for those who know me as SIZE GIRL.




Some people love CZ's, or love the other similar looking styles. Chances are 90% of the people out there can't tell the difference. But being a DIAMOND nut...I want the real bling bling!

 

[Dancing Fire]

----------------
On 6/17/2004 10:12:55 PM Amethyste wrote:

Here's another one!

Why am I posting this? Because this is a moissanite, and to buy this in real diamond, I would have to pay about 50K. I paid less than 2,500 for the whole set. I know its not diamonds, but it's not CZs either. Moissanites are unique in their own class...----------------

Amethyste
Nothing personal,but for $2500 bucks i much rather buy a nice ideal cut .65 ct diamond,i guess thats what makes the world go round everybody is different.

 

[Amethyste]

I don't want diamonds. THat's why I have moissanites.
I rather have a nice size moissanite than a small over priced diamond spec.
Yeah you are right... Everyone is different.

 

[Patty]

I have little sim stud earrings that I had Wink make for me. They are 4mm each...comparable to a .25 carat diamond each. I don't think anyone can tell the difference between these and the real thing. It's funny, though, at first I had Wink send me the .50 carat each size and I didn't like them...They were too much like others that I had and I thought that smaller ones would look more believable. I like them and always tell people they are fakes if they comment on them.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Patty, you just gave me a good idea...before I start dropping stud hints for Christmas, I think I'll get a pair of good sim studs to see if I like them and would wear them very often...

 

[aljdewey]

vtigger, I'm noticing a recurrent theme in your posts......it seems as though you are very focused on what other people think or the value judgments people make based on material things.




I usually only notice this tendency in people who are insecure and unnecessarily bent on influencing what others think of them through a display of material things.




Do you find that too?

 

[squirerad]

----------------
On 6/17/2004 10:12:55 PM Amethyste wrote:

Here's another one!

Moissanites are unique in their own class...----------------

Hey, if I were to be female, I would definitely go for a Moissanite in a nice platinum setting. Never seen one in real life, but have read that's Moissanites are about as durable as diamonds but display better fire and scintillation. If something is just as beautiful (or perhaps even better), then why not respect it as such?

Unfortunately, I'm a guy (perhaps as a punishment for being bad in my last life) and had to endure the months of agony, anxiety, the highs and lows, and of course the wiping-clean-of-my-bank-account in the engagement ring searching, purchasing (and repurchasings), proposing, and forever flipping the bill for the insurance experience

.

 

[Dancing Fire]

----------------
On 6/18/2004 1:06:31 AM aljdewey wrote:


vtigger, I'm noticing a recurrent theme in your posts......it seems as though you are very focused on what other people think or the value judgments people make based on material things.


I usually only notice this tendency in people who are insecure and unnecessarily bent on influencing what others think of them through a display of material things.


Do you find that too?


----------------

aljdewey,
I think people that wear fake diamonds or any other name brand items, are they trying to impress their friends and their the ones that don't have any self confidence as for me, i don't care what others think. i would never wear anything fake to impress my friends if i can't afford the real thing, thats the way life is.

 

[kevinng]

In taste, there is no dispute.

Personally, I prefer real, quality goods and I love natural materials. So I prefer real diamonds.

However, I would respect other's choice, as long as the jewellery is aesthetically pleasing.

In fact, I think it's better that people wear moissanite, rather than big, badly cut diamonds. Have you seen those? Bad diamonds are all around. One wonders what goes on in these people's minds...

I enjoy both classical music and pop.... though I prefer classical. I like both natural instuments as well as electric... though I prefer the natural ones. As Sir Menuhin once said... "In music, the most important thing is taste, taste, taste, taste and taste." As long as it sound good to you, the medium is of secondary importance. I guess this should apply for jewellery as well.

Let's not question other's intent for wearing jewellery, real or fake. Some wear them to impress others, some do it to feel good about themselves, and some wear it because they like the look of it. As long as it's a nice piece, who cares if it's real or fake?

 

[icelady]

Vtigger,

As you can see, there seem to be many reasons why people would choose to purchase fake instead of real stones. They don't all fit into your broad assumption that people who buy fake are "just trying to impress their friends". As a matter of fact, why is it that you buy real diamonds?? Could it be to impress your friends???

