Women's opinion: engagement ring

[ThirtySomethingDad]

I really wasn't sure which topic to post this under! I hope I'm close enough!

What do women feel about being given an engagement ring set with a lab grown diamond?

There seems to be a lot of snobbery about this, with some people even calling them fake diamonds, which they're just not - they're structurally and chemically identical and if you get a top quality lab diamond, you need special equipment to tell them apart! Seems to me that all you're paying extra for is the length of time it took to make. But I'm a man, what do I know?!

I can afford a natural diamond but my partner isn't remotely materialistic.

What would be your personal feelings?

Have you considered a Moissanite? They're 9.5 on the hardness scale (diamonds are 10) so they'll last generations. They refract light 2X whereas diamonds refract light 1X, so they sparkle more.

I bought a 4 carat (equivalent) Moissanite from a lab in China online, took it to Colombia and had it made into a beautiful ring with 18 carat Colombian gold. All up it cost me just under USD$1,000.

I love it.

If she likes bling then you could look into Moissanites. Even more affordable than lab grown diamonds, more ethical than natural diamonds, looks better and will last forever. They do take a lot of energy to make though, so not exactly environmentally friendly.

I wouldn't want to wear a diamond at all because of the poor ethics of the industry.

A lab one is better ethically, but honestly I'd prefer something else.

Hopefully anyone proposing to be would know me well enough to know that though!

If you're my dp, I'd be happy with a haribo ring after all this time.... <Stare>

If it's not about the cost, why not make the proposal REALLY special, or whisk her off for a fancy week end away. Or put the extra ££ in the wedding fund?

I’d be disappointed with a fake diamond tbh, and if they didn’t grow naturally, they are fake. I’d much rather have a smaller real diamond or a vintage ring.