pantannojack
US Veteran
If she has green eyes, give her turquoise; If blue, give her opals. She should know that a 25k ring will cost her as much as it does you. I have been single 72 years.
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Lab grown diamonds?
- Thread starter Farmer17
- Start date
This could be better than tomatoes, what do I need to get started growing’em?
My wife and I got married at the age that we recognize that "sparkly" is just a waste of money. We didn't bother with an engagement ring, just went to Kohl's department store and got plain 14K gold bands. On sale at that, buy one get the second 1/2 off.
Coming up on 17 years, I say I'm still on my first wife and she says she's on her last husband.
Coming up on 17 years, I say I'm still on my first wife and she says she's on her last husband.
Saw my name mentioned, I'll post later this evening about the differences and what to look out for.
DWalt
Member
Having once done some research on the topic, I discovered that there is a ton of information concerning natural vs. lab-made diamonds, including pricing, on the internet. I advise you immerse yourself in it before making a purchase decision. Way back in the Iron Age, my wife-to-be and I shopped all the diamond dealers and pawn shops in Cleveland (there are many of them) and finally found a stone she liked at a reasonable price for us. We bought the stone, a little bigger than a half-carat, and had it set in a ring later. Unfortunately, that ring was stolen in a home burglary in the mid 1980’s, and she never replaced it.
My wife came from a very poor family, and she made no demands about the size and cost of her ring. She would have been happy with anything.
When our son got engaged, she was from a fairly well-to-do family and insisted on a huge and very expensive engagement rock (from the “family jewelers,” no less) so he went into debt and bought her one. That convinced me the marriage would have no legs. And I was right, it lasted about six years.
My wife came from a very poor family, and she made no demands about the size and cost of her ring. She would have been happy with anything.
When our son got engaged, she was from a fairly well-to-do family and insisted on a huge and very expensive engagement rock (from the “family jewelers,” no less) so he went into debt and bought her one. That convinced me the marriage would have no legs. And I was right, it lasted about six years.
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A synthetic diamond is like an Uberti Colt.
When we were married my Bride has a .35 carat engagement ring, For our 40th Anniversary she got a 1.75 carat very fine diamond. For our 50th anniversary we spent a month in Paris. She passed 10 days short of our 56th Anniversary.
The good ones are worth it.
Her granddaughter has both diamonds and loves them.
When we were married my Bride has a .35 carat engagement ring, For our 40th Anniversary she got a 1.75 carat very fine diamond. For our 50th anniversary we spent a month in Paris. She passed 10 days short of our 56th Anniversary.
The good ones are worth it.
Her granddaughter has both diamonds and loves them.
Diamonds have little to no resale value. Land does (you know that) Just sayin’…
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Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
jrm53
Member
We were in married in March of 1959, I plowed about 30 acres for a fellow and with the money he paid me we went to Overstreets jewelry in Bentonville Ar and we got a plain gold band for eight dollars and on our twenty fifth anniversary she got a 1.5 carat single stone we have been married sixty four years. Jeff
GypsmJim
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Mom met Dad at his cousins house just as the war started. Mom wrote to Dad all the time he was on sabbatical in the South Pacific. When he got back they dated and decided to marry.
Grandpa said they were too young, had zero money and needed to wait. At that time Dad had a job, but couldn't even afford to buy a car. Grandpa promised if they waited a year he would buy their furniture.
After the year, it all came to fruition. It would last 69 years. In all those years Mom only wore a very small gold band. No other ring.
Way back in 1963 when we got engaged, the "rule of thumb" for a ring was equal to one months pay. Just starting out that wasn't very much but did get a .33 caret diamond. On our 50th anniversary 8 years ago she kept the same stone but we had it reset and added an Anniversary ring of 5, .20 stones for a caret total with the original stone is 1.33 caret.
Pisgah
Member
Diamonds are the biggest hoax on the planet. Just about the most common mineral on the planet, the high prices are completely due to the monopolistic nature of the diamond trade and the DeBeers company.
1st, Be certain you are getting a Lab-created diamond.
Cubic Zirconia (CZ) is a fancy glass diamond simulant, FAKE
Moissanite is a diamond substitute, NOT a diamond.
Synthetic diamond, nope, Run Forrest, Run
Lab created diamonds are real diamonds. They are also called Lab-grown diamonds. They can be certified by the Gemology Institute of America (GIA)
This is a good information link
https://www.bluenile.com/education/diamonds/lab-grown-diamonds
Or as someone else mentioned, check the pawnshops! They can guarantee that the stones are diamonds. But not likely that they can tell you if it is a natural or lab created diamond (There is a machine that can test for the difference but it costs around $25,000)
Cubic Zirconia (CZ) is a fancy glass diamond simulant, FAKE
Moissanite is a diamond substitute, NOT a diamond.
