What's the point of buying diamond jewellery?

[CuppaTeaJanice]

...when cubic zirconias, Swarovski crystals etc look exactly the same?

I'm sure you can tell the difference with the big rocks that some of the slebs wear, but for us mere mortals, what's the point of spending hundreds of pounds on a ring that's identical to one you can pick up for 20 quid at Argos?

Add to that the dubious pedigree of 'blood diamonds' - why do people still want the real thing?

err, because it isn't identical!

My exh bought my engagement ring from argos. Claimed it was real diamonds etc. They were teeney but you can still see the difference. CZ jsut don't sparkle in the same way.

Cos they look nice?

And you know the true value?

I have 2 diamond bits- pair of studs and a single stone necklace. Both are worth around £1K, and I love them- an d know one day my DD will get them.

whats the point of buying the real thing instead of a cheap, nasty fake ?
are you serious ?
becasue you KNOW.
My platinum eternity/wedding/ and engagement rings cost alot. why didn't I buy a cheap imitation silver plated glass thing from argos ?
i can't believe you are asking this !

I'm not massively keen on diamonds (although I would not be parted from Tiffany studs) but nor am I massively keen on fakes/ copies. Of anything.

Diamonds have an incredibly high refractive index. On a sunny day, you're eye will be pulled towards someone wearing a diamond(s) because it will glitter madly.

And, yes, they are valuable. And I guess because of the way the diamond companies don't let the market flood, they hold value over time.

But I, personally, do love fakes.

i too am not a real lover of diamonds particularly. don't like fake anything. everyone knows its fake. so what the point ?

fake .... jacket, handbag, anything. why ? whats the point ?

Oblomov, perhaps the point is that not everyone can afford the real thing? Fake diamond earrings may not have the same refractive index, but a bit of sparkle on your ears might cheer you up on a day like today.

because they are a girls best friend?

They definitely don't look the same, the fakes break quicker, the settings are cheaper so they don't last.

A cubic zirconia will not last or be as well set as a diamond one in general.

A £20 ring will not be around in 200 years, a £2000 one will be.

I like fake and real and wear both together to great affect.

brulee,i have seen some beautiful diamond earings for just over £100. That may take some saving, but is not unachievable. some go up into the hundreds. if you want something, badly, you save for it, and value the real thing, surely.

Well, I was lucky enough to inherit beautiful diamond earings and an engagement ring from my grandmother, which, in my current circumstance I wouldn't have been able to buy myself.

I'm a great believer in saving up for something you really want, but for some people diamonds are simply unattainable.

I think it's snobbery to look down on someone for their cubic zirconia

I found a platinum and diamond ring by the sinks in a public toilet once

No one ever claimes it and now it's mine - but I can't wear it because the only finger it fits on is my ring finger and people constantly ask me if I'm engaged
I don't think I'll ever flog it though, because it is so sparkly!

I have a beautiful desert diamond necklace bought in Dubai.
Everyone thinks its real.
They are cheap but not argos cheap , wish you could buy them here.

I wouldnt wear either
I associate diamonds with lots of nasty things and theyre not that much prettier than cheaper semi precious stones

Diamonds are pretty, but a lot of their value is artificially induced. Give me amethyst, cheap and cheerful

Yes, bronze, that is true. Wasn't there a big drive a while back to raise attention to the involvement of diamonds in lots of wars?

The fact is nasty things have happened and do happen in the legal and illegal efforts of those trying to make money out of all valuable natural resources - gold, oil, diamonds etc etc. Do you not use electricity either?

Diamonds are pretty and they cheer me up, particularly when they catch the light just right and that lovely blue light shines out of them.

ggirl what's a 'desert diamond'?

I love diamonds and, as previous posters have said, I will be able to pass them on to my girls. I get so many comments on my engagement ring I which I'm not sure I'd get if it was fake.

Shameless hijack: someone recently gave me some diamond earrings which she said were purchased in 1989 for $3000 (yes, US $3k). Is that even possible? Could they have been worth that much new?

They look a bit larger than usual, but I couldn't tell you if they were cz or real. The giver lectured me about never letting them out of my sight if I ever take them to be appraised or anything like that. They are 'screw-on' type earrings.

Diamond prices vary - depending on the Carat, Clarity and Cut.

The earrings you refer to above could easily have cost that.

And colour.

Lljkk, the screw on ones are often used by very expensive names, cant quite remember which but its not Cartier. Could be Tiffany ?

They are supposed to be a bit safer than conventional butterfly backs.

Mine are a kind of press on back for the same reason.

Really? $3000 in 1989? I dread to think what they might be worth now. I haven't a clue about manufacturer, though.

With inflation $3000 is about $5000 now, so what, about £3000 now? I think diamonds are one of those things you could easily pay any amount of money for. You'd have paid that for a Chanel dress then.