I had a similar beliefs about diamonds and wasn't really sure how to talk about this to my (then) girlfriend. She's very progressive and would not interpret wh

I had a similar beliefs about diamonds and wasn't really sure how to talk about this to my (then) girlfriend. She's very progressive and would not interpret what I was saying as being a cheapskate (I'm the spendy one), but it seemed like the whole 'actual' value / marketing / cartel / theoretical human rights angles were all very rationally convincing, but pale in comparison to the cultural significance and century of visceral marketing. To compete on an emotional level it would mean watching blood diamond movies and/or being exposed to diamond industry scumbags for long periods of time. Not really how I wanted to start discussing a 'symbol of our love', and I didn't really want to be that guy. So I just stated that I wanted any future theoretical ring to have real significance, not just a purchase. I preferred there to be some history behind it. This opened a door to rework a family heirloom (with a great story) into an engagement ring. It happened to be a diamond, but this process was so much better than diamond shopping that I'm pretty sure if it had been a sapphire it would have done the trick.