Nothing says "I love you" like...

[FRED]

[Jim Nickerson]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

Nothing says "I love you" like an individual taking the time to actually speak the words, "I love you," and hopefully with heartfelt sincerity.

Like, "yeah, I love you, not get in the back seat and take off your panties."

If there is a successful advertising campaign that has hoodwinked the female public in the USA it is the diamonds are forever bullshit being equated to "eternal love." Barf!

[Tet]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

Nothing says "I love you" like an individual taking the time to actually speak the words, "I love you," and hopefully with heartfelt sincerity.

Like, "yeah, I love you, not get in the back seat and take off your panties."

If there is a successful advertising campaign that has hoodwinked the female public in the USA it is the diamonds are forever bullshit being equated to "eternal love." Barf!

I noticed Russia has agreed to bypass New Amsterdam and Tel Avi and is selling their diamonds directly to China and India. Nothing says I've got you over a barrel like a Cartel.

[Spartacus]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

GREAT POST FRED!!!!

As they say on another forum, MOD TEH PARENT UP!!!!!

Nothing says "I love you" like an individual taking the time to actually speak the words, "I love you," and hopefully with heartfelt sincerity.

Like, "yeah, I love you, not get in the back seat and take off your panties."

If there is a successful advertising campaign that has hoodwinked the female public in the USA it is the diamonds are forever bullshit being equated to "eternal love." Barf!

Or as Harlan Ellison endlessly wrote, Love ain't nothin but sex mis-spelled

[DemonD]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

I'd rather buy a pink manufactured diamond 100% perfect quality at 1/10th the price.

Diamonds are by far the absolute biggest and worst example of the emasculation of men worldwide since the year 1900.

Then again I plan on never buying a diamond because of the second biggest example of modern day emasculation: the joke that marriage has become.

[g.e.bennett]

Engagement ring ideas

I may be getting an engagement ring soon. Does anyone have any suggestions for gem/jewelry options which can act as an effective store of value, or trustworthy references where I can learn more about the subject?

Articles like Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond make me pretty dubious about the whole enterprise. I've been quietly informed by the other party that a ring is expected, however I think an unconventional ring would be well-received.

Ideas which minimize the likelihood of contributing to another man's misery would be preferred. Answers like "get a Walmart special and line the box with gold" are also welcome.

Thank you.

[Sharky]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

Of course, the DeBeers diamond cartel is a racket, rife with price-fixing and innumerable other problems. However, many people like diamonds anyway. Whether they're a good investment or not, the cartel has very successfully pumped up their image.

Regarding the "slave labor" in the OP, my questions are:

1. Do you really think those workers are there involuntarily?

2. If they weren't digging for diamonds, what else could they do that would pay as well or better?

For some reason, the idea of poor people working for low wages is anathema to most Americans. Guess what, it's a helluva lot better than starving. If there was no cartel, if prices weren't fixed, those workers might not have jobs, and if they did, their standard of living would certainly be lower. Is that what Americans are pushing on the rest of the world? Either work for high wages or starve to death? It certainly seems to be the path the US is on for itself.

[Basil]

Re: Engagement ring ideas

I may be getting an engagement ring soon. Does anyone have any suggestions for gem/jewelry options which can act as an effective store of value, or trustworthy references where I can learn more about the subject?

Articles like Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond make me pretty dubious about the whole enterprise. I've been quietly informed by the other party that a ring is expected, however I think an unconventional ring would be well-received.

Ideas which minimize the likelihood of contributing to another man's misery would be preferred. Answers like "get a Walmart special and line the box with gold" are also welcome.

Thank you.

Rubies, sapphires (which are essentially the same thing in different colors) and emeralds are the way to go, sometimes with a bit of diamond on the sides to highlight. This puts diamonds where they should be, a minor stone (really a semi-precious one in my mind) that enhances the beauty of truly precious stones. My favorite is the emerald, but they are really too soft for an engagement ring that would be worn every day.