Synthetic diamond, nope, Run Forrest, Run
Lab created diamonds are real diamonds. They are also called Lab-grown diamonds. They can be certified by the Gemology Institute of America (GIA)
This is a good information link
https://www.bluenile.com/education/diamonds/lab-grown-diamonds
Or as someone else mentioned, check the pawnshops! They can guarantee that the stones are diamonds. But not likely that they can tell you if it is a natural or lab created diamond (There is a machine that can test for the difference but it costs around $25,000)
RobertJ.
Member
I was wondering if someone was going to point this out!
They also came up with the "two months salary" thing.
StrawHat
SWCA Member
Often, you can find diamonds for sale locally. The problem is, figuring if they are real or fake. When I married the first bride, Pop gave me a diamond ring from his family. Long story short, I lost that ring.
When I remarried, I shopped around. Found a jewelry store in town (Cleveland, Ohio) that had bought a bunch of loose stones from a store that went out of business. Got a good deal on the stone, the ring and the bride. 30 years with this one.
As for size of the stone, the sales lady commented, “Diamonds are like sex, it’s never too big.” I nearly died when she said that!
Kevin
When I remarried, I shopped around. Found a jewelry store in town (Cleveland, Ohio) that had bought a bunch of loose stones from a store that went out of business. Got a good deal on the stone, the ring and the bride. 30 years with this one.
As for size of the stone, the sales lady commented, “Diamonds are like sex, it’s never too big.” I nearly died when she said that!
Kevin
Heck, do a smash-and-grab. Appears to be all the rage the days and it seems no one ever gets caught.
I agree with Rusty's suggestion to follow Pawngal's advice. Looking forward to her post.
My second son is getting close to an engagement so we've been discussing this. I sent him a recent article I read written by a gal who had, with her encouragement, received a bicycle as an engagement gift from her betrothed. So, do whatever — within reason — makes your betrothed happy.
The older I get, the less I am into folowing conventions. We're only here for a short time. If we're lucky enough to find our soulmates, we should do whatever feels right for the relationship, not what we imagine others expect of us.
(Now, having said all that, my son's fiance is an exec with a famous luxury brand, so I am pretty sure she ain't going with a bicycle!)
Best of luck, Farmer. I have enjoyed watching your relationship develop!
My second son is getting close to an engagement so we've been discussing this. I sent him a recent article I read written by a gal who had, with her encouragement, received a bicycle as an engagement gift from her betrothed. So, do whatever — within reason — makes your betrothed happy.
The older I get, the less I am into folowing conventions. We're only here for a short time. If we're lucky enough to find our soulmates, we should do whatever feels right for the relationship, not what we imagine others expect of us.
(Now, having said all that, my son's fiance is an exec with a famous luxury brand, so I am pretty sure she ain't going with a bicycle!)
Best of luck, Farmer. I have enjoyed watching your relationship develop!
There is a thriving market in used diamonds. In fact most of the diamonds you see at a jewelry store are recycled. If you took one to a pawnshop and got pennies on the dollar, that was your ignorance, not the diamonds fault. True, DeBeers does control the supply, which is why diamonds hold their value. Go to your friendly neighborhood diamond merchant and you will get a fair price. He probably has a beard and wears a prayer shawl.
Why do you think diamonds are so popular in criminal enterprises?
Why do you think diamonds are so popular in criminal enterprises?
bwade
SWCA Member
I bought an Eternity Ring that was made with Lab Created Diamonds. Very nice ring and about a 1/5 the cost of natural diamonds in lesser color and clarity. Wife is happy, but lab created diamonds look perfect and the larger, the more obvious they look too perfect. This ring has about 12 diamonds and is 2 carats in total weight. Married 33 years and counting!
For the wedding ring, I bought the wife a 1 carat solitaire and added two half carat stones to the side in a new mount a few years after we were married. The diamonds were 2nd hand and the are all D color and SI2 in clarity, but the cut was a modern cut. Vintage diamonds may have a cut that may not match modern cuts and look different. Saved over 1/2 what similar diamonds from jewelry stores or other dealers wanted.
You need to study the 4 Cs (Cut, Clarity, Carat, Color). Certified diamonds are now the norm and they have a standard market value like guns, gold, etc. Get and idea what she wants, what you think is reasonable, and surprise her. Women love good surprises!
For the wedding ring, I bought the wife a 1 carat solitaire and added two half carat stones to the side in a new mount a few years after we were married. The diamonds were 2nd hand and the are all D color and SI2 in clarity, but the cut was a modern cut. Vintage diamonds may have a cut that may not match modern cuts and look different. Saved over 1/2 what similar diamonds from jewelry stores or other dealers wanted.
You need to study the 4 Cs (Cut, Clarity, Carat, Color). Certified diamonds are now the norm and they have a standard market value like guns, gold, etc. Get and idea what she wants, what you think is reasonable, and surprise her. Women love good surprises!
Be unconventional! Forget the diamonds as there are many other gems stones out there. Look at rubies, sapphires or emeralds as a start. We both liked the colored gem stones and my wife's engagement ring was a deep blue sapphire to match her eyes. Over the years she now gotten a ruby and an emerald so she can now take her pick on what color to wear to match her outfit or mood.
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