“Diamonds are a girl’s best friend,” said the iconic Marilyn Monroe, but millennials, apparently, prefer having food on the table and their taxes paid. While everyone seems to blame the Generation Y for “killing” industry after industry, when it comes to expensive gemstones, it all makes sense. Research shows that millennials tend to marry later in life than their parents and grandparents. They are also more focused on prioritizing their finances, as well as the ethical problems that come from the industry. It all began in the 1930’s as a genius marketing campaign, but when you look into it, are diamonds really worth it?
Image credits: ilovebutter
This former Jewelry salesperson has a pro-tip for those of you who want to avoid the diamond scam, but for some reason want to keep the illusion that you haven’t
Here’s what people had to say
So ladies be honest, Who would be upset if your engagement ring wasn't a real diamond? Does it matter or not?
i couldn'T care less. tbh my boyfriend and i plan on getting married within the next 2 years and i told him we share the costs for the rings and : no Diamonds, no Gold and all that other overpriced c**p. we want some simple, silver rings with some runes on it. that's it. as long as it comes from him it could also be a plastic ring from a 5 cent bubblegum machine.
Load More Replies...
Pretty sure this is a re-post....saw this like two years ago on BoredPanda
This article: https://www.boredpanda.com/millennials-not-buying-diamonds-white-sapphires/
Load More Replies...
I've worked as a fine jeweler for many years in the past (talk about stressful...holding that much money in your hands and having to hammer the settings in place...on a tight deadline-always) I agree that there are better options than diamonds and platinum for budget conscious customers... one metal that's popular is Palladium ( same color as platinum- fraction of the price) and for white stones people can also try Moissanite , which is white( very light green tinge) and sparkly. There's nothing that says an engagement ring has to be expensive - it simply should be an expression of your love and commitment. However if you do want to spend $$, DON'T go to Kay/Jared etc! Their work is known for its poor quality
I'm not a professional but I can definitely notice a difference between diamonds and white sapphires. They do not sparkle like a diamond does, not even close. There's nothing wrong with wanting a diamond ring, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to spend a ton of cash on a diamond either, but don't go about spewing lies that they look the same cause they don't. My brother got his gf a white sapphire engagement ring and I knew right away it wasn't a diamond, no sparkle.
I can tell the difference. White sapphires are lovely but they do not have the prismatic effect that genuine diamonds do. A better substitute is a lab-grown diamond, which has the same properties
I agree- there's a big difference in the light refractions- and Lab grown are great options as well
Load More Replies...
One thing... sapphires scratch, and that could be an issue. Diamonds don't scratch, that's why they are desirable
My fiancé didn't want a diamond. She wanted an aquamarine, her birthstone. I found a good aquamarine (they can be expensive!) and cast a setting in rose gold: the stone is bracketed by two anthurium flowers, and the rest of the ring is an infinity vine.
That was 30 years ago. She loves it. Photo-on-1...33907e.jpg 
That guy that said his ex expected a 10k ring: for real? For that price I could have one of those fancy hot tubs! Sweetheart, if you read this and ever consider buying me a ring, get me a hot tub instead. Propose with a hot tub and I swear I'll say yes! Ha! He could propose with a cheeseburger and I would say yes.
I don't care what the stone is (though I'd prefer a ruby), all I care about is that it's real silver or gold, so that I can actually wear the ring. I have a beautiful Claddagh ring with a pink stone (no clue what it is), set in real silver and I've worn it everyday for the last seven years.
As a teenager, I had the opportunity to dig for sapphires. One I found was an 8 caret ice blue stone that cut down to a 6 caret gem. Set in a silver ring, it's waiting for the right woman.
My wife picked out the ring that she wanted. 1.5 caret CZ stone in a white gold setting that cost us less than $200. And on those rare occasions when someone asks, "Is that real?" she answers, "Yes." It is, after all, a real CZ, and the person hasn't asked if it's a real diamond. She's happy with it and we used our money to help with the purchase of a nice house. That was twelve years ago and we're still happy.
Well my ex demanded a one carat diamond [exactly one carat] because that's what her sister got and she didn't want to feel second best.
Been married 17 years. Husband and I went shopping for an engagement ring together and I got massive sticker shock over the $200 and less rings. I had once lost a beautiful ring that was about $150. I couldn't trust myself with something that small of that monetary value again! Ended up with a piece of costume jewelry my mom had laying around. <3 Tons of compliments! Our wedding bands were $10 each from Walmart.
I've never understood the obsession with diamonds. If I had to choose a beautiful stone, it would be an opal.
Just be very careful with opals in rings- they are absolutely magical yes, but are also very soft and fragile. So, take opal rings off when washing dishes, swimming, showering, doing yard work, playing sports and doing anything else that could have the stone be abraded or exposed to corrosive chemicals. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE opals (I even freelance for an opal company, doing their goldsmithing) but opals really are best as pendants/brooches... protected from too much touch. (I'm wearing a big beautiful Ethiopian opal pendant while I'm writing this...)love them...just not for rings.