You might want to check out how the market for rubies and sapphires is in Thailand, where they are most common. If done the right way one might be able to get a trip to Thailand and a nice sapphire for just a little more than the cost of a sapphire in the US. Columbia is the place for emeralds. I used to travel quite a bit and would pick up stones and jewelry in the places where they were cheapest. When last I was in Thailand, I managed to buy rubies and sapphires in attractive gold settings for my mother, wife and my mother in law for less than what one would have cost me in the states.

[don]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

Family Diamond Story:

Following his discharge after WW2, my Dad starts dating my Mom and they end up engaged. He gives her a diamond ring. One night out, they have a fight and as he's walking her to the door of her mother's house, where she lives, things heat up some more. My Dad asks for his ring back and he throws it as far as he can down the street. My Mom can hear it bouncing around under the intermittent streetlights. She falls apart, crying. My Dad then gives her back the ring. When she asks what happened, he says,"Do you think I'd throw that ring away after what I paid for it. That was a dime."

[bart]

Re: Engagement ring ideas

I may be getting an engagement ring soon. Does anyone have any suggestions for gem/jewelry options which can act as an effective store of value, or trustworthy references where I can learn more about the subject?

Articles like Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond make me pretty dubious about the whole enterprise. I've been quietly informed by the other party that a ring is expected, however I think an unconventional ring would be well-received.

Ideas which minimize the likelihood of contributing to another man's misery would be preferred. Answers like "get a Walmart special and line the box with gold" are also welcome.

Thank you.

I'll echo the comments about emeralds, or rubies/sapphires, but especially emeralds since the true rarity factor is much higher. I've seen wedding rings with fire opals too, even jelly fire opals. A quartz cap protects the opal from sractching.

A friend did something clever and unusual - he bought two, a real one with an nice star sapphire that she loves... and a fake one with an artificial diamond. She knew ahead of time and approved... and can wear either one as she chooses, but usually wears the fake.

[cjppjc]

Re: Engagement ring ideas

I may be getting an engagement ring soon. Does anyone have any suggestions for gem/jewelry options which can act as an effective store of value, or trustworthy references where I can learn more about the subject?

Articles like Have You Ever Tried To Sell A Diamond make me pretty dubious about the whole enterprise. I've been quietly informed by the other party that a ring is expected, however I think an unconventional ring would be well-received.

Ideas which minimize the likelihood of contributing to another man's misery would be preferred. Answers like "get a Walmart special and line the box with gold" are also welcome.

Thank you.

I think you need to come up with a better way to describe your beloved that "the other party"

[LargoWinch]

Re: Engagement ring ideas

I'll echo the comments about emeralds, or rubies/sapphires, but especially emeralds since the true rarity factor is much higher. I've seen wedding rings with fire opals too, even jelly fire opals. A quartz cap protects the opal from sractching.

A friend did something clever and unusual - he bought two, a real one with an nice star sapphire that she loves... and a fake one with an artificial diamond. She knew ahead of time and approved... and can wear either one as she chooses, but usually wears the fake.

How can you tell between natural vs. artificial emeralds?

[bart]

Re: Engagement ring ideas

How can you tell between natural vs. artificial emeralds?

Send them to a lab like GIA or EGL, even if they already have a cert.

[aaron]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

god, wouldn't it be nice to find an intelligent woman who could see through all the diamond bullshit?

But I guess that is the point... let's see how much the dumb ass will spend on something completely worthless to show his love?

Man up and tell yer fiance no. If she loves you, she'll still marry you. If not, consider yourself lucky.

--> but since you have no ******* choice in this country... go get a second-hand diamond (and you thought a car lost a lot as soon as you drove it off the lot) and stick it in a fancy setting. She might go for that. In fact, you could double the size of the diamond and probably still save money by not buying a new one. Just get her size, have her pick out what she likes, get all the details... and then explain that you have to line up the financing (or sell your stamp collection & everything else that you care about). Then hit craigslist & some pawn shops. After that, have the jeweler put it all together. Get a hold of a fake tiffany bag and you are all set! It's all a lie anyway.

[Morelia]

Re: Nothing says "I love you" like...

thanks, FRED. I'm 30 percent invested in gold at the moment...

p.s. I love you.