proposition
so i'm going to be proposing soon... and I know an online forum is a silly place to be soliciting advice, but what do I have to lose, right? First off, I know who I will be buying the band and stones through... family friends are wonderful. So my big question is this: How did all you married folk out there afford it? loans? dilligent saving? lottery? I figure it'll run between 3 and 5... kind of a lot for someone trying to find their career. Thanks in advance!
Asaph
Asaph
Comments
Originally posted by Asaph
[B]so i'm going to be proposing soon... and I know an online forum is a silly place to be soliciting advice, but what do I have to lose, right? First off, I know who I will be buying the band and stones through... family friends are wonderful. So my big question is this: How did all you married folk out there afford it? loans?
A couple of orders to care of high value targets...
dilligent saving? lottery? I figure it'll run between 3 and 5... kind of a lot for someone trying to find their career. Thanks in advance!
You mean she is not going to accept if you don't give her an expensive rock?
Originally posted by Asaph
so i'm going to be proposing soon... and I know an online forum is a silly place to be soliciting advice, but what do I have to lose, right? First off, I know who I will be buying the band and stones through... family friends are wonderful. So my big question is this: How did all you married folk out there afford it? loans? dilligent saving? lottery? I figure it'll run between 3 and 5... kind of a lot for someone trying to find their career. Thanks in advance!
Asaph
Don't support the corrupt diamond industry. The prices are artificially inflated because DeBeers has a chokehold on the supply. They really aren't as rare as people think. If you must get her a stone, get a sapphire, emerald, or ruby.
Originally posted by BR
Don't support the corrupt diamond industry. The prices are artificially inflated because DeBeers has a chokehold on the supply. They really aren't as rare as people think. If you must get her a stone, get a sapphire, emerald, or ruby.
YES. Gold is actually much more scarce than is diamond.
Plus, it won't be too long before perfect diamonds can be made in a factory. Buying diamonds is a bad long term investment.
Hell, it's supposed to be less than 20 years before Carbon nanotubes can be mass produced. I would guess that mass-produced artificial diamonds fall into the same time frame.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
YES. Gold is actually much more scarce than is diamond.
Plus, it won't be too long before perfect diamonds can be made in a factory. Buying diamonds is a bad long term investment.
Hell, it's supposed to be less than 20 years before Carbon nanotubes can be mass produced. I would guess that mass-produced artificial diamonds fall into the same time frame.
Actually, they mass produce artificial diamonds right now. However, the market is better for industrially used diamonds (which wear out) than for the rocks that the pleebs buy. The process is either vapor deposition of carbon or high pressure transformation of certain hydrocarbons.
Originally posted by hardeeharhar
Actually, they mass produce artificial diamonds right now. However, the market is better for industrially used diamonds (which wear out) than for the rocks that the pleebs buy. The process is either vapor deposition of carbon or high pressure transformation of certain hydrocarbons.
Sure, but current industrial diamonds are more like dust than rocks. I'm talking about rocks that are made perfectly, and don't even need to be cut into shapes.
Originally posted by Splinemodel
Sure, but current industrial diamonds are more like dust than rocks. I'm talking about rocks that are made perfectly, and don't even need to be cut into shapes.
They will always need to be cut, i suspect...
Originally posted by Asaph
How did all you married folk out there afford it? loans? dilligent saving? lottery? I figure it'll run between 3 and 5... kind of a lot for someone trying to find their career. Thanks in advance!
Asaph
I saved and bought mine with my own hard earned money. How could an engagement ring show how much you love her if it's just some trinket you bought with your MasterCard?
Also, if you're struggling, why would you drop 3 to 5 thousand (you meant thousand, right?) on a ring? How much are you getting for that, especially if you are buying from a 'family friend'?
I spent around $600 on my wife's engagement ring about 10 years ago. You don't have to spend oodles of cash to get a nice ring. You just have to show that it was a labor of love. My then fiance knew just how hard I worked and saved to get her that ring, and that meant worlds more to her then how many karats were on her finger.
Besides, if all she wants is a big expensive ring, is she really the one you want to marry?
Originally posted by Splinemodel
Plus, it won't be too long before perfect diamonds can be made in a factory. Buying diamonds is a bad long term investment.
"Look I got you this ring. I thought of getting you the diamond ring you looked at last week. But dear, in twenty years we can print our own diamonds so buying you one would be such a bad investment. Darling do you want to marry me?"
I think the truth is buying any ring would be a bad investment.
Originally posted by Anders
I think the truth is buying any ring would be a bad investment.
Heh heh.
[B]and I know an online forum is a silly place to be soliciting advice/B]
Why?
Online forums have people.
People get married.
I bought a fake rock for the wife, that way we didn't have to worry about paying bills (engaged in college) and proposed in front of the tower on the UT campus.
Buy a fake diamond and tell her its real. Spend the extra money on something that will actually mean something in your lives (like paying off student loans).
Originally posted by BR
Don't support the corrupt diamond industry. The prices are artificially inflated because DeBeers has a chokehold on the supply. They really aren't as rare as people think. If you must get her a stone, get a sapphire, emerald, or ruby.
Indeed. The US wing of it is even worse, though. Something like a 200% markup off the bat. I bought my wife's diamond in Antwerp from a wholesaler who assured no conflict/blood diamonds. They were all mined by care bears, I think. It appraised (for ins. purposes) at 2x what I paid.
Originally posted by groverat
Why?
Online forums have people.
People get married.
I bought a fake rock for the wife, that way we didn't have to worry about paying bills (engaged in college) and proposed in front of the tower on the UT campus.
Buy a fake diamond and tell her its real. Spend the extra money on something that will actually mean something in your lives (like paying off student loans).
As for the investment, really what you are investing in is the girl. The ring is just the currency. If she wants diamonds, give her diamonds. It's not like that money is ever coming back to you.
As far as paying for it, save the money if you can. It's not the kind of thing you should really go into debt over. Big debt doesn't sound like the greatest way to start a marriage. I'm also of the opinion that multiple small, high-quality rocks are better than one large, low-quality rock, but I'm also not a fan of large rocks in general. In the end, though. it's really up to her.
Originally posted by giant
Be careful avoiding the diamonds, though. If all of her friends are getting big rocks you don't want to be left giving her an opal on a stainless steel band "on principle."
It really depends on the woman's opinion. I bought my wife a $175 opal engagement ring, because she didn't care about the ring that much.
Wired magazine had an issue about artificial diamonds a year or so ago - evidently they are making diamonds now that you can only tell are manufactured because they are "too perfect", and they are much less expensive than mined diamonds.
Originally posted by e1618978
It really depends on the woman's opinion.
Exactly. I'm just saying it's dangerous to get that kind of ring if she wants diamonds. Even mine wanted diamonds, although we went a more tasteful route (IMHO) with an eternity band.