Load More Replies...
The ring my wife wanted was so cheap that I had to convince her to buy something a little bit more fancy. Neither of us wear our rings now in anycase, so I guess it didn't really matter in the end. BTW, even the more fancy ring was cheap.
what I don't understand is why you had to convince her to get a fancier ring anyway?
Load More Replies...
Getting a different stone - do whatever you want. But pick a metal stronger than silver. They tarnish in an instant, and they bend and scratch very easily. I'm a fan of white gold because if it scratches you can have it quickly (and cheaply) re-rhodium plated which makes it look absolutely brand-spankin' new.
My love gave me a strontium titanate necklace and earrings on my birthday. They sparkle even better than diamonds and everyone is just SURE they're the so-called "real thing". I don't disabuse them of the notion, just give them a Mona Lisa smile and go on.
Sapphires are NOT the second-hardest gemstone...that honor goes to MY personal favorite diamond substitute, Moissanite. While Corundum gemstones (like blue sapphire, ruby, emerald) can have a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, Moissanite beats this by 0.5 (a good moissanite stone will register about 9.5 or a bit more). Plus moissanite has a higher refractive index than both diamonds and white sapphires, so if you like sparkly things, this is the stone for you! I am in love with moissanite and have replace my wedding set with a beautiful white gold and moissanite set for much less than just my engagement ring cost. Moissanite is definitely the way to go! Yes, it's a bit more expensive than white sapphire...but holy cow, when you see the sparkle, you can't resist it!
My sister likes pink sapphire. I gave her a customized pink sapphire ring that I designed for her birthday. PicsArt_03...31af50.jpg 
Sorry, but I don't buy my wife gold plated jewelry and I would never have bought her a wedding ring with a fake diamond. I think more of her than that. Then again, I'm an old man. Perhaps if I was a millennial or biennial or whatever they call themselves I'd feel differently than that.
Diamonds are the most boring option out there, in my opinion. Give me labradorite and copper any day, or heck, even colored glass is more interesting, and vastly cheaper!
Former De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer once famously said “diamonds don’t do anything.” He also called them “intrinsically worthless.” Their meaning and value comes from the emotions that are invested in them. And De Beers has done a brilliant job of that, starting with arguably the best slogan in the history of advertising: A Diamond Is Forever. https://www.quora.com/Are-diamonds-really-a-scam-from-deBeers
This article just eliminated my yearning for "real" diamond earrings and stopped me from spending a whole lot of money. The only place I go these days is the market, and it's doubtful I'd remember to put them on before I left to shop.
When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to dig for sapphires. One that I found was an 8 caret stone that cut down to a 6 caret gem. Mounted on silver, it's waiting for the hand of the right woman.
Exactly when did the custom of the bride's parents paying the groom (dowry) to unload their daughter to get her out of the house?
I think the key here is some communication. Maybe she doesn't want a diamond, maybe she insists it's a least 3 carats, maybe she just wants a plain gold band. ASK.
Jewelry is very over priced&lets face it...Would you know what a diamond is worth really? Unless your a professional appraiser...I think a saphire would be just as nice...Sparkely things are always pretty
I am selling more large find diamonds then ever in Texas this is not a trend. Our 51st year and our best sales ever.
Diamonds are boring, I don't have them in either of my rings, I'd rather have a plane ticket to somewhere - and do! I have no interest in how much rings cost, such a waste of money to buy expensive stones.
I was really excited about lab-grown diamonds breaking the back of the diamond industry. Then I started hearing jewelry stores touting their "artisan-created diamonds" that only cost a little over half what you'd buy a mined diamond for, which is still an inflated price.
My fiancé saw me looking at moissanite rings online and asked if it was some kind of diamond. I told him I'd never wear a diamond, too much baggage (slave labor, blood diamonds, child labor, etc..). He was over the moon when I told him that they were sparklier and less expensive. I got a three stone, three carat equivalent ring for less than $1500. We're both happy with the result!
Damn I am going to get one of those big a*s sapphire thingies and marry myself right now.
Wow, there's still stupid people on the planet that doesn't know this? WTF, it's only been on the web for decades. The ENTIRE diamond industry is a scam controlled by De Beers. Diamonds are not rare, they're not valuable, and they have negative resale value. You want something that will last longer then your "love" - buy Real Estate, almost guaranteed to increase in value.
When I meet the woman who will become my wife, no engagement rings or dresses. We will get the bands and do the court house then a family/friends BBQ. Engagement rings, wedding dresses, and wedding ceremonies are the BIGGEST money racket of all time (after religion who created those rackets in the first place). Be practical and push all that money forward into investments that pay out.