You also strike me as someone who would actually ask someone if their diamond is real. I had a friend who (on the rare occation that someone actually ask her) would look the person in the eye and say "of course my hand is real", never revealing that her diamond was real alright. And it was huge too. I always thought that her answer was a classy response to a very tacky question.

 

[Nicrez]

Agreed with Icelady... My friends have Honkers, and I have a decent size ring. I HAVE sims larger than theirs, but I don't wear them, and I don't need to. My sims where there to give me sparkle and color, and depending WHEN I wear them, they have their uses...




When I was single and going out danciing in NYC, I WOULD NEVER wear real diamonds, I would don on my sparkly drop earrings or something fun, and should I LOSE one, I don't get a heart attack! Also, when I travel, I plan on having a replica of my diamond eternity wedding band (when I get it), so I have the same comfort.




Why do people buy gemstones instead of diamonds? Why do people buy white opals and other "lower cost" stones? Taste and use. Sims have their use, and people have a taste for a decent size sparkle for under the price of a mortgage. So who cares? Everyone has his priority, and some people stress diamonds, some want adornment without bankruptcy.




My $5-$25 toe rings have rhinestones and NOT diamonds, but frankly, I would rather lose a rhinestone than a diamond....but I still like my toes to sparkle, just like my fingers...

 

[WinkHPD]

Interesting conversation.

Personally I spent more than twenty years as a jeweler looking down my nose at cz's. Even in 1975, when I graduated from the GIA I tried to sell only ideal cut diamonds, although the ideals of that day were no where near the "super ideals" of today.

Almost three years ago one of my good clients came in and needed to only spend " a couple hundred dollars" since he had reinvested most of his money into his rapidly growing business.

I had heard of a Hearts and arrows cut CZ cut by a company called Van Graff in Mexico so not wanting to let my good client down, I got on the phone and called. Juan van Graff sent me a couple of stones, they were quite beautiful. I sold my client one, and another client saw the other and wanted earrings for his sixteen year old and "voilà!" Wink was in the CZ business.

What I have found is that there are many reasons why people buy and wear CZ's. One, of course is money, cz's look like diamonds until such time as they get scratched up, which will depend on how carefully the person who is wearing them is.

Another as was mentioned by NiceIce is that they make great copies for when people are traveling. Why take your real ring to (insert country)and worry about your $50,000 four carat diamond, when you have your $500 exact copy in 18kt and CZ?

Another important reason that I rarely see mentioned is that they make great "training wheels". A father can give a great looking pair of earrings to his young daughter and not be too upset when one of the earrings is invariably lost. Instead of being out a few hundred to a few thousand for the half pair of earrings dad is now out somewhere around fifty bucks, a much more tolerable number. Eventually, when the young lady has grown responsible enough to not loose her jewelry, my dads get into giving the real diamonds.

Once I sold a cz ring to a young lady who worked at a bank. She was tired of getting hit on by all the dirty old men so she bought herself an engagement ring to wear. Did not work she reported to me disgustedly. "This would have worked in Idaho, but in California it seems to work as a magnet to creepy guys". A job change soon put her into a better environment, but add camouflage to your list of reasons.

One of the most important reasons, in my opinion, is that they are fun. For a small price you can have a well made piece of jewelry in 14kt, 18kt or platinum. You can have shapes cut that you might never dream of doing in a diamond and you can have several pieces for less than the price of one piece in diamonds. I have many clients who have their most treasured pieces in diamonds, and then a whole variety of pieces in CZ's. For them it is about the fun of having an entire wardrobe of jewelry to wear.

These are just some of the reasons that I know of why people wear CZ's, it is much more complex than just money or the desire to fool people. They are another avenue of expression that happens to be much less expensive than diamonds.

Wink

 

[strmrdr]

I might get blasted for this but...

In my opinion anyone that wears any jewlery either fake or real just to impress people has some serious issues and the judgemental people that are impressed by it have even worse issues.

 

[Amethyste]

WEll Vtigger86,

It happens that I do have a problem with mined diamonds, so personally moissanite fits the bill perfectly. I don't lie to people, if someone asks me more detail I tell them it is a moissanite. Everyone heard of it, but not much people actually know of it. I suggest you read more about them as they are a different gem, 9.25 on the MOH's scale with more fire and dispertion etc. A moissanite can withstand heat of 2012F when a diamond vaporizes at that temperature. Here's the link to the Charles and Colvard site so you can educate yourself!

http://www.moissanite.com/durability_heat_resistance.cfm

Anyways, we wear jewelry to adorn ourselves and it is up to you to do it with taste. Don't condemn anyone on their personnal choices. I rather spend $2500 on my set ( in platinum mind you ) than 10-15K on a diamond when I can put money in the bank for other things that matter to me more than a diamond.

