Diamond or Cubic Zirconia engagement ring??? - Page 4

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Diamond or Cubic Zirconia engagement ring??? (Page 4 of 4)

Posted: 3/7/2011 5:52:07 PM EDT

[#1]

Lab produced are diamonds. Even though they are flawless.

It's like custom paint on a car; it will lack that "orange peel" look of Detroit-applied paint... But that doesn't mean that it's not the same, as long as the composition of the paint is the same.

Posted: 3/7/2011 5:57:52 PM EDT

[#2]

The amount (and intensity) of the dialogue over this issue is regretful . . . you guys shouldn't have to be so paranoid about the engagement ring decision, but I can affirm that some of my "friends" have in fact had their rings checked out. One lady felt free to criticize her husband's poor choice of ring after 17 years of marriage

THAT IS SO LAME!

All I can say is - good luck.

Posted: 3/7/2011 8:01:31 PM EDT

[#3]

Quoted:

Quoted:

it's a shame so many men can't do better than a shallow princess.

Insulting other men's wives. Stay classy.

I was answering this:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

That's just as harsh a statement about MY wife, insinuating she is lying or disingenuous when she says she doesn't want one.

If a woman's interest in you, or her happiness hangs on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond, well I guess I don't know what nice things I can say about a person like that.

If that's your life, sorry about your luck.

Posted: 3/7/2011 8:20:34 PM EDT

[#4]

Buy a diamond.

Posted: 3/7/2011 8:32:42 PM EDT

[#5]

Get a diamond you can afford

Posted: 3/7/2011 8:40:25 PM EDT

[#6]

Quoted:

Quoted:

it's a shame so many men can't do better than a shallow princess.

Insulting other men's wives. Stay classy.

I was answering this:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

That's just as harsh a statement about MY wife, insinuating she is lying or disingenuous when she says she doesn't want one.

If a woman's interest in you, or her happiness hangs on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond, well I guess I don't know what nice things I can say about a person like that.

If that's your life, sorry about your luck.

Because it is an impossibility that a wife could appreciate a natural gem from her loved one without her "happiness hanging on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond"

Posted: 3/8/2011 4:30:54 AM EDT

[#7]

My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

Posted: 3/8/2011 4:43:06 AM EDT

[#8]

Well this has got to be one of the dumbest discussions I have read in awhile.

Investment value? Really who gives a shit.

She is "fine" with CZ. I bet. buy her that ring and see how quickly she wants to tell other people it is fake.

There is not a damn thing wrong with tradition. Buy her a diamond. Spend enough that it hurts but doesn't bankrupt you. It is as much about personal sacrifice as it is value. If you are going to be traditional and do the ring thing to begin with why would you blow it and go fake?

Posted: 3/8/2011 4:48:17 AM EDT

[#9]

Quoted:
Well this has got to be one of the dumbest discussions I have read in awhile.

Investment value? Really who gives a shit.

She is "fine" with CZ. I bet. buy her that ring and see how quickly she wants to tell other people it is fake.

There is not a damn thing wrong with tradition. Buy her a diamond. Spend enough that it hurts but doesn't bankrupt you. It is as much about personal sacrifice as it is value. If you are going to be traditional and do the ring thing to begin with why would you blow it and go fake?

Buy a diamond.

I don't care how nice of a CZ it is, they aren't hard to spot.

If you buy her a fake ring, I'll bet she'll be getting you a similar AR. It looks the same, right?

Posted: 3/8/2011 4:50:16 AM EDT

[#10]

Buy her a diamond before someone else does.

Posted: 3/8/2011 4:52:39 AM EDT

[#11]

Fuck diamonds. Get Moissanite. Only time we can tell my wife's ring isn't a diamond is in jewelery stores with the lights that are meant to make diamonds all sparkly and shit. No one else has ever noticed, and she's gotten tons of compliments on it.

Posted: 3/8/2011 5:58:56 AM EDT

[#12]

Quoted:

Quoted:

it's a shame so many men can't do better than a shallow princess.

Insulting other men's wives. Stay classy.

I was answering this:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

That's just as harsh a statement about MY wife, insinuating she is lying or disingenuous when she says she doesn't want one.

If a woman's interest in you, or her happiness hangs on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond, well I guess I don't know what nice things I can say about a person like that.

If that's your life, sorry about your luck.

Because it is an impossibility that a wife could appreciate a natural gem from her loved one without her "happiness hanging on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond"

Appreciate and demand are two entirely different things, and that's what I was talking about - but by all means be butthurt and hypersensitive, being offended at a statement not directed at you is perfectly appropriate - this is ARFcom afterall.

