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Sure, that's definitely for some women. But you can also use that to your advantage. An article similar to this came up six months ago, at about the same time
by HorizonXP 14y ago
Sure, that's definitely for some women. But you can also use that to your advantage.
An article similar to this came up six months ago, at about the same time I was getting ready to propose to my fiancee. It sparked this comment thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4536010 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4536010
patio11 suggested that I wasn't "selling" her correctly. Women want the story, the status, the "Facebook status". So that's exactly what I did.
I bought her a white gold ring with a purple sapphire. It took me over a month to find the right gemstone. While it may not be as expensive as an equivalent weight/quality diamond, it is incredibly hard to replace, since they're so rare.
I also made sure that the white gold was made with palladium instead of nickel + rhodium-plating, since I was concerned about skin irritations. I had it completely custom-made, with the design done in CAD and 3D printed. As an engineer, this was awesome. My fiancee didn't quite appreciate that as much as I did, admittedly, but she did say it was cool.
Having done all that, I still spent a lot less money on the actual ring than if I had bought a diamond ring. So with the remaining money, I booked a flight to Rome for a 24 hour trip, to catch her by surprise on her last day of her Europe vacation she was on with her sister. I surprised her in a spot I had coordinated, and I hired a local photographer to take engagement pictures of us throughout Rome.
So I didn't buy a diamond, but I did end up spending about the same amount of money. However, I was able to "sell" my fiancee on the rarity and authenticity of the ring, and the story of the proposal. To this day, she looks back on the ring, the pictures, and remembers it all fondly.
So diamonds may be bullshit, but the story and memories aren't.
- transitionality 14y agoYou spent an amount of money equivalent to what De Beers charges for a diamond ring because of the advertising campaign De Beers started about a century ago. You felt like you had to match that expenditure, perhaps subconsciously. If the diamond cartel and diamond advertising and diamond pricing didn't exist, you wouldn't have that specific financial figure to aspire to.