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The Lure of Diamonds will be around for a long time.
Back in 1976 while on vacation stopped at a Jewelry store based upon a ad I saw.
Bought a 3/4kt mans solitaire ring that was supposed to have a flaw so the price was cheap at $500.
So for years saw ring stones that appeared to be smaller then mine while being also 3/4kt....strange I thought.
Fast forward to 1994 when I had a certified gemologist check out the ring that showed NO Flaws at all while the stone was .92 points at just under one kt and was appraised at $4500. I was given a complete itemized breakdown.
Now I do understand inflation prices and all but still the Jeweler made a mistake saying the ring had a flaw. At the same time I bought a 30 power Jewelers loop which I still have today.
The ring is held in trust today by my DIL to be given to my first Grandson on his wedding day. He is also the last male from a large family tree to carry the last name....in his late 20's and still single.......don't know.
Has anyone stopped to think the idea of a fiancee buying a hunk of solid carbon for her to wear as a means of demonstrating supposed love (and of course his wealth) to her is kind of odd and ridiculous anyway? I have thought about it, and can't believe people have fallen for the DeBeers party line so long. A ring given should symbolize the uniqueness of the relationship between the couple and not involve giving a diamond just because that's the way it's supposed to be.
I agree with this sentiment. Just because "everybody does it" doesn't make it make sense. I think I would be more impressed if my guy helped me open up an investment portfolio rather than blow it on some decorative rock. Women once depended on expensive gold and jewelry because they couldn't have their own bank accounts (I think; this story is sort of a guess). It seems that she wore expensive jewels so that in case anything ever happened to the guy, she could live off of the money from selling them. Jewelry was also once used to indicate status.
Of course, now things are different. Women can own bank accounts, and there are much more valuable possessions a woman can own than jewelry. If you ask me, if a man really loves a woman, he will give her rights to his money and assets, not just some fancy rock, but I also know that we will take what we can get.
The Lure of Diamonds will be around for a long time.
Back in 1976 while on vacation stopped at a Jewelry store based upon a ad I saw.
Bought a 3/4kt mans solitaire ring that was supposed to have a flaw so the price was cheap at $500.
So for years saw ring stones that appeared to be smaller then mine while being also 3/4kt....strange I thought.
Fast forward to 1994 when I had a certified gemologist check out the ring that showed NO Flaws at all while the stone was .92 points at just under one kt and was appraised at $4500. I was given a complete itemized breakdown.
Now I do understand inflation prices and all but still the Jeweler made a mistake saying the ring had a flaw. At the same time I bought a 30 power Jewelers loop which I still have today.
The ring is held in trust today by my DIL to be given to my first Grandson on his wedding day. He is also the last male from a large family tree to carry the last name....in his late 20's and still single.......don't know.
IF you are going to buy jewelry, do it like that! It is so much more satisfying to find "hidden treasure" than to shop in a name brand jewelry store and pay thousands of dollars for something that will depreciate in value over time, IMHO.
Has anyone stopped to think the idea of a fiancee buying a hunk of solid carbon for her to wear as a means of demonstrating supposed love (and of course his wealth) to her is kind of odd and ridiculous anyway? I have thought about it, and can't believe people have fallen for the DeBeers party line so long. A ring given should symbolize the uniqueness of the relationship between the couple and not involve giving a diamond just because that's the way it's supposed to be.
The whole wedding deal is so traditional though that I think people have a harder time jumping out of the box than they do in other areas. With all the sacredness given to a wedding and marriage and worrying about what others will think and stuff, I think people play it safe rather than sorry. Plus it's more of a sacrament than interest in the object itself, so it's more about the symbolism than the real characteristics.
I'm glad to see though that more people are breaking out of the box though... If everyone has a diamond ring, no ones ring is unique.
It will always be a status symbol though, and rarity will play it's fun and games there. There are some quartz that are really cool, but people don't consider it a gem cause it's so common. Likewise olivine is one of the most common minerals on earth, but I still like that green color!
As far as hardness goes, anything above 7 should be good. Above that range you should be free from glass and steel, which are weaker. I don't know that corundum (sapphire) is really any worse than a diamond.
I don't find a natural stone to be any better than a lab grown one. It's the same deal chemically, just one doesn't have as much crap to go through to get to the store.
Some of my favorites are yellow beryl (emerald is green beryl). I love that intense bright sunny color. I love the color changers too, like alexandrite and tourmaline. I'd love to have a turquoise to green tourmaline. This might be my nerdy side, but when a mineral has a unique chemical composition like tourmaline, it makes me like it more!
Also I really like the 12 sided shapes that garnet will make naturally. It'd be really cool if there was a decent looking gem quality one, because it looks so different from other cut stones. It'd be cool to carve dice numbers into the twelve sides and have it as a ring! I could present it to my wife to be and say "Baby, just take a chance on me!!!"
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