Posted: 3/8/2011 6:27:26 AM EDT

[#13]

Quoted:

My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

There are some of us old(er) guys that have been married for a long time that see diamonds for the sham that they are. When you're younger - especially a young woman - the "rock" has a much more important meaning. It's shallow, but focusing on material things which ultimately mean nothing in a marriage is understandable at that age.

Posted: 3/8/2011 6:37:49 AM EDT

[#14]

Quoted:

Quoted:
My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

There are some of us old(er) guys that have been married for a long time that see diamonds for the sham that they are. When you're younger - especially a young woman - the "rock" has a much more important meaning. It's shallow, but focusing on material things which ultimately mean nothing in a marriage is understandable at that age.

Give us young guys some credit.

Posted: 3/8/2011 6:42:50 AM EDT

[#15]

Quoted:

Give us young guys some credit.

n00b.

Posted: 3/8/2011 6:56:19 AM EDT

[#16]

Quoted:

Quoted:

Give us young guys some credit.

n00b.

Geezer.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:04:01 AM EDT

[#17]

Quoted:

Quoted:
I highly recommend http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com/

They make and sell man made diamonds. I bought a beautiful 3/4 carrot diamond and white gold ring from them for $450

My fiancee loves it and the 300+ people she has shown it to tell her how beautiful it is.

Don't waste your money buying a "real" diamond.

Is it not a body-centered cubic arrangement of carbon atoms? If it is, then it's a diamond - it just wasn't dug up out of the ground...

Quoted:

Here's a link to synthetic diamonds.

http://www.diamondnexuslabs.com/signature-series-c-3_232_134.html

I shopped around that Web site for a while, as I like the idea of a real "lab grown" diamond. The site felt "off," so I did a quick google search on these guys. It appears that they might be just CZ with fancy, crooked marketing. Granted, the link below is to one of their "diamond simulant" competitors:

http://betterthandiamond.com/answers/questions/31/What+about+Diamond+Nexus+Labs+-+what+is+their+product%3F++Lab+grown+diamond%3F

Diamond "simulant"?

I don't want to buy a stone from the Blade Runner prop house. Anyone have any information on REAL lab-grown diamonds?

They specialize in yellow.

Like a low grade mined diamond.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:06:15 AM EDT

[#18]

Quoted:

Quoted:

it's a shame so many men can't do better than a shallow princess.

Insulting other men's wives. Stay classy.

I was answering this:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

That's just as harsh a statement about MY wife, insinuating she is lying or disingenuous when she says she doesn't want one.

If a woman's interest in you, or her happiness hangs on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond, well I guess I don't know what nice things I can say about a person like that.

If that's your life, sorry about your luck.

Because it is an impossibility that a wife could appreciate a natural gem from her loved one without her "happiness hanging on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond"

I'd rather have a wife who appreciated whatever I chose to give her, which incidentally would have a lot more thought put into it than just some big fat rock.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:09:58 AM EDT

[#19]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Well this has got to be one of the dumbest discussions I have read in awhile.

Investment value? Really who gives a shit.

She is "fine" with CZ. I bet. buy her that ring and see how quickly she wants to tell other people it is fake.

There is not a damn thing wrong with tradition. Buy her a diamond. Spend enough that it hurts but doesn't bankrupt you. It is as much about personal sacrifice as it is value. If you are going to be traditional and do the ring thing to begin with why would you blow it and go fake?

Buy a diamond.

I don't care how nice of a CZ it is, they aren't hard to spot.

If you buy her a fake ring, I'll bet she'll be getting you a similar AR. It looks the same, right?

<a href="http://img4.imageshack.us/i/picture027yr.jpg/" target="_blank">http://img4.imageshack.us/img4/1313/picture027yr.jpg</a>

Hey, don't diss that... I had one of those when I was 13! Armscor M-1600. Great little .22 LR rifle!

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:12:21 AM EDT

[#20]

Quoted:

Quoted:

it's a shame so many men can't do better than a shallow princess.

Insulting other men's wives. Stay classy.

I was answering this:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

That's just as harsh a statement about MY wife, insinuating she is lying or disingenuous when she says she doesn't want one.

If a woman's interest in you, or her happiness hangs on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond, well I guess I don't know what nice things I can say about a person like that.

If that's your life, sorry about your luck.

Because it is an impossibility that a wife could appreciate a natural gem from her loved one without her "happiness hanging on the possession of an overpriced cartel diamond"

Appreciate and demand are two entirely different things, and that's what I was talking about - but by all means be butthurt and hypersensitive, being offended at a statement not directed at you is perfectly appropriate - this is ARFcom afterall.