I watched a couple of video's from Cody'sLab where he made a silver ring from his mine! for a quick primer check this out: https://hackaday.com/2015/12/09/cody-takes-us-from-rock-to-ring/
I know I'm conservation-obsessed and the "you must be fun at parties" type, but I swear if I'm ever proposed to I hope it's a ring bent out of an old aluminum can because mining for precious metals is so damaging to the environment.
My whole wedding cost $300 (about $600 adjusted for today's dollar, blah blah blah). Rings included. Stillllll married. We knew which mattered more. The years or the "day".
Totally all for the lab created gems, but even the picture shown, I can tell the difference between the two. On another note, when I was stationed in Europe, I learned from my German landlord, they didn't give rings for engagements. He said that you exchanged the rings when you wed, and that it was a western tradition that really started the engagement ring idea.
These comments are great! DeBeers has been manipulating the diamond market for decades. Every year changing their "must have" pieces to eliminate excess inventory. Truly, there are better ways for people to invest in their future together than by buying into the diamond fraud.
I have a friend that only accepted a ring from the man who wanted to marry her that atleast costed 10k. (it ended up being 13k). I REALLY don't understand. I would be terrified to move if I had that much money on my finger, because of the chances to lose it.. the thought alone gives me shivvers..
you assume the woman is reasonable enough to agree to this....big assumption...
So ladies be honest, Who would be upset if your engagement ring wasn't a real diamond? Does it matter or not?
i couldn'T care less. tbh my boyfriend and i plan on getting married within the next 2 years and i told him we share the costs for the rings and : no Diamonds, no Gold and all that other overpriced c**p. we want some simple, silver rings with some runes on it. that's it. as long as it comes from him it could also be a plastic ring from a 5 cent bubblegum machine.
Load More Replies... Pretty sure this is a re-post....saw this like two years ago on BoredPanda
This article: https://www.boredpanda.com/millennials-not-buying-diamonds-white-sapphires/
Load More Replies... I've worked as a fine jeweler for many years in the past (talk about stressful...holding that much money in your hands and having to hammer the settings in place...on a tight deadline-always) I agree that there are better options than diamonds and platinum for budget conscious customers... one metal that's popular is Palladium ( same color as platinum- fraction of the price) and for white stones people can also try Moissanite , which is white( very light green tinge) and sparkly. There's nothing that says an engagement ring has to be expensive - it simply should be an expression of your love and commitment. However if you do want to spend $$, DON'T go to Kay/Jared etc! Their work is known for its poor quality
I'm not a professional but I can definitely notice a difference between diamonds and white sapphires. They do not sparkle like a diamond does, not even close. There's nothing wrong with wanting a diamond ring, there's nothing wrong with not wanting to spend a ton of cash on a diamond either, but don't go about spewing lies that they look the same cause they don't. My brother got his gf a white sapphire engagement ring and I knew right away it wasn't a diamond, no sparkle.
I can tell the difference. White sapphires are lovely but they do not have the prismatic effect that genuine diamonds do. A better substitute is a lab-grown diamond, which has the same properties
I agree- there's a big difference in the light refractions- and Lab grown are great options as well
Load More Replies... One thing... sapphires scratch, and that could be an issue. Diamonds don't scratch, that's why they are desirable
My fiancé didn't want a diamond. She wanted an aquamarine, her birthstone. I found a good aquamarine (they can be expensive!) and cast a setting in rose gold: the stone is bracketed by two anthurium flowers, and the rest of the ring is an infinity vine.
That was 30 years ago. She loves it. Photo-on-1...33907e.jpg
That guy that said his ex expected a 10k ring: for real? For that price I could have one of those fancy hot tubs! Sweetheart, if you read this and ever consider buying me a ring, get me a hot tub instead. Propose with a hot tub and I swear I'll say yes! Ha! He could propose with a cheeseburger and I would say yes.
I don't care what the stone is (though I'd prefer a ruby), all I care about is that it's real silver or gold, so that I can actually wear the ring. I have a beautiful Claddagh ring with a pink stone (no clue what it is), set in real silver and I've worn it everyday for the last seven years.
As a teenager, I had the opportunity to dig for sapphires. One I found was an 8 caret ice blue stone that cut down to a 6 caret gem. Set in a silver ring, it's waiting for the right woman.
My wife picked out the ring that she wanted. 1.5 caret CZ stone in a white gold setting that cost us less than $200. And on those rare occasions when someone asks, "Is that real?" she answers, "Yes." It is, after all, a real CZ, and the person hasn't asked if it's a real diamond. She's happy with it and we used our money to help with the purchase of a nice house. That was twelve years ago and we're still happy.
Well my ex demanded a one carat diamond [exactly one carat] because that's what her sister got and she didn't want to feel second best.
