diamonds are so pointless

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why are they valued so highly? Because they look nice? Other things look nice without the price tag, and without the massive industrial scale mining, and human cost of lives spent in mines.

Do you wear them? Why? Do you think this is a sexist issue? men mostly mine them and women mostly wear them. Why do so many millions of man hours go into something to adorn women?

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

Sphene is beautiful ❤️

@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.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.

Really? I always think of them as fake.

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.

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.

Not exactly. The conditions under which diamonds are created naturally are recreated in the lab. Except that it takes a few months rather than millions of years. There is a significant difference in price, reflecting the difference between a lab grown and a naturally occurring one - they are not so chemically identical that a jeweller cannot tell the difference. And unlike natural mined diamonds they depreciate in value because they’re readily available. You may also have difficulty insuring them as stand alone items on home insurance policies. Then there’s the ethical dilemma of taking away the income generated in third world countries by the diamond industry.

I’m afraid it isn’t. A jeweller can tell the difference, which immediately tells you it isn’t the same. and a real diamond is a natural stone created over millions of years, a fake one, is one man made in a short time frame, so the cost reflects this.

Why do engagement rings need to be " substantially expensive?"
Mine is stunning and was £40 from Greece. Silver and opal. Im not to be bought and if I lost it , it would be awful.

I think the best use for diamonds is a cutting tool....hardest material on earth right?

I do love sparkly stones such as crystals but I know they are mined so it takes the shine off somewhat.

And as for engagement ring maths...lol!
I'd rather go into marriage not being in debt than blow it all on a silly diamond. Didn't marry a super rich man but he pulls his weight. Proud to have "calloused hands" from working...some of us like to contribute to society outside the home.
I'd hate to be part of the tennis club set.

The price is different because the mined diamond market is rigged. It’s also partly artificial because of the success of the ‘a diamond is forever’ persuasion.

Jewellers cannot tell them apart. That’s not true.

I’ve never heard of insurance difficulties. But if they do exist it’s because, again, the mined market is artificial: the insurer would be reflecting a difference in value that’s unreal.

The ethics do not favour diamond mining!

If history matters - like buying a gem owned by a monarch or a film star - you’re out of the precious stones market and into the auction house memorabilia market, along with dresses, guitars, medals and the like. If the setting is important, that’s the craft, not the stone.

If you think indistinguishable diamonds are worse because they’re not part of a bogus market, more fool you. All diamonds are readily available: they can be made in a lab.

You can play tennis, have a diamond ring and work hard doing manual work, plenty off people do. 🤔

I'd say a diamond ring isn't a bad choice for a manual worker as it can be far more durable than other jewellery. I almost never take mine off. It's platinum and designed to be strong.

Going into debt for jewellery is daft though.

See my answer to Lovelysausagedog.

Jewellers cannot tell mined and lab diamonds apart.

The diamond industry and price of diamonds is fascinating. I'm glad I never considered the ones I bought as an investment. I bought them because they are so pretty. I value the origin of my diamonds (Australian and Canadian) but I would have chosen lab grown if they were an option at the time.

Diamonds are crystalline carbon with their atoms in a particular lattice . If it's crystalline carbon in that form then it's a real diamond, no matter how it was created.

However, I like the sentimental appeal of naturally grown diamonds - it's like preferring to own a prop that was actually used on screen in my favourite movie rather than an identical replica made at the same time in the same factory. Both are physically the same, but one has a history that appeals to me.

I like second hand/antique diamonds - both to sidestep the ethical conundrums and because of the additional history. After all the indestructibility is the whole point of diamonds. That's why De Beers had to work so hard to establish the appeal of new rings that you keep and never sell, because a good second hand market would be disastrous.

@FinalCeleryScheme
Jewellers cannot tell mined and lab diamonds apart

You average high street Jewellers might not be able to but, if you have the right equipment and training you can. It's a changing science though as the science behind the manufacture and testing of lab grown diamonds develops.

People mistakenly think diamond rings are an investment but the resale value of a new diamond ring is a fraction of what you pay for it. The value of diamonds also reduces every year because of the rise in lab grown stones.

I think it's a shame so much money is wasted on this, especially considering the environmental impact, but I feel the same about sports cars. If you want to spend your money on that then more fool you I guess.

It is just how historically rich people used gold, precious stones and various minerals of lower value to keep and store wealth, rather than just giving them to women to wear