Diamond Engagement Rings: The High Price of Vanity

[molotovmuffin]

I have a ruby diamond engagement ring... and I love it dearly...unfortunetly I lost on of the two diamonds...

For my next one...if there ever is a next one...I'd want an Alexandrite...God, I love that stone!

 

[B_subgirrl]

No offense to those of you who like rings (most people ) but I really think they're a waste of money. The same goes for extravagant weddings. I just think there are so many other things you can spend your money on when you're starting a new life together, why waste it on one day or one sparkly thing. Each to their own though - I realise for many people this wouldn't be a 'waste'.

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

I had over 120 people at my wedding, i spent under $3,000 - including the awesome dress.

 

[alwaysguessing]

No offense to those of you who like rings (most people ) but I really think they're a waste of money. The same goes for extravagant weddings. I just think there are so many other things you can spend your money on when you're starting a new life together, why waste it on one day or one sparkly thing.

:love:

Will you marry me? :smile:

 

[B_subgirrl]

As long as you don't want an expensive ring or wedding

 

[B_subgirrl]

I had over 120 people at my wedding, i spent under $3,000 - including the awesome dress.

That's the way it should be done. You can still have a wonderful day (and an awesome dress!) without spending your life savings on it. What was your dress like?

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

That's the way it should be done. You can still have a wonderful day (and an awesome dress!) without spending your life savings on it. What was your dress like?

Exactly! I had to pay for my own wedding at 18, so i wasnt getting a 20,000 wedding. We did it properly, elegantly, no one had dinner or dancing. But it was a nice ceremony with a beautiful cake with each tier a different flavor and a different filling.

My dress was like this, but a fluffier skirt and the entire top (bodice) was made of white sequins. It was $400.00. http://cn1.kaboodle.com/hi/img/2/0/0/b6/2/AAAAAl0llAEAAAAAALYn_A.png?v=1198185776000

This was in 1998. I could do it on a lower budget knowing what i know now. I could make my own cake now, but that didn't cost much. We did get some honeymoon money, but we didn't go on a honeymoon.

 

[B_subgirrl]

Very pretty and great price! How did you get it so cheap?

 

[Tattooed Goddess]

it was a little wedding dress boutique in the mall. It was the first and only dress i tried on. It was everything i ever wanted. The straps were also made out of diamonds (not real of course) it was perfect. I insisted i get it right then and have it tailored. Skipped a flashy shoe and went for a white ballet slipper instead. Much more comfortable.

 

[B_subgirrl]

Wow - you got really lucky. If/when I got married I would probably go non-white. I look terrible in white!

 

[D_Sparroe Spongecaques]

My first engagement ring wasnt a diamond but a cubic zirconia as he was in the forces and wasnt able to afford a diamond ring.The wedding ceremony cost £500.(Widowed)

My 2nd engagement ring was a 3K diamond ring and my wedding ring was set with 8 diamonds.The wedding cost 50K...Guilty??? No i didnt as he could easily afford it BUT i would have been equally as happy with a fake diamond as i was the first time around.

My 3rd engagement ring was an emerald set with 16 diamonds,the wedding cost 3K

My 4th wedding cost £500,i wore his mothers rings,diamond and rubies,as she had passed.(Widowed)

 

[Boondocksaints]

Certain other gemstones (rubies, sapphires, etc.) are actually rarer than diamonds, but the control of diamonds is carefully controlled by mining companies. The value of diamonds is artificially inflated by companies like DeBeers. It's basically a bullshit money making scheme.

You can get a laboratory created perfect diamond at a fraction of the cost. It has a more vivid color (due to lack of impurities) Getting a near flawless diamond that is mined is extremely expensive. A man made diamond is exactly the same as a mined diamond except that they are much cheaper and doesn't exploit labor in poor working conditions.

I'd much rather give my future wife something with sentimental value and use the money to buy her something more practical- like a Louis Vuitton bag- haha

 

[Daisy]

I have a pretty flashy diamond ring, and I really wish I could go back and choose cubic zirconium. I didnt really know about blood diamonds at the time (how many people really do?) I am totally opposed to purchasing diamonds. I dont see any real harm in wearing antique diamonds but I think it's crazy how the diamond market is still going strong despite all of the hardship and death it's caused. Now that I'm getting divorced I dont know what to do with it, I couldnt recover close to what I paid for it (bad economy) and I dont really want it, so I'm kind of stuck with it. I think it's really disgusting how some women lose their minds with the whole bridezilla trend. The idea of being a "fairy princess" on your wedding day is kind of absurd and sets women back a few hundred years. The focus really should be on the marriage not the ceremony. No wonder half of all marriages end in divorce. I wonder how many women say "yes" because they want a rock on their finger.

 

[Mr Ed in Mass]

Would you sell it to me for my wife?.....

 

[D_Sparroe Spongecaques]

I have a pretty flashy diamond ring, and I really wish I could go back and choose cubic zirconium. I didnt really know about blood diamonds at the time (how many people really do?) I am totally opposed to purchasing diamonds. I dont see any real harm in wearing antique diamonds but I think it's crazy how the diamond market is still going strong despite all of the hardship and death it's caused. Now that I'm getting divorced I dont know what to do with it, I couldnt recover close to what I paid for it (bad economy) and I dont really want it, so I'm kind of stuck with it. I think it's really disgusting how some women lose their minds with the whole bridezilla trend. The idea of being a "fairy princess" on your wedding day is kind of absurd and sets women back a few hundred years. The focus really should be on the marriage not the ceremony. No wonder half of all marriages end in divorce. I wonder how many women say "yes" because they want a rock on their finger.

