diamonds are so pointless

I think your logic’s a bit skewed.

Made me laugh though.

Some gemmologist (IIRC) said that gems are the only thing people mine from the earth and make more beautiful, which I think is probably about right.

Engagement ring maths.

A lot of men act like a woman asking for a nice ring makes her some kind of gold digger, but let's look at who is really looking to benefit from this transaction. Even if a man got you a £10,000. Over the course of a year that would mean your ring was only worth £27 a day. And in exchange for £27 symbol of love most men are looking to secure a fulltime maid, cook, cleaner, secretary, nanny, surrogant, sex worker, chauffeur, cheerleader, and so much more. If he actually had to pay people to do all the work he's going to expect his wife to do in exchange for this one time ring transaction, it would equate to hundreds of thousands of pounds per year.

So he's already getting a bargain, even if he only spends 10 grand on the ring, but if he tries to palm you off with some cheap dust ring what's really happening is this ring worth £200 is really worth a one pound. If he saves a pound every day for a year, he can afford this ring and secure the services of some person who doesn't know their worth.

Talk about gold digging, right? This man is looking to recieve hundreds of thousands per year in free services for the low low price of £1 a day. And that's just over the first year. Over the course of a marriage, you are worth less than a penny a day.

Men like to say that the price of the ring doesn't determine the marriage. I disagree. People invest in what they care about. When you see a big old rock on a woman's hand, it is never a hand with snagged cuticles and fucked up nails. Because the woman who's hand it is on is being well taken care of. It is never on the hand of a woman who has had to scrub and wash and be busted down because she has someone who is taking care of her, who wanted to elevate her and treat her well. Give her the best.

Things only have the value people are prepared to pay for them. It's all emperor's new clothes with any 'desirable/expensive object.
Some pay over a thousand quid for a pair of red-soled shoes
Some pay 450 grand for a 'limited edition' car
Some pay 300 million for a da Vinci

So, diamonds may have no intrinsic value, but the fact that a carbonised mass of dust and other shit can be cut, polished and valued at a price beyond reason, is the fault of society, particularly those prepared to pay

There's many more interesting stones out there; demantoid garnet, opal, sphene/titanite, zircon, cats eye chrysoberyl, alexandrite, tanzanite.

Sphene and zircon have higher dispersion than diamond. Alexandrite is differently coloured in natural light or candle light.
My engagement ring is sphene

I love my diamond rings but they are secondhand and one of them, art deco style, was inherited. It was already secondhand when it was purchased by my family member. No guilt at all but I wouldn't buy another and certainly not new.

Why?

Thank you. I can understand that.

I suppose I just feel the same about cheap stones - even polished rocks - that you can look at and think “wow, that came out of a volcano hundreds of thousands of years ago” or whatever. That it’s a diamond I don’t think makes me any more in awe of it. But, as I say, I get your point.

Iolite is a beautiful stone. I have a sapphire with small side diamonds.

There are so many beautiful stones, I can't see the attraction of a basically clear stone, they have never been my thing at all. My engagement ring was an iolite, which was stunning. I sold it to pay legal fees when divorcing.

I prefer antique and vintage rings now

I have a couple of small ones in jewellery. My earrings, engagement ring and a necklace all from my husband. They hold their value as they will not get damaged. Which I think is the appeal!

Diamonds have been cherished since ancient times, I love a beautiful diamond and most other precious stones. I don't want to be dripping in them, but I do love them. I can't get intetested in shoes, handbags, cars ,getting my nails done, cosmetics etc. We all like different things. Most choices have an environmental and ethical impact .

I have no interest in lab grown stones anymore than I have in lab grown fake meat etc

I suggested alternative stones to my dh as I knew he had a small budget but he was set on diamonds and found an amazing deal on a stunning ring. I'd much rather have my "small" natural stone. Hard to explain why.

I don't care about diamonds specifically, but I do think engagement rings need to be substantially expensive.

why are they valued so highly?

Because humans are easily manipulated.

Not the person you asked, but I guess it's just the idea that a rare beautiful stone grew in nature under an incredibly long period of time, under special circumstances. However I know that diamonds aren't rare and I do find them a bit boring. That is just my silly romantic opinion.

However I'm more interested in the design of the piece rather than big blingy stones.

I have lab diamonds and non conflict diamonds. I love them and don't know why. Always have always will.

I love wearing my mother's eternity ring, my sister's brandy-coloured diamond solitaire surrounded by 9 diamonds and the more modern diamond hoop I bought with an inheritance. All second-hand, all exquisitely set and very sparkly. Oh and my godmother's diamond studs. They give me great pleasure and, apart from the eternity ring bought by my father, bought by women for themselves.

You can say this about any jewellery. It's all pointless ultimately.

I love antique jewellery particularly diamonds but have never bought new
I like the sparkle and enjoy wearing them, I imagine who might have owned them in the past too

Why? I perfectly accept the point of view, but if the quality and cut are as good, what is that makes mined diamonds special, in your opinion?

(I’m not angling at an ethical debate; that’s something else entirely.)

I have zero interest in lab grown stones & would never want one.

Lab grown diamonds aren’t free of environmental impact though - they take huge amounts or water and energy to produce. Wear or don’t wear but don’t kid yourself that one is somehow more ethical unless you measure all the inputs.

I wear ethically sourced diamonds in hand made rings. Made by a renowned jeweller. I adore them. They bring me immense joy every single day. I have no guilt about wanting them, wearing them & enjoying them. My three rings (engagement, wedding & eternity) all have high quality diamonds & have a very high value.

They were bought by my husband without debt. We can afford them. I wear them they don't sit in a jewellery box.

Some people buy high end cars & handbags. I'm less interested in these but I adore good jewellery, in particular diamonds, emeralds & rubies.