Engagement rings

OneofOne_sl said:

I'll step back from this thread. It's obvious almost no one can actually step back and look at this whole custom in the abstract, and actually ask "how did this custom start, and how did it become part of our culture?"

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Except for you of course, because you're such a unique and special snow flake.

Aw, muffin, did my comment hurt so much that you just had to neg me?

The reason I highlighted that particular quote is because no one, not a single person, is questioning that part of the discussion. You're not some sort of fucking genius for figuring it out. What people are saying is that the same can be said for countless other aspects of our society, and the laser-like focus a few of you direct towards engagement rings is bordering on an obsession.

Someone who purchased an pricey engagement ring for their wife can be expected to defend their decision. What is bizarre is the passion displayed by those who find fault in that decision. Why the fuck do you care so much?

Deathwing_sl said:

Because they're enablers, thus continuing the trend of making it hard to find a woman that doesn't want an expensive ring.

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Every one of these no-diamond blowhards already claims to have found a woman who doesn't care about it, so what difference does it make?

Tuco_sl said:

What's funny about the 'You can't look down on someone paying for expensive jewelry because you surely do the same thing with other stuff!" is that I can't think of anything equivalent that I do.

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I, too, consider car bumpers a luxury item.

It's been quite a few years since I bought my wife's but in the end I didn't spend what i would say is a lot of cash. The bling factor had no meaning to me, I just wanted to get what i thought was the ring she would like best and she is not a huge fan of very big flashy stones - although she does love diamonds.

In the end she loved hers and mine worked out dearer since i'm such a fussy cunt and if i was wearing something for the rest of my life i wanted it to look nice to me

Vinen_sl said:

These customs are retarded and out-dated.
Groom and Bride should pay for the weddings and the parents should be left out of it.
This is what my fiance and are doing with our... /slitneck 30K wedding.
That said, I think about 1K of that is the wedding. As others have stated before... rest is reception.

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I'd agree with that, people should pay themselves with at most a minor amount from parents. We paid for our own wedding and my inlaws bought my wife her dress as sole contribution (they wouldn't back down from that)

We also didn't bother with the reception and all that shite, we decided to make the whole thing solely about ourselves so we kept it an absolute secret other than 5 or 6 relatives that were invited and did the whole thing abroad in the sun with a horribly expensive honeymoon instead (scotland + wedding = rain...). Have to say, still one of the best and most enjoyable days of my life.

Looking to get my girl a lab diamond. Recommendations on where to get it for those that have taken this course? I've seen DiamondNexus.com and Moissanite.com etc. Any personal experience here?

Big Phoenix_sl said:

Come on man just stop pointing out that logic.

The other rationalization;

But I dont care about anything else honey! This is that one thing I just have to have and cant live without I dont care about expensive makeup or handbags, just this one thing!

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You failed to read the second half of my post. If I had to do it over and it was our money, I wouldn't spend a lot of money on an engagement ring because I have a hard time justifying any frivolous spending.

And no need to preach at me...remember this is a gaming forum. Women who spend time on a forum like this aren't going to be the designer handbags and shoes type for the most part (Ravvenn being a huge exception obviously).

Ranak_sl said:

Looking to get my girl a lab diamond. Recommendations on where to get it for those that have taken this course? I've seen DiamondNexus.com and Moissanite.com etc. Any personal experience here?

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I didn't find a single dealer that made a strong argument that moissanite was a far better deal than a real diamond. Prices have come way down and I still don't see moissanite's as clear as diamonds. If it was 75% of the cost, then I would say go for them.. but you can get great deals on diamonds from local places you just have to put a little leg work and research in.

Tuco_sl said:

What's funny about the 'You can't look down on someone paying for expensive jewelry because you surely do the same thing with other stuff!" is that I can't think of anything equivalent that I do. Perhaps the closest thing is buying a $1000pc every 3 or so years, but a good computer is pretty much the center of my life, lol.

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You're a pretty unique individual, bro. And by unique I mean incredibly fucking cheap. But it's a virtue in your case. /brofist

It has nothing to do with the false equivalence of other luxury items and their cost and value/usefulness. The issue is that you have no choice.

What about a simple wedding band made of a precious and beautiful metal? Maybe that even matches the couples' personalities and you could get a nice inscription on the inside. After all the circle has symbolism itself in terms of "forever" more than the style right? Nope, has to be a diamond. How about some other gemstone? Bride's favorite precious gem, favorite color, birthstone? Recently departed loved one's birth stone? Child you already had out of wedlock's birthstone? No way, diamonds only.

What if the tradition was a wedding car. Ok, some guys can only buy a $20k car, some can afford $200k. Hey, buy her what you both agree on and can afford, I'm with you. But then what if it didn't matter how much you liked the car, or what it was worth, or how much it costs. What if the ONLY car that was acceptable to get as your wedding car was Jaguar. You could buy the most stunning Porsche that glittered in the sun and you would be called a worthless piece of shit (figuratively, at least made to feel that way) for evendaring to mention the ideaof buying something other than a Jag.

So when faced with this situation, an overly analytical guy like me says: why? And the usual answers tend to be "tradition" "diamonds are a girls best friend" "diamonds are forever" and other nonsensical tripe. Personally all my life when faced with reasons for doing something that amount to "that's just the way it is" I can't accept it, so I dig deeper if possible. Traditions in general I dislike because people tend to follow them blindly, but there can at least be semi valid sentimental and symbolic reasons for tradition that I will tolerate if not embrace.

But what you find when you dig deeper is exactly what OneOfOne has outlined. The "tradition" was wholly and totally contrived for marketing and sales purposes. The value of the stone is artificially inflated by a monopolistic industry who also sits on storehouses full of the shit, since they grabbed a stranglehold on the product in bygone days of unregulated human and legal exploitation. So much so that to flood the market with the actual product would render it worthless. What you find when you dig deeper is that the "why" of diamonds-only-nothing-else-will-do is rooted in a straight up outrightscam.

I don't know about you but when I am lured in by a scam I feel like none other than a sucker. I'm not a big fan of paying thousands of dollars in falsely inflated premiums from my everyday middle class guy salary for the privilege of being a sucker. Much less being told by people who supposedly "love me unconditionally" that only being a sucker is acceptable, no other course of action will suffice.

Ranak_sl said:

Looking to get my girl a lab diamond. Recommendations on where to get it for those that have taken this course? I've seen DiamondNexus.com and Moissanite.com etc. Any personal experience here?

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Try outhttp://www.gemesis.comreal gem quality diamonds, not moissanite, that are man made and on par or better than natural made diamonds. Everything you need to know about lab created diamonds is on the site. There is also a BBC documentary about lab created diamonds on youtube that features the CEO of gemesis and another company.

I am looking to get my girlfriend an engagement ring soon, not too sure on what to get yet. There are many options to choose from.