Have you got a child that it can inherit it?

I sold my 3K diamond ring,plus the wedding ring,and gave the money to charity.A charity i felt was more in need of the cash than i was.The 3rd ring i gave to one of my daughters,the daughter of that husband.

 

[EllieP]

Well, I guess I'm the bad guy here. I have a rock and I love it. It's a one carat diamond solitaire and it means the world to me because it came from Cap. I don't know it's lineage. Our wedding was simple and I wore white because I wanted to. My nine-year old daughter was my maid of honor. I think we spent around $2,000. I know we spent more on the cruise for our honeymoon.

 

[Chantal_Kyrie]

Agreed. I wouldn't go below a 7 at least (Mohs scale) for a ring I'd be wearing every day. I would also pick some sort of a bezel cut. Some stones, depending on the cut, might benefit from a cap, spinel or quartz work fine for that. For someone who used to be in the jewelry biz, I'm actually really rough on rings...I have a gorgeous labradorite one I'm starting to see cracks in.

All of those stones would be beautiful. The concern with choosing a stone for everyday wear is with scratches, cracking, chipping, and breaking. I've seen what happens to an emerald ring that has been worn every day, and it's not pretty. They don't last well at all, getting scratched and chipped and ugly very easily. They just aren't hard enough. A friend of mine chose Tanzanite because she thought it was beautiful, and only 3 years after she got married it broke. Depending on how romantic you are and how sentimental you are about things like that, it might bother you to have your wedding ring's stone require replacing or be recut in order to look beautiful 5 years after the wedding. Those stones are fairly cheap, though, so as long as you're aware that it may need replacing in the future and you don't mind that, then you could go with a softer stone.

I've been reading some threads on a gemstone and jewelry board because we've discussed not getting a diamond. There are some examples of some terrible looking gemstones from daily wear and tear. It isn't recommended to go too far down the MOHS scale when seeking a ring for everyday wear, which is the reason that sapphires and rubies are the stones usually recommended for engagement rings, unless you're willing to not wear your engagement ring every day or you don't mind replacing the stone. I suggest doing your research first to see how easily a particular stone will break, chip, scratch, or bruise before you make a decision.

Particular setting can help protect a soft stone, such as bezel settings like this one that encases the gem and helps protect it:
PLATINUM BEZEL SET DUAL WIRE EURO-SHANK DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING

My friend's stone might not have broken if she had chosen a setting appropriate for the hardness of the stone for daily wear, but she chose an open setting like this (hers was more beautiful, but you get the idea) and it only lasted 3 years. She was the first one to warn me about getting a harder stone.

 

[petite]

Agreed. I wouldn't go below a 7 at least (Mohs scale) for a ring I'd be wearing every day. I would also pick some sort of a bezel cut. Some stones, depending on the cut, might benefit from a cap, spinel or quartz work fine for that. For someone who used to be in the jewelry biz, I'm actually really rough on rings...I have a gorgeous labradorite one I'm starting to see cracks in.

Hardness isn't the only consideration. A hard stone is resistant to scratches but it may still fracture with a hard blow or be too brittle for daily wear.

As this page explains:

Durability

The two most familiar qualities of durability -- hardness and toughness -- are often misunderstood. Hardness is resistance to scratching or piercing. Toughness is resistance to breakage. The combination of the two largely defines the durability of a gemstone.



This guide explains the durability of gems.

This site is excellent for looking up the toughness of any particular stone.

This page does a good job of explaining the factors that make up a stone's durability: hardness, cleavage, partness, brittleness/toughness, thermal shock, inclusions. It explains why an emerald has a toughness rating of fair to poor, even though it has a hardness of MOHS 7.5-8 because it is susceptible to thermal shock and it is heavily included, which causes it to chip easily. You can look up any stone on this site and see both it's hardness and toughness rating.

I've never seen a bezel cut before. Is it a special cut for a bezel setting? I think they can put any cut of stone into a bezel setting. I was actually thinking of a concave cut myself, either round or oval or cushion. I fell in love with the concave cut when it was brand spanking new way to cut gemstones about 10 years ago, so I think that's what I want! I'm Richard Homer's first fan. :tongue:

 

[petite]

I have a ruby diamond engagement ring... and I love it dearly...unfortunetly I lost on of the two diamonds...

For my next one...if there ever is a next one...I'd want an Alexandrite...God, I love that stone!

Alexandrite is a chrysoberyl and is supposed to be one of the best engagement stone alternatives because of it's durability. Go for it! That sounds perfect!

Do you want a color-changing alexandrite?

 

[Embrace69]

I've never had a diamond engagement ring (of the two I've had) One was a CZ and the other one is Moissanite. Which when tested by jewelers, tests positive as a diamond. People can't tell the difference, and really neither can I. The ring has a small sapphire in the upper portion of the band and a moissanite in the shape of a heart.

I'm a relatively simple girl. I don't like huge gems or rings on my fingers, small and dainty are fine with me.I don't have to have a real diamond to know that a man loves me. Hell, I don't even have to have any jewelery at all to show that. But if he were to get me anything, I'm a fan of scroll work or intricate/delicate jewelery. It doesn't have to be huge and flashy in the least.