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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think diamonds are horrible unless you spend about £5,000

72 replies

SomeGuy · 30/07/2010 19:55

My DW said she would like 'a bracelet' for her birthday.

So I went to the jewellers and had a look, they showed me various things for hundreds of a pounds with perhaps a single diamond in. I said 'how about that one', pointing to the diamond tennis bracelet. 'That is £5,025' The one next to it was £10k. 'We do have one at £2,500'. So they got it out, but the diamonds were so ridiculously small they didn't really sparkle at all.

So I left and went to Swarovski and bought a nicer looking bracelet for £70. Not diamonds of course, but it seems a bit ridiculous that the only nice looking jewellery wih actual jewels in cost thousands of pounds as a minimum - you could buy half-a-dozen designer handbags, which would make far more of an impression for the money.

OP posts:
poshsinglemum · 30/07/2010 20:01

YANBU- the bigger the better! Although Hot Diamonds tiny tiny diamonds set in silver are very sweet and a snip!

FakePlasticTrees · 30/07/2010 20:02

YABU - tennis bracelets have a lot of diamonds in them, so are far more expensive than other forms of jewelry.

did it have to be diamond bracelet? A couple of hundred could buy you a very nice platinum one. (or gold depending on what she normally wears)

Or a very nice amber bracelet...

Blahrahrah · 30/07/2010 20:02

YABU - I have a single carat diamond in my engagement ring. And I love it. And I think it is beautiful. Tis all about the meaning not the size.

BusyMissIzzy · 30/07/2010 20:03

I can see your point about a bracelet though, as it would probably need diamonds all the way round, hence lots of diamonds, so mucho cash (or teeny diamonds).

theskiinggardener · 30/07/2010 20:06

Diamond rings are much more bang for your buck because they require one diamond to look good, tennis bracelets require lots of the things.

A single diamond set beautifully into a ring or necklace can be stunning, for a lot less than £5k

That doesn't mean I wouldn't like the tennis bracelet though

pippylongstockings · 30/07/2010 20:08

Yes, I agree it is the meaning not the size.....

I desired a diamond gift for giving birth - but the look on my DH face when holding his son was priceless!!!! never got a ruddy diamond though.....

MrsC2010 · 30/07/2010 20:18

YABU, my enagagement ring 'only' cost around £4k, but it is a .75carat absolutely flawless diamond with the most amazing sparkle. It is genuinely beautiful and suits me far more than anything larger due to my bone structure etc. (And I hate anything too flashy.) But it is the quality of the diamond that counts, not the size...and that does affect the price.

eatyourveg · 30/07/2010 20:19

Never understood the precious stones thing at all - sorry diamonds are certainly not my best friend much to my dh's delight. I assume you like the £70 bracelet?

gingernutlover · 30/07/2010 20:26

I have a wedding ring, an engagement ring and an eternity ring. The latter 2 both have diamonds. All three rings cost about £700. I love them. The diamonds are tiny but I dont care, they still twinkle in the right light

Hope your wife likes the bracelet. £10,000 on a sparkly bracelet sounds absolutely ridiculous!

brimfull · 30/07/2010 20:28

Auction house is best place to get jewels imo.

Blahrahrah · 30/07/2010 20:28

Thinking about this a little more, and TBH, I would rather a flower my Dh picked on the way home from work from a garden than a flashy ring any day. SHows he was thinking of me and it is the little things that count. But then again I have never really 'got' the whole jewellery thing. (Or flashy cares, designer clothes, 5 star hotels or makeup. A simple tastes girl, me!)

AnitaBush · 30/07/2010 20:30

WTF is a tennis bracelet?

Sport specific jewellery??

AnnoyingOrange · 30/07/2010 20:32

lol Anita - I just googled tennis bracelet to find out

WidowWadman · 30/07/2010 20:33

My wedding ring has a diamond, was custom made and cost only about 350 quid (silver band). I love it.

Original poster
SomeGuy · 30/07/2010 20:47

tennis bracelet is just a bracelet with diamonds all the way round.

I must admit I might have been looking in the wrong places - H Samuel etc. had lots of mass-produced looking stuff and then the independent places had some lovely ruby, sapphire, etc. rings but they were £2k++.

Pawnbroker might be the place to go I suppose.

OP posts:
MissBonpoint · 30/07/2010 20:56

SomeGuy - I hope you kept the receipt!

I agree there's nothing sadder than teeny tiny diamonds, better to have no diamonds! That said, I disagree about the 'designer handbag' comment. I think it's so boring to see women parading their 'It' handbags like teenagers with their sneakers (is that still a thing?). I have no desire for a Birkin bag & usually when I see a woman carrying one it's such an intentional display of wealth I can't help but feel put off. There's no style there.

Original poster
SomeGuy · 30/07/2010 21:15

well a birkin bag costs about £10k, you don't need to spend anything like that to get a 'designer' handbag.

OP posts:
lovely74 · 30/07/2010 21:31

Oh I'm such a snob but I love the huge rings in Elizabeth Duke that have about 100 tiny specks of diamonds and are sold as 1 caret for about £200. Why oh why would people want these???? You can by gorgeous unique jewellry for any budget if you look in the right places. You don't need loads of cash, just some style!

Original poster
SomeGuy · 30/07/2010 21:57

no no, this is pure class [http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002451&langId=- 1&searchTerms=2323259]

OP posts:
Original poster
SomeGuy · 30/07/2010 21:57

www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=1500002451&langId=-1&search Terms=2323259

OP posts:
lovely74 · 30/07/2010 23:42

Ooooh I love that!

When my DS has kids I want them to buy me a big gold signet ring that says "GRAN"

[runs for cover]

jesuswhatnext · 30/07/2010 23:51

look for antique jewellery, you get some fantastic prices on old cut diamonds, the older setting are rather nice too.

draftywindows · 30/07/2010 23:59

I have a stunning antique diamond ring that I bought myself , it cost much less than £5K.

I think jewellery from H Samuel is horrible, tthat may have been your problem rather than a spending limit.

Original poster
SomeGuy · 31/07/2010 00:09

I think those 'GRAN' rings are designed so that when you punch people in a bar brawl, it leaves your mark on their forehead.

OP posts:
verylittlecarrot · 31/07/2010 00:55

I bought myself a diamond tennis bracelet to wear on my wedding day. It is spectacular. I specified the diamonds I wanted, (number, colour, weight, clarity) and MOST importantly - CUT, by which I mean, not the shape (brilliant round) but the actual angles and proportions of the diamonds which ensure that the light is perfectly reflected and refracted, resulting in maximum sparkle, fire and colour.

Then I asked for the diamonds to be mounted in a specific way (three prongs, white gold) and all this was arranged over tinternet, as I was buying from the USA, so I never saw the bracelet until it arrived. I spent quite some time becoming a diamond geek, hanging out on forums, learning.

I pretty much designed the bracelet to get exactly what I wanted. And, gosh, it felt hugely exciting to do something like that for myself (had money back then, and no children etc) and when I wear the bracelet I get such a thrill.

Oh, and it was soooo much less than £5k, too. The exchange rate was pretty good, which helped.

So YABU, sorry! If you really want diamonds, do some homework and you can have something superb and dazzling for far less than £5k. Definitely not horrible, IMO!