It didn't offend me. These days my wife is as likely to ride a broom as she is to drive her car, I just thought it seemed to be disrespectful to men's wive's in general based on an assumption of how they felt about a diamond ring. I've been wrong before. Well that what they tell me, I still don't believe it though.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:12:59 AM EDT

[#21]

Quoted:

Quoted:
My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

There are some of us old(er) guys that have been married for a long time that see diamonds for the sham that they are. When you're younger - especially a young woman - the "rock" has a much more important meaning. It's shallow, but focusing on material things which ultimately mean nothing in a marriage is understandable at that age.

There is also such a thing as being a cheapskate. Buying a cubic zirconia ring for a wedding ring comes to mind when I think of that word...

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:17:37 AM EDT

[#22]

Quoted:

Quoted:

My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

There are some of us old(er) guys that have been married for a long time that see diamonds for the sham that they are. When you're younger - especially a young woman - the "rock" has a much more important meaning. It's shallow, but focusing on material things which ultimately mean nothing in a marriage is understandable at that age.

Give us young guys some credit.

I'm not that old (43) and have only been married for 13 years. However, I can sure say for certain that the true "symbol" of lasting love is not some rock.

It is doing the dishes after dinner, after pouring her a glass of wine and escorting her to the couch. It's cooking dinner for the family without being asked. You don't "tell" her that you love and appreciate her. You show her. Don't buy her a Valentine card or candy. Help the kids make the cards and bake some goodies. It's a time investment.

If a woman is concerned with the monetary value of a gift, your marraige is all but done before it gets started. At the very least, it will be a pale shadow of what CAN exist between two people that know what it means to have and be a good partner. And I feel sorry for anybody who misses out on that.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:32:29 AM EDT

[#23]

Quoted:

Quoted:
My wife of 16 years just said that, "Women that buy into that diamond crap are suckers!" She wears an Emerald and says, "Diamonds are filler stones."

There are some of us old(er) guys that have been married for a long time that see diamonds for the sham that they are. When you're younger - especially a young woman - the "rock" has a much more important meaning. It's shallow, but focusing on material things which ultimately mean nothing in a marriage is understandable at that age.

Give us young guys some credit.

I'm not that old (43) and have only been married for 13 years. However, I can sure say for certain that the true "symbol" of lasting love is not some rock.

It is doing the dishes after dinner, after pouring her a glass of wine and escorting her to the couch. It's cooking dinner for the family without being asked. You don't "tell" her that you love and appreciate her. You show her. Don't buy her a Valentine card or candy. Help the kids make the cards and bake some goodies. It's a time investment.

If a woman is concerned with the monetary value of a gift, your marraige is all but done before it gets started. At the very least, it will be a pale shadow of what CAN exist between two people that know what it means to have and be a good partner. And I feel sorry for anybody who misses out on that.

And hell, we can even assign a monetary value to the time investment. My employer pays me X in exchange for a minimum of 40 hours a week for at least 49 weeks a year.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:39:15 AM EDT

[#24]

Lol my wides ring was $150. It is an antique, bought at an antique dealer. It had never been worn, or worn very little. Diamond is on the smallish side but it included the engagement ring and wedding band. You should see what people are pawning or selling on Craigslist. Meet them at a jeweler and make sure it is a real diamond. Come on man it is an investment in your future, why does it matter what it will be worth? Hopefully, she will wear it until she dies and hopefully that is after you die. Because you don't want to go down the path of watching your wife die. Anyhow, ranting over.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:39:47 AM EDT

[#25]

In for the CZ fail.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:41:52 AM EDT

[#26]

Buy the CZ and don't ever mention what it is. This will be awesome, report back ASAP after proposing.

Posted: 3/8/2011 7:46:13 AM EDT

[#27]

Quoted:
Lol my wides ring was $150. It is an antique, bought at an antique dealer. It had never been worn, or worn very little. Diamond is on the smallish side but it included the engagement ring and wedding band. You should see what people are pawning or selling on Craigslist. Meet them at a jeweler and make sure it is a real diamond. Come on man it is an investment in your future, why does it matter what it will be worth? Hopefully, she will wear it until she dies and hopefully that is after you die. Because you don't want to go down the path of watching your wife die. Anyhow, ranting over.

Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile

See folks, a diamond ring need not cost 5 grand or more.

If my wife were to get hers checked out (I doubt she would), she would find it to be of near perfect quality, though it is quite small. Compare this to thinking you had something special and finding out it was a fake?

Even aside from the chance of an inspection, the idea that someone would prefer something that looks like more than it is, as opposed to something that actually is more than it looks, seems a bit odd.

