4 ms·

My wife and I got married without buying a diamond ring. I simply refused to spend money in things that are overvalued by the market because some marketing sche

My wife and I got married without buying a diamond ring. I simply refused to spend money in things that are overvalued by the market because some marketing scheme was so strong that it made facts look silly. I told her that I refuse to spend money on things that cause other people pain. Especially when there is no guarantee that the diamond we buy are not blood diamond. Instead we invested our money in buying things that are truly beneficial in our lives, like buy an SUV, preparing for a baby, preparing to buy a home. I have to say this is a huge step forward. I just talked to her about buying her a 3 carat lab-grown diamond ring now because of this news. She's still in doubt. I told her "It's the exact same thing, and no one died in the process the rest is up to your perception now".

jypepin 8y ago
I just got engaged a few months ago and did not buy a ring. My fiancée didn't want one (she prefers more discreet rings) and I was happy not to pay for such a marketing schemes. I was very surprised at how everyone were pretty shocked, be it our parents or some of our friends (despite being open minded, modern millenials). Gotta give credits to the marketing firm that did this whole thing, it might be the biggest marketing success ever.
- gowld 8y ago
  You got a good mate, mate.
jiri 8y ago
The historical purpose of an engagement ring/gift was to demonstrate your serious interest and your intentions. Via spending money for her that cannot be taken back. Unfortunatelly, diamonds fit this quite nicely. Actually, the best way to demonstrate it is via these rules: (1) you have to get something that is very hard to get (more money than you normally have), (2) something that has no use for you (you want to convince her, it wouldn't be convincing if you benefitted from spending) (3) and preferrably it is not monetizable for recipient (in general, woman is much less motivated to tricking you only because of gift) So, if she's already convinced to merry you, spending fortune for diamond ring is futile. And if you are in hurry, you can really just burn some money to ash in front of her, it would do the same :) Nonetheless, not as fancy as diamond ring for her :D
- deleted 8y ago
  [deleted]
tobyhinloopen 8y ago
Kinda same here, but without the ethics: I just refuse to pay for a shiny stone when there are much cheaper shiny stones. I just got a gold ring with zirconia (whatever that is spelled). For the "couples ring" (whatever that is called in english, i dont know) my suggestion is to just get 2 solid rings of gold. Gold is actually worth something, I like that.
OliverJones 8y ago
I gave my fiancee, now spouse, my grandmother's diamond ring, about forty years ago now. The value instilled in diamonds by fake scarcity is nothing compared to the value instilled in durable objects (like rings) by their history. It's all sentimental value anyhow. It's great that diamond mining is starting to fade from human history. It will take a while. The mall jewelry shops are still advertising the engagement-ring "one month's wages" schtick. My snarky electrican engineer pal puts it this way. "Sure, crystals can put you touch with the whole universe. But you have to build them into circuits first!"
saturdaysaint 8y ago
With her blessing, I got my wife a moissanite ring. It looks like a $5,000 diamond ring and she got nothing but dazzled reactions from all of her friends. My wife unabashedly loves fancy stuff (new clothes, cute restaurants, latest iPhone, etc.) but there hasn't been a moment in the last 3 years where she's expressed any regret or interest in a "real" diamond. Millenials see through the con.

jypepin 8y ago

I just got engaged a few months ago and did not buy a ring. My fiancée didn't want one (she prefers more discreet rings) and I was happy not to pay for such a marketing schemes. I was very surprised at how everyone were pretty shocked, be it our parents or some of our friends (despite being open minded, modern millenials). Gotta give credits to the marketing firm that did this whole thing, it might be the biggest marketing success ever.

gowld 8y ago
You got a good mate, mate.

jiri 8y ago

The historical purpose of an engagement ring/gift was to demonstrate your serious interest and your intentions. Via spending money for her that cannot be taken back. Unfortunatelly, diamonds fit this quite nicely. Actually, the best way to demonstrate it is via these rules: (1) you have to get something that is very hard to get (more money than you normally have), (2) something that has no use for you (you want to convince her, it wouldn't be convincing if you benefitted from spending) (3) and preferrably it is not monetizable for recipient (in general, woman is much less motivated to tricking you only because of gift) So, if she's already convinced to merry you, spending fortune for diamond ring is futile. And if you are in hurry, you can really just burn some money to ash in front of her, it would do the same :) Nonetheless, not as fancy as diamond ring for her :D

deleted 8y ago
[deleted]

tobyhinloopen 8y ago

Kinda same here, but without the ethics: I just refuse to pay for a shiny stone when there are much cheaper shiny stones. I just got a gold ring with zirconia (whatever that is spelled). For the "couples ring" (whatever that is called in english, i dont know) my suggestion is to just get 2 solid rings of gold. Gold is actually worth something, I like that.

OliverJones 8y ago

I gave my fiancee, now spouse, my grandmother's diamond ring, about forty years ago now. The value instilled in diamonds by fake scarcity is nothing compared to the value instilled in durable objects (like rings) by their history. It's all sentimental value anyhow. It's great that diamond mining is starting to fade from human history. It will take a while. The mall jewelry shops are still advertising the engagement-ring "one month's wages" schtick. My snarky electrican engineer pal puts it this way. "Sure, crystals can put you touch with the whole universe. But you have to build them into circuits first!"

saturdaysaint 8y ago

With her blessing, I got my wife a moissanite ring. It looks like a $5,000 diamond ring and she got nothing but dazzled reactions from all of her friends. My wife unabashedly loves fancy stuff (new clothes, cute restaurants, latest iPhone, etc.) but there hasn't been a moment in the last 3 years where she's expressed any regret or interest in a "real" diamond. Millenials see through the con.