diamonds are so pointless

I have a big diamond solitaire with a Gem certificate and love it every day - can basically claim it's vintage because that seems to give carte Blanche.

A fake diamond is made from something that isn’t diamond. A lab grown diamond is as much a diamond as one that comes out of a mine.

Really? I always think of them as fake.

I love opals, jade and amber but for some reason I totally forgot this when it was time to buy my engagement ring, and now have a very classic, traditional (and boring) diamond solitaire. I think I got fooled by the marketing and the only thing I was thinking about was how big a stone we could manage to get. Silly now, but I was so excited at the time. I never wear it, or any other rings (I eventually bought the opal ring some years later). It was definitely a rite of passage - exactly like the De Beers strategy.

I love them & I rarely wear jewellery, I inherited my mams engagement ring & was engaged once before & they are both beautiful but they are sitting here in my room in her jewellery box, I sometimes go down rabbit holes about various celebrities diamonds

I was thinking this at the sight of king Charles in his crown at the opening of parliament. So much pomp about having sparkly stones on your head.

Because they’re chemically identical. They’re both diamonds. ‘Real’ is meaningless. A diamond’s a diamond.

How can a diamond constructed in a lab be a real diamond?

Stones can be tested to Tell if they're real or fake.

@FinalCeleryScheme
But you couldn’t possibly know what’s mined and what’s manufactured. You have only the dealer’s word for it, and even if that’s given honestly the dealer can’t be sure

You can be 100% sure if you are prepared to pay. Diavik Diamonds (RioTinto) or 'Diamonds De Canada' Polar Bear diamonds that are mined and cut in Canada and contain a teeny laser cut polar bear logo engraved within them are both examples of guaranteed ethical diamonds.

Sphene is beautiful ❤️

@DancingPhantomsOnTheTerrace ahh, sorry. I didn't mean to 'at' you. I meant to 'at' the OP.

I think you’re a hypocrite. The minerals needed for whatever device you’re using to post this crap is far more harmful to the planet than the mining of diamonds. And your post reeks of sour grapes !!

@anothervoice

I love my crystals too, have them all over the house, as well as on jewellery.

I do have a diamond ring that my mother gave me. I treasure it as she's passed over.

My engagement and wedding ring are both black diamond. To me they are beautiful, I chose them both.

Did you mean to quote me? I said that criticism of diamonds as "pointless" was odd, because so many things are ultimately pointless if you're going to look at it that way. There's no more of a point to sapphire or emeralds, or any jewellery really, beyond beauty and sentiment, but that applies to diamonds as well.
My point was that if you think diamonds are pointless, why single them out above anything else that has similar qualities.

Haven't read all the posts all though tbf some are rather long 🤔

I absolutely LOVE my diamonds. Most are 100% ethical diamonds and I know where they were mined. The other ones were sold as ethical diamonds but I can't know for sure that they are. Hopefully they are. I haven't any lab grown diamonds but I might get one. It would be a great big solitaire. If they were around when I bought my diamonds then I would have chosen Lab grown ones I think.

My diamonds have continually given me pleasure ever since I bought them. I keep them sparkling clean so they always look beautiful. I love it when I'm driving and the sunshine catches in my ring or pendant and the car is filled with little rainbows. I love other types of gem stones too.

I also love the fact my diamonds are so strong. I rarely take them off and will garden and DIY with them on.

@DancingPhantomsOnTheTerrace. What else do you consider pointless? Art? fashion? having a nice hair cut or getting your nails done? Do you wear any jewellery?

I don't need a man to pay for me as, like many women, I take pride in being able to earn enough money to buy my own jewellery isn't there a word for women who service men for money?

I buy myself jewellery on a regular basis, but have got into the habit of buying a special piece for big events in my life. My antique art nouveau diamond ring was bought when I was given the all clear from cancer. It is now my engagement ring, not because my partner is cheap, but because I love that ring and don't want another on that finger.
I also have a large and utterly gorgeous opal ring that my partner bought me for my 50th and when I was promoted to consultant I bought myself a pair of diamond earrings.
I don't come from the sort of family where jewellery is inherited, but that's fine because I like being able to buy my own and love the fact that there is a very personal story behind every piece.

It's not so much about the cost of the ring, it's about the thoughtfulness. It's about the investment in something you'll care about. Because people can comment what they want, but I have never seen a man who like "oh, I can't afford a nice ring' put together a thoughtful proposal. Those two things typically go hand in hand.

But this is saying that someone who is poor, and therefore quite literally cannot afford an expensive ring, is not capable of being a good partner.
He may not be a partner you would want (fine, fair enough), but he's not automatically incapable of being thoughtful.
I've also seen some very thoughtless men chuck a big diamond around because in their head that meant they didn't have to put any thoughtful effort in - she had the diamond, what else does she want??

What's interesting is that you all understand that money is synonymous with the value of something in every other context. You understand that when your boss says 'we're like a family here so I shouldn't have to pay you overtime or promote you' that the person is trying to bs you and take advantage, but when a man says it you all eat it up like candy. It's nonsense to me.

Whatever man convinced you all that poverty and struggle love was synonymous with true love, that man I hope is somewhere running a multinational public relations corporation because he is a genius. You all act like no one can be in true love if there's money involved and that's just not true.

No we're not acting like that at all! I haven't 'eaten up' some PR bollocks. What on earth is making you think that those of us who don't agree with your 'It's important to purchase a woman by giving her a big ring' theory are living in poverty? Do you really think that men who buy very expensive rings necessarily treat their wives better? Do you really not understand that lots of women have careers they enjoy and husbands who are happy to be equal partners? Your attitude is baffling.

Different people have different values and different views over what is important in life. Diamonds may have materialistic value, but if that is all anyone values; if that is how they measure 'love', they may be materialistically rich, but there is also a sense of poverty.

A diamond is graded by its colour, clarity and cut. The best white diamond will have a bluish tint, but if you look into the facets, you will see every colour around you reflected in there. I think ‘D’ is the best colour grade? In terms of clarity, it’s a rare diamond indeed that has no inclusions, even under a microscope. I think that would be classed as VS1 or VVS1? A diamond expert must know the difference surely, if lab diamonds have no natural microscopic inclusions?

That’s not what dealers and jewellers say.

I think that's a myth that dealers can't tell lab grown diamonds. Natural diamonds have inclusions which in a good quality stone can only be seen under magnification. It's an incredibly rare & enormously expensive natural diamond that has absolutely no inclusions.

Lab grown diamonds don't have them so they're identifiable by dealers / jewellers who look

I can understand the ‘authenticity’ argument about diamonds with stones that have known provenance - like inherited pieces, but that’s really about the people who came before, not the diamond.

I’m very dubious that anyone could tell what was lab-made though. Dealers admit they can’t.