I personally think big diamonds are gaudy as hell. It is the mainstream version of 20 inch rims.

Posted: 3/11/2011 7:06:25 AM EDT

[#28]

So, has anyone bought a synthetic (real) diamond? Any thoughts on that vs. a mined, natural diamond?

Posted: 3/11/2011 7:48:42 AM EDT

[#29]

Quoted:
Dont buy into the diamond market is a scam or blood diamond shit. It is perpetuated by cheapskates. 99% of women want a diamond and will resent you for life if you dont get them one. Its about impressing their friends. Hell I would like a diamond more if I knew it was somehow involved in a civil war or genocide. Its a cool backstory

Go ahead...feed the greatest BS marketing job in history. Diamonds are price manipulated and the diamond ring thing did not start untill the 1930s because Debeers was losing money and had to find a way to jack their prices.

Get a women with something truly valuable and rare-gold, emeralds, rubies, etc. I

If I end up single for a long time in my life because I won't pay for a worthless item that means nothing to being with a woman..so be it.

Posted: 3/11/2011 7:55:15 AM EDT

[#30]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Buy a diamond ring you can afford, don't be stupid:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

If you buy CZ you will be buying a diamond in a few years.

Yup. At some point, it's bound to happen unless she truely doesn't give a damn about a diamond. I bought my wife
a very nice designer platinum engagement ring with a 2 carat CZ in it. I proposed with that in the ring, she never knew the
difference, but I told her shortly afterwards that it was a CZ, and I wanted her in on the process of picking out a diamond
b/c I had a limited budget and she needed to decide the quality vs. size thing for herself. She appreciated it, and went
the SIZE route (same thing 95% of women will do) on the diamond.

That said, I agree... diamonds are a fucking DeBeers SCAM. If I could do it over, I'd get an artificial diamond (they were not
as available then) and be done with it.

-ZA

Posted: 3/11/2011 8:04:10 AM EDT

[#31]

Quoted:
Buy a diamond ring you can afford, don't be stupid:

They ALL want a diamond ring, WHATEVER they say.

THIS!

And if you are debating between a Diamond and a CZ, you should EJECT now and just save your self a whole lot of time and money. Buy a LaRue .308 rifle instead.

Posted: 3/11/2011 8:04:28 AM EDT

[#32]

Quoted:
So, has anyone bought a synthetic (real) diamond? Any thoughts on that vs. a mined, natural diamond?

The synthetic diamonds from Gemesis can be absolutely stunning, though they are not available in white.

The only producer of synthetic white diamonds is Apollo Diamonds (linked above), and those are by necessity on the small side (< 0.60 carats or so).

Considering that natural colored diamonds of equal quality are insanely expensive, I'd say the Gemesis diamonds are a fairly good deal. I haven't seen any prices on the Apollo diamonds, yet.

Posted: 3/11/2011 8:11:34 AM EDT

[#33]

No matter what she says you should buy a real diamond or synthetic (within your budget). Don't go with a cz.

Posted: 3/11/2011 8:42:22 AM EDT

[#34]

Quoted:

Quoted:
So, has anyone bought a synthetic (real) diamond? Any thoughts on that vs. a mined, natural diamond?

The synthetic diamonds from Gemesis can be absolutely stunning, though they are not available in white.

The only producer of synthetic white diamonds is Apollo Diamonds (linked above), and those are by necessity on the small side (< 0.60 carats or so).

Considering that natural colored diamonds of equal quality are insanely expensive, I'd say the Gemesis diamonds are a fairly good deal. I haven't seen any prices on the Apollo diamonds, yet.

Actually my research on synthetics indicated that colorless or near colorless synthetic diamonds are nearly as expensive as natural diamonds. (~10%)

Yeah the diamond cartels make the natural product overpriced, but the synthetic market is not a panacea.

Posted: 3/11/2011 9:08:04 AM EDT

[#35]

Quoted:
You and her read this story: http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1982/02/have-you-ever-tried-to-sell-a-diamond/4575/

If she still wants a diamond ring, then find a new GF/fiance.

[ETA] Seems like the size/cost of the diamond/wedding ring is only an issue with young women or newlyweds. It's a crapload of money down the tubes that can be spent on something much more useful than a glittering piece of carbon.

This.

I see no reason to buy a fake diamond either. If the real ones are a foolish investment, then why would I pay lipservice to the tomfoolery by pretending to own one to appease people I don't give a damn about?

