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naraburns  nihil supernum  1yr ago (text post)   3596 thread views

Small-Scale Question Sunday for December 4, 2022

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Does anyone have any general advice on picking an engagement ring? I'll be proposing soon and I honestly have no idea where to start. I assume that walking into a local jewelry store is the easiest way to do this but also by far the most expensive. Is there a better way?

Is there a better way?

Yes, there is a better way - spending your money on something of actual value.

If gf wants a diamond, explain to her history and present of diamond industry, explain to her the masterful psyop that equated love with gifting your monthly wage (formerly, now it is supposed to be three months) to mafia yakuza drug cartel De Beers corporation.

gf still wants a diamond?

Explain to her that you cannot sell a diamond except at 90% loss (if lucky), explain that diamond is not investment that appreciates, that diamond is not store of value, that diamond is pure money sink.

gf still wants a diamond?

Explain to her that cubic zirconium indistinguishable from diamond provides all benefits of diamond (impressing some species of birds and people with bird brains who are impressed with bright shiny things and being prime target for criminals) at 1/100 price.

gf still wants a diamond?

Replace gf, unless you want to be slave of TV advertising for life.

De Beers and the Diamond companies might have pulled a fast one, but they did so successfully. The real important dynamic is not between her and the De Beers company but between her and her female friends/family. If she's the type to relish rubbing the pointlessness of diamonds into the faces of her friends and family that ask about the ring, more power to her. But if she is only going to give those stock answers when the subject comes up and secretly be ashamed of her cubic zirconium ring, even though the savings went into buying a car or having a thousand better meals, then you're making a meaningful tradeoff here even if doing what is locally best for you benefits some assholes with a monopoly.

Kind people of the Motte, do not follow this person's advice. The fact that it ends with "dump your fiancee over not holding this particular fringe view" may clue you in to how very bad of advice it is. If your girl wants a diamond ring then you go get a suitable one.

This terrible advice. An engagement ring is a gift. And when you are giving a gift, it doesn't matter what you think. What matters is what the recipient would like/value. If she wants a diamond, you get her a diamond regardless of what you personally think on the subject.

This is excellent advice for anyone who is currently engaged to and planning on marrying a man. All of those rational explanations will be very convincing if we make the one small assumption that his fiance is, in fact, a bearded adult male who will nod sagely and propose to spend the money on matching rifles and a sensible investment portfolio instead.

Unfortunately it may not be the best route to avoiding hurt feelings if he's for some reason planning on marrying a woman.

Yes, quality firearms are solid store of value at worst, appreciating asset at best, unlike shiney stones ;-)

BTW, do not mistake me for dour puritan hating all luxury, there is nothing wrong with jewelry - trad gold and silver that serves as store of value for bad times, not modern diamond fraud.

Forgive my rant, I know that there are much worse thing going on in the world than diamond industry, but this particular scam somehow triggers me.

(even many hard right wingers feel this way, you do not have to be leftist (if you see me as leftist) to despise such business)

https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=378

https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=379

https://www.peakstupidity.com/index.php?post=380

Well apparently if her feelings are hurt by this approach you should dump her. So... it won't be a problem for long I guess? But it is an excellent fast track approach for staying single, so I guess there's that.

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