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This whole diamond ring thing feels uniquely American to me — in my part of the world this association of marriage with obscenely expensive diamonds is nowhere
by grishka 6y ago
This whole diamond ring thing feels uniquely American to me — in my part of the world this association of marriage with obscenely expensive diamonds is nowhere to be found.
- Lio 6y agoThere's nothing uniquely American about it. It is common in many countries where De Beers, A British-South African company, marketed diamonds. 'A Diamond is Forever' is very well known advertising slogan. So much so that it was voted as the top advertising slogan of the 20th Century. It's even used for a James Bond film title. Since you haven't said which country is your part of the world it's hard to judge whether it's common there too or not.
- Gys 6y agoBig diamond rings still seems to be mainly an US thing still: https://www.engagementringbible.com/the-most-popular-engagement-ring-styles-country-by-country/ https://www.engagementringbible.com/the-most-popular-engagem... I live in Europe and in my experience a stone in a wedding ring is very uncommon.
- Lev1a 6y ago> I live in Europe and in my experience a stone in a wedding ring is very uncommon. My parents married in the GDR during early-mid 80s, for them big diamond rings were definitely out (since one wouldn't have been able to get one anyway) and AFAICT they still really like their old wedding rings from back then: gold, not that wide, the surface looks kinda woven and each ring has three or four tiny specks of diamond integrated into the weaving pattern of the gold. OT: Growing up watching TV series' from abroad (US, UK etc.) I always wondered why people would throw around huge amounts of money for engagement rings (i.e. not even the real wedding ring), then spend thousands or more likely tens of thousands on a wedding, hundreds or more likely thousands on a wedding dress (which will only be worn for one day anyway) and on and on... It just doesn't make sense to me spending such a huge amount of money making a committed relationship official when what actually matters is the sentiment between the significant others not some pathetic posturing in front of "friends and family".
- dvfjsdhgfv 6y agoIt's a cultural thing. Each culture has their own marriage-related customs. When you want to get married in the USA, you basically need to go through it, because everyone has been perfectly conditioned to expect a certain ritual and setting. If you are male, you have to offer a diamond ring. (As a feminist you could ask: why not the opposite? Or: why don't both offer diamonds?) If you are female, you have to put on a certain dress, and in general you are expected to dream about the wedding and everything related. What is especially ridiculous is that people get away with calling it "the happiest day of your life". Think about it: if it really is, then there is not much to expect after marriage. It's time people start changing their attitude to this ritual and focus more on understanding the ways they could make each one happier in the long term.
- Ensorceled 6y agoCanada's right there with the US on the big diamond thing.
- kwhitefoot 6y agoTraditionally the diamond ring is an engagement ring in the UK. The actual wedding ring is usually a plain gold band. At least that is how it was when I was young; fifty years ago. :-)
- grishka 6y ago> Traditionally the diamond ring is an engagement ring in the UK. The actual wedding ring is usually a plain gold band. Wait, these are different rings? You have two of them? In Russia, people don't propose to each other kneeling with a ring like they do in American movies. They exchange rings at the wedding registration, and those rings usually don't have any stones in them.
- Nursie 6y agoIn the UK, yes. Traditionally a shiny, fancy ring possibly with stones for the engagement, then a more plain wedding band. You wear the band all the time, the fancy one as well when you want to dress up.
- xyzelement 6y agoGrishka, DA! Well, in Russian there're definitely words for "obruchal'noye" I "svadebnoye" rings, so they aren't the same. Agree when my parents got married in the USSR, there was only the wedding band. But somehow the history of Russia and its language has both. In many cultures, the engagement is a commitment to a marriage and is signified with a ring, and then the wedding itself is signified with another ring. As the other person said, the engagement ring is generally more ornate that the wedding one. The engagement ring signifies among other things, a hefty commitment and seriousness about getting married. The wedding band signifies the infinity you'll spend together. In Judaism, the wedding ring is meant to be completely plain to not mar the infinity aspect of it in any way.
- grishka 6y agoHm. I've never actually heard anyone say "свадебное кольцо". I guess the language evolved. Maybe the current tradition, as many other ones did, originated in the USSR out of its planned economy and constant deficit.
- Lio 6y agoShould point out it’s the engagement ring that has the diamond. A wedding rings themselves are plain bands of metal, in my experience.
- grishka 6y agoRussia. I assume when De Beers did its most influential marketing campaigns, we didn't have capitalism.
- Synaesthesia 6y agoFor example De Beers ran a successful campaign which convinced many Japanese that a diomand ring is essential to proposing in the 60's
- sn41 6y agoThe association is not traditional, it is an association initially hammered in by De Beers. If you are in love, and your beloved expects diamond rings, take them to see "Blood Diamond".
- loloquwowndueo 6y agoIf you are in love ad your beloved expects to have electricity, take them to see “The China syndrome” and any number of documentaries on how power generation is damaging the planet ;)
- StavrosK 6y agoThis is offtopic, but I found it very endearing that you used the verb "take", as if you need (or can) take someone somewhere to watch a movie.
- Ensorceled 6y agoAs long as you are including Canada in "American" ... it's certainly a big thing here too.
- hi5eyes 6y agowhen europeans use “American” they include canada, the cultures are very similar
- Ensorceled 6y agoOuch. But certainly true in this case. There are several comments in this thread saying that this trend is specific to the US or specific to America interchangeably.
- dan-robertson 6y agoWell only sometimes. Eg “American healthcare,” “American politics,” “American dream,” “American independent spirit,” or even “American salaries” don’t apply so much to Canada.
- refurb 6y agoCue the angry Canadians!! Nothing burns Canadians more than outsiders assuming they are practically Americans. I say this as a Canadian.
- grishka 6y agoCanada is part of North America ;)
- FriedrichN 6y agoI can confirm this, I don't know of any persons personally who have a diamond wedding ring, not a single one. The only time I ever hear of it is when consuming American media.
- rsynnott 6y agoI think it's largely an anglosphere thing (as you might expect given the origins); you also see it in the UK and a few other places. Though the US fixation on _price_ is perhaps unique.
- jgwil2 6y agoI have to admit whoever at DeBeers managed to make "three months' salary" the common price guideline was a marketing genius.
- xyzelement 6y agoI actually think it lines up everyone's incentives nicely :)
- kcartlidge 6y agoUnfortunately the price thing is becoming more popular here (the UK), though we still have some semblance of sense around the issue. The cost/expectations for these life events seem to spiral in direct proportion to how much so-called-reality TV is broadcast. Idiots outdoing other idiots because they are on television, and a viewing public seeing more of it and believing it represents some kind of norm.
- mrmonkeyman 6y agoWealth in general is highly associated with marriage. Indians, poor ones too, take out mortgages for it.
- fireattack 6y agoFor what it's worth, diamond ring is pretty common/popular in China. On a general note, I wish people could say "XXX isn't common in [insert your region]", instead of "I guess XXX is an American thing". There are countries outside North America and Europe.