But you will need to learn one thing right away. What she means and what you hear are not always the same thing. This phenomenon will be a recurring theme in your marriage and it won't just be about diamonds. She isn't being dishonest, as some men believe. It's just that she and you don't mean the same thing when you say things even though you both are using the same/similar words. You have to learn what SHE means when SHE says something because there's a decent chance it doesn't mean the same thing it does when YOU say it. And, realistically, you may have to learn what SHE hears when YOU say something as well. Once you realize that and come to peace with it, you'll actually enjoy how well you know her...and she'll appreciate that intimacy and the security is brings her.

Posted: 3/11/2011 9:21:35 AM EDT

[#36]

Quoted:

Are either of you Irish?

If so these are cool and not very pricey.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claddagh_ring

Those are our matching wedding bands. We ordered them from Ireland, and it was my wife's idea.

Posted: 3/11/2011 9:25:19 AM EDT

[#37]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This.

Get the real thing and forget the bling.

Better to get a smaller better quality diamond than a monstrous rock anyway.

By whose definition? What does the "better quality" do for you the minute you walk out the store? Could you sell it back for as much as what you bought it for?

There's some wisdom here.

You're always going to take a beating on the resell. It's like saying it's better to pay $100 for something instead of $10 because when I sell it I can get $50 for it instead of $5. Jewelers, just like car and gun dealers, have commercial suppliers of their wares. So they are never going to give you more than wholesale for it.

Besides, it'll never be resold by you anyway. She'll either keep it her whole life and pass it on to the kids or she'll sell it after the divorce. So you caring about the resale value of the engagement ring only matters if you choose women poorly and anticipate getting the ring back before you get married.
You'

Posted: 3/11/2011 10:12:31 AM EDT

[#38]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This.

Get the real thing and forget the bling.

Better to get a smaller better quality diamond than a monstrous rock anyway.

By whose definition? What does the "better quality" do for you the minute you walk out the store? Could you sell it back for as much as what you bought it for?

By the definition of objective qualities: Cut, Color, and Clarity. A smaller better quality diamond will look more brilliant than a larger, lower quality one. For some people, all they care about is size. Others want the best looking diamond for the money they are paying, and that means going smaller.

Posted: 3/11/2011 10:22:08 AM EDT

[#39]

Quoted:

Quoted:

This.

Get the real thing and forget the bling.

Better to get a smaller better quality diamond than a monstrous rock anyway.

By whose definition? What does the "better quality" do for you the minute you walk out the store? Could you sell it back for as much as what you bought it for?

By the definition of objective qualities: Cut, Color, and Clarity. A smaller better quality diamond will look more brilliant than a larger, lower quality one. For some people, all they care about is size. Others want the best looking diamond for the money they are paying, and that means going smaller.

Meh... the 0.68 VVS1 we got her has lasted 15 years so far and it was a mere $2800 IIRC may have been less...a lot of water under the bridge since then. A LOT of 18K gold on that ring too. That may well be worth more than the rock now. Even looking back now, I could never have lived with myself had I bought her a cubic, even if she was ok with it.

To each his own I suppose, but I still adamantly say that buying a CZ for a wedding ring is a very bad idea.

Posted: 3/11/2011 10:47:08 AM EDT

[#40]

Quoted:

Quoted:
Dont buy into the diamond market is a scam or blood diamond shit. It is perpetuated by cheapskates. 99% of women want a diamond and will resent you for life if you dont get them one. Its about impressing their friends. Hell I would like a diamond more if I knew it was somehow involved in a civil war or genocide. Its a cool backstory

Go ahead...feed the greatest BS marketing job in history. Diamonds are price manipulated and the diamond ring thing did not start untill the 1930s because Debeers was losing money and had to find a way to jack their prices.

Get a women with something truly valuable and rare-gold, emeralds, rubies, etc. I

If I end up single for a long time in my life because I won't pay for a worthless item that means nothing to being with a woman..so be it.

Their may be price manipulation, but diamond rings did not start in the 1930s. Debeers' advertising may have popularized it, but it was well established in western culture.

Posted: 3/11/2011 10:48:13 AM EDT

[#41]

This thread is full of fail.
This is (ideally) a lifetime ring and something she will wear more often than not. DON'T buy a cz. everyone can tell the difference in two weeks. Cubic zirconia is soft, and abrades very quickly compared to a diamond. You'll end up with something resembling polished shit. If considering alternatives to diamonds, corundums are a nice place to start (rubies and sapphires) they come in every color including colorless and are generally conflict free. Spinel is also a good choice. Both are a 9 on the Mohs scale.
If anyone else in here is a certified gemologist, jump in with some expertise.
JMHO and YMMV, etc.
Also, where are the pics of GF?

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Diamond or Cubic Zirconia engagement ring??? (Page 4 of 4)

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