Do you care about diamonds?

raresbears, 10 months ago

Diamond is kind of a boring gem anyway imo, I’d prefer something with more colour

luthis, 10 months ago

Like opals, those are way better

CifrareVerba, 10 months ago

I concur.

Ruby, Sapphire, Topaz and Peridot I find very beautiful. Diamonds are neat, and I think the appeal of them is just the refraction of light (hence the shining rainbow effect) + hive mind.

Like, even Obsidian is beautiful and comes in colors other than black, and it doesn’t get the same love.

fratermus, 10 months ago

A recent ad for a “sell your ring” service uses the tagline “Get What You’re Worth”, which suggests how deeply the diamond brainworms are embedded in American culture.

Eisenhower warned us about the engagement-wedding-kids-mortgage-divorce-childsupport-legal-industrial complex, but did we listen? Noooooooooooo

Mugmoor, 10 months ago

Marriage is a silly concept to begin with. Engagement rings doubly so.

fearout, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

As someone who works in jewelry design, moissanite is far superior to diamond anyway.

• Very similar hardness (9.25+ vs 10), but lower value makes moissanite a bit less brittle, less prone to chipping and more durable overall
• Higher refractive index (2.65–2.69 vs 2.42), which gives moissanite more brilliance and sparkle compared to diamonds
• Lower Abbe number. It means that moissanite tends to disperse light into colors more than diamond, giving moissanite more fiery or rainbow colors
• Usually lab-produced, so much more ethical in general, and much higher clarity on average
• It’s waaay cheaper

So for anyone going for a diamond ring, I suggest trying moissanite instead. The only thing that diamond has going for it in this comparison is just decades-long PR. It’s not even a fun gem chemistry-wise, it’s just carbon. Moissanite, on the other hand, is SiC :)

MajorMajormajormajor, 10 months ago

Moissanite was an easy sell to the wife when I showed the size of diamond I could afford compared to the size of moissanite I could afford. The fact it’s brighter, more colourful, and nobody died to get it were all perks. It’s held up great over the years too, unlike some of the other gemstones with lower hardness.

fearout, 10 months ago (edited 10 months ago)

Here, I assembled a comparison image. They're pretty similar in normal light, but moissanite shines like a motherfucker :)

boopdepop, 10 months ago

I think you forgot to attach the image

fearout, 10 months ago

No, it’s attached. I’m on kbin though, so it’s probably some inter-instance communication issue. Added a link to it in the body.

aJazzyFeel, 10 months ago

I expect some sort of ring, yes. Diamond though? please no! i prefer zirconia or black materials, even getting a tattoo sounds more intriguing. i told my partner that even a ring made of bubble gum wrapper would do. in terms of jewelry i own zirconia and nobody bats an eye, so why would i care either.

and yes, I’ve dated expensive, received expensive and bought expensive in the past. for my skin tone, mossanite and rose gold are far superior to diamonds and gold jewelry. it’s about being flattering after all.

livus, 10 months ago

I mean I care about diamonds insofar as conflict diamonds and diamond mining are a scourge and I wish they would end.

That's about it. It's a little piece of rock.

stappern, 10 months ago

You have to be brainwashed to think a diamond is a good purchase

red, 10 months ago

Americans have entered the chat

stappern, 10 months ago

??

taladar, 10 months ago

Diamonds seem very much a part of the Relationship Escalator in the US. The fact that marketing has managed to insert it there doesn’t mean that it is meaningful to you though.

NeoLikesLemmy, 10 months ago

Tell me that you have never ever spent a year’s salary for such a present made out of crystal & metal, without telling me that… :-)

luthis, 10 months ago

You would be right!