The man does have a point, even if that top 10 list thing is awful. Atlantic Monthly did the only really comprehensive look at the diamond industry I've ever come across (in 1982!) which is available here http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/198202/diamond

Regardless I imagine Tarolisol would find himself having a nice reasoned discussion with his finance based on this and then get "I like the one on the left, get that one", just like I did. Whatever man, it's peanuts compared to the "we need a bigger house" discussion anyway. Good Luck :)

Excellent article!

A couple either buys into the social pressure of diamond ring or they don't. I haven't, in either of my two marriages. Gold wedding bands for the first, and a platinum wedding bands for the second. No diamond necklaces, bracelets, earrings, watches or anything else diamond over here.

Money that could have gone for diamond engagement rings or other diamond trinkets instead went to paying mortgages. Those were the first steps to now not having had a mortgage in over ten years :biggrin:

Social pressure aside, I like the way diamonds look and i have no problem paying for somthing I think is worth the money. My girlfriend wants one and I want her to have one. Why is gold worth so much money, or platinum because we decide it is, same with oil, gas, even water in some places. Its not that there isnt enough oil or water its that the demand for it is high and its difficult to get. Basic supply and demand. If you want to stop falling to social pressure stop driving your car.

Clearly Sean just wanted some helpful advice on buying a diamond, not history lessons or opinions on the evils of diamonds!

They're pretty.
The girls like them.
Sean's girl likes them.
Sean wants to buy one for her.

Seems pretty simple to me! And I think it's humorass that people bawk at the idea of spending thousands of dollars on an engagement ring while they spend thousands of dollars per year on reef aquariums! Priceless.

So what I'm gathering is....Birk's, Spence or Costco.

Since you brought it up, we own one vehicle. It's a 2001 Nissan Altima that has about 40,000 kms on it. Living downtown in a 1,500 sq ft condo with husband working downtown, we either walk, take a bus, or drive our car to out of the way destinations. Will probably drive that car until a good, inexpensive alternative energy car becomes available.

If you and your girlfriend are keen on a diamond ring, I say go for it. Everybody has different wants in this world. Good luck picking out that special diamond :)

You forgot a few.. :razz:

They're pretty.
The girls like them.
Sean's girl likes them.
Sean wants to buy one for her.
Sean buys one for her.
Sean's girl says yes.
Sean gets married and buys an oversized house in the suburbs with the wraparound veranda with the white picket fence and gets a dog, 2 cats and has 2.3 kids in the next couple years.
Sean also trades in his HumVee for a Ford Focus and commutes daily (yes 7 days a week) to his crummy job downtown which is 20 minutes away (but always seems to take an hour and a half in rush hour traffic) just to pay off the extravagent wedding and the oversized house and feed his family.
Sean is never the less the happiest man in the world as his girl is happy. A happy wife is a happy life.


On a serious note... Congrats Sean. Hope you have a wonderful life together. :biggrin:

Hehehehe :razz: You picked the wrong person to accuse of spending thousands of $$ per year on a reef yet skimping on engagement rings. We've got one of the lowest tech 120g mixed sps/lps/softie/bta reefs on this board. No sump, no skimmer, no fuge, no auto-top off systems, no canisters filled with chemicals, no wave thingies, no high end powerheads, no reactors of any kind. Highest tech stuff we have are a 6 stage RODI unit for use with chloramine-treated tapwater, a Hamilton MH and PC lighting system, a Pinpoint pH probe and monitor, a refractometer, alk/Mg/Ca test kits, and, oh yes, THE turkey baster :biggrin:

BTW, Sean, very best wishes for a long and happy life with your bride-to-be :)

if you want a little diamond lesson first hand stop by spence diamonds you will learn for yourself hands on with no pressure to buy.

I knew this was a dangerous statement! No, Beverly, I wasn't accusing you! I was just stating that it's generally a very expensive "hobby" :smile:

This is an interesting thread . First I think we all wish Sean well and I suppose the cardinal rule is 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder '.
I think we should be able to have an exchange of information and opinion without getting personal.
Sean did ask for help in determining ' quality and price' which ,of course opened up the debate.
I have never been one who attached any priority to the purchase of "serious " jewellery . As an earlier post suggested other demands seemed to me to be more pressing in raising a family buying a house etc.
Before reading the articles about the diamond trade I had independantly come to the opinion that diamonds are a "one way trade '. The assesments are not really of any value ( other than maybe for insurance ).
To give an example ,my partner had a diamond studded watch left to her in her mothers estate . A reputable jeweller assessed its value as $17,000.00.

Another jeweller ,again very reputable has the watch for sale at their suggested resale price of $8000.00 of which my partner will receive $4500.00 if sold . So far no takers . Ignoring the actual watch it says lot about
' quality and price' of diamonds. !

So ,for my penn'orth if you girl friend wants it and you wish to show her your feelings for her, have a great time picking the nicest one you can find and dont worry about value or quality as these are ethereal ,not quantifiable and will in all probability never be put to the test.

Wow ,that feels better :) :)

Best wishes .................Dave