 

[Iceman]

I always remember my Aunt that as a little kid had all the big diamond rings and my mom always told me look at Aunt Mays diamonds she is rich.

Well years later Im in the jewelry business and Aunt May passes away. Her son rushs up here with his treasure of His moms ring and I had to hold back a laugh they were all fake and not even good ones.

 

[fire&ice]

Not a sim fan. Don't own any. Wouldn't own any. And, I can usually tell the fake from the real - even if it's just by the way one carries themselves (or their ring for that matter).

 

[WinkHPD]

Forgot another important reason. Space filler.

I had a gentleman come in one afternoon and he was taking his wife to Vegas for the weekend to celebrate their twentieth. He wanted to give her a 3ct diamond but it had to be ready the next day.

I told him that I would not do it, as once I mounted the stone it was his as I would have to buy it if I mounted it and I did not own a 3ct that I could mount for him at that time.

I suggested a CZ (and this was during my years of NOT liking them) until she could pick out the stone she wanted for her real ring. I mounted up a 3 ct size for him and he gave it to her that weekend. Turned out it saved him about 10k as she did not want a stone that large and bought a VERY nice 2ct when they came home.

So if you want another reason, there it is. Lots of people, lots of reasons...

Wink

 

[MustangGal]

I have an Asha (sim) engagement ring. We bought a house instead of a diamond, and I plan on getting a lab grown diamond when the colorless ones really come out. I don't see the sense in spending thousands on a real diamond that who knows what people had to do to mine the thing. I can afford one, but I choose not to. My sim is only 1.25ct, and set in 18kt white gold, it's not one of the cheesy huge things. In the real world, most people don't ask "is it real", that's just plain rude. I respect people that won't own a sim, but I love mine, and not even the jewelry stores that have cleaned it have asked if it was fake or not.

 

[moremoremore]

ummmmm, HHHELLLLOOOOO.....aree you kidding me? Only stuff that's real is pretty? Isn't that the point of all of this? To wear pretty stuff..that includes real and fake...And also, what about all the pressure that people feel to get diamonds when they get engaged...what if they don't have money? They aren't allowed to wear a cz b/c they don't want to deal with that pressure? Give me a bread...Bad post...BBBAAADDD post...

 

[moremoremore]

OOps, "give me a break"....I'm hungry...lol

 

[Dancing Fire]

----------------
On 6/18/2004 6:57:02 AM icelady wrote:

Vtigger,

As you can see, there seem to be many reasons why people would choose to purchase fake instead of real stones. They don't all fit into your broad assumption that people who buy fake are 'just trying to impress their friends'. As a matter of fact, why is it that you buy real diamonds?? Could it be to impress your friends???

You also strike me as someone who would actually ask someone if their diamond is real. I had a friend who (on the rare occation that someone actually ask her) would look the person in the eye and say 'of course my hand is real', never revealing that her diamond was real alright. And it was huge too. I always thought that her answer was a classy response to a very tacky question.----------------

icelady,

no i don't wear diamonds to impress my friends because most of them we have know each other since we were kids. they know my financial situation. i wouldn't ask anybody is their diamond is real. that's embarrassing. plus, it's none of my business. as for people that wear fakes for traveling, it's not a good reason either. why would you want to put yourself in dangerous situation in places you aren't familiar with ,the robber wouldn't know is fake why would you want to risk of getting your head knock off ,i wouldn't wear any jewerly at all when i travel.i just ordered five different size CZ from wink just to get an idea what different sizes look like, but i would never wear it.

 

[chialea]

I've thought of getting a Moissanite Asscher cut for a ring. It seems preferable to diamond in this, as long as you can get a good cut. Part of the issue with that cut is that it doesn't sparkle as much as diamonds cut for brilliance. Why not sidestep part of that issue, and still get the cool art deco-y look, by using a mineral which is (at least supposed to have) more fire and brilliance? It seems like a good match.

Of course, I've been sideswiped instead by Richard Homer's cutting, so first things first... I have to leave something for my SO to get me!