Diamonds

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Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,632
1,925
Looking at buying an engagement ring. Heard good things about synthetic (lab grown) diamonds. Same quality as real but much, much cheaper.

The diamond industry is one of those industries where it's really, really hard to get accurate, unbiased info since the industry itself absolutely floods the web with its own propaganda.

Anyone know anything about synthetic diamonds? Pros, cons? Good brands? Any info would be appreciated
 
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Intrinsic

Person of Whiteness
<Gold Donor>
14,140
11,461
Looking at buying an engagement ring. Heard good things about synthetic (lab grown) diamonds. Same quality as real but much, much cheaper.

The diamond industry is one of those industries where it's really, really hard to get accurate, unbiased info since the industry itself absolutely floods the web with its own propaganda.

Anyone know anything about synthetic diamonds? Pros, cons? Good brands? Any info would be appreciated

I knew I remembered a thread for this existing.


There's also a lot of information in the Marriage and Power of Divorce thread in the Grown Up forum.
 
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Arden

Blackwing Lair Raider
2,632
1,925
I knew I remembered a thread for this existing.


There's also a lot of information in the Marriage and Power of Divorce thread in the Grown Up forum.

Ah cool, thanks. Searched through product reviews for "diamonds" and didn't see anything. Should have thought about searching for "rings".

Edit: although... The most recent post from that thread is 6 years old and the lab grown diamond market has changed significantly in that time. So of anyone has up to date info lay it on me.
 
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The_Black_Log Foler

Stock Pals Senior Vice President
<Gold Donor>
42,759
39,962
Looking at buying an engagement ring. Heard good things about synthetic (lab grown) diamonds. Same quality as real but much, much cheaper.

The diamond industry is one of those industries where it's really, really hard to get accurate, unbiased info since the industry itself absolutely floods the web with its own propaganda.

Anyone know anything about synthetic diamonds? Pros, cons? Good brands? Any info would be appreciated
Meh.

Lab grown diamonds are a fad like teslas. You want a real blood diamond. I'd hit up some Jewish or Lebanese jewelers with sources in Kinshasa. Nothing says I love you like when she realizes how many lives were sacrificed for that diamond.
 
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Cybsled

Avatar of War Slayer
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Lab Grown, or "cultured diamonds", are a bit more common now in stores. If you ask, they'll let you know which brands are man-made. I think on average they'll cost you between half and 1/3rd less than a natural diamond (based on the stone alone). Chemically they are the same and they are both diamonds - it's compressed carbon, the only difference is one was made in a machine and one was mined by some poor sod in a 3rd world country.

Diamonds aren't intrinsically as valuable as their price lets on. The small diamonds you find in most rings are pretty common, but the diamond cartels have an iron grip over the market and can effectively create false scarcity, which when combined with effective advertising over the past 70+ years, lets them command high prices. The only truly valuable diamonds are the naturally occurring colored ones or the super large ones, since they are actually rare.

Of course, none of that may matter to your significant other and they may just want a diamond because "that is what is expected". But I suppose you could gain something from a non-diamond engagement ring depending on their personality and likes. Emeralds are legitimately more rare than diamonds and can be just as pricey, for instance, so if they liked green or had Irish ancestry or have a May birthday or are obsessed with the Wizard of Oz, it might go over better.

Although if they were a true nerd or budding paleontologist/Jurassic Park junkie and could actually appreciate it, then the rarest and unable to be duplicated option would be a piece of amber with a trapped life form from the dinosaur era. Unless someone builds a time machine, no machine is ever going to be able to replicate that. But it would probably take a pretty unique woman to love that lol
 

Falstaff

Ahn'Qiraj Raider
8,311
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Buy a lab diamond, save the money. No one can tell the difference.
 
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TJT

Mr. Poopybutthole
<Gold Donor>
40,693
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I paid $930 for my wife's wedding ring set in the Slavic Style. She never said a thing and is very happy with it.