Been married 17 years. Husband and I went shopping for an engagement ring together and I got massive sticker shock over the $200 and less rings. I had once lost a beautiful ring that was about $150. I couldn't trust myself with something that small of that monetary value again! Ended up with a piece of costume jewelry my mom had laying around. <3 Tons of compliments! Our wedding bands were $10 each from Walmart.
I've never understood the obsession with diamonds. If I had to choose a beautiful stone, it would be an opal.
Just be very careful with opals in rings- they are absolutely magical yes, but are also very soft and fragile. So, take opal rings off when washing dishes, swimming, showering, doing yard work, playing sports and doing anything else that could have the stone be abraded or exposed to corrosive chemicals. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE opals (I even freelance for an opal company, doing their goldsmithing) but opals really are best as pendants/brooches... protected from too much touch. (I'm wearing a big beautiful Ethiopian opal pendant while I'm writing this...)love them...just not for rings.
Load More Replies... The ring my wife wanted was so cheap that I had to convince her to buy something a little bit more fancy. Neither of us wear our rings now in anycase, so I guess it didn't really matter in the end. BTW, even the more fancy ring was cheap.
what I don't understand is why you had to convince her to get a fancier ring anyway?
Load More Replies... Getting a different stone - do whatever you want. But pick a metal stronger than silver. They tarnish in an instant, and they bend and scratch very easily. I'm a fan of white gold because if it scratches you can have it quickly (and cheaply) re-rhodium plated which makes it look absolutely brand-spankin' new.
My love gave me a strontium titanate necklace and earrings on my birthday. They sparkle even better than diamonds and everyone is just SURE they're the so-called "real thing". I don't disabuse them of the notion, just give them a Mona Lisa smile and go on.
Sapphires are NOT the second-hardest gemstone...that honor goes to MY personal favorite diamond substitute, Moissanite. While Corundum gemstones (like blue sapphire, ruby, emerald) can have a 9 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, Moissanite beats this by 0.5 (a good moissanite stone will register about 9.5 or a bit more). Plus moissanite has a higher refractive index than both diamonds and white sapphires, so if you like sparkly things, this is the stone for you! I am in love with moissanite and have replace my wedding set with a beautiful white gold and moissanite set for much less than just my engagement ring cost. Moissanite is definitely the way to go! Yes, it's a bit more expensive than white sapphire...but holy cow, when you see the sparkle, you can't resist it!
My sister likes pink sapphire. I gave her a customized pink sapphire ring that I designed for her birthday. PicsArt_03...31af50.jpg
Sorry, but I don't buy my wife gold plated jewelry and I would never have bought her a wedding ring with a fake diamond. I think more of her than that. Then again, I'm an old man. Perhaps if I was a millennial or biennial or whatever they call themselves I'd feel differently than that.
Diamonds are the most boring option out there, in my opinion. Give me labradorite and copper any day, or heck, even colored glass is more interesting, and vastly cheaper!
Former De Beers chairman Nicky Oppenheimer once famously said “diamonds don’t do anything.” He also called them “intrinsically worthless.” Their meaning and value comes from the emotions that are invested in them. And De Beers has done a brilliant job of that, starting with arguably the best slogan in the history of advertising: A Diamond Is Forever. https://www.quora.com/Are-diamonds-really-a-scam-from-deBeers
This article just eliminated my yearning for "real" diamond earrings and stopped me from spending a whole lot of money. The only place I go these days is the market, and it's doubtful I'd remember to put them on before I left to shop.
When I was a teenager, I had the opportunity to dig for sapphires. One that I found was an 8 caret stone that cut down to a 6 caret gem. Mounted on silver, it's waiting for the hand of the right woman.
Exactly when did the custom of the bride's parents paying the groom (dowry) to unload their daughter to get her out of the house?
I think the key here is some communication. Maybe she doesn't want a diamond, maybe she insists it's a least 3 carats, maybe she just wants a plain gold band. ASK.
Jewelry is very over priced&lets face it...Would you know what a diamond is worth really? Unless your a professional appraiser...I think a saphire would be just as nice...Sparkely things are always pretty
I am selling more large find diamonds then ever in Texas this is not a trend. Our 51st year and our best sales ever.
Diamonds are boring, I don't have them in either of my rings, I'd rather have a plane ticket to somewhere - and do! I have no interest in how much rings cost, such a waste of money to buy expensive stones.
I was really excited about lab-grown diamonds breaking the back of the diamond industry. Then I started hearing jewelry stores touting their "artisan-created diamonds" that only cost a little over half what you'd buy a mined diamond for, which is still an inflated price.
My fiancé saw me looking at moissanite rings online and asked if it was some kind of diamond. I told him I'd never wear a diamond, too much baggage (slave labor, blood diamonds, child labor, etc..). He was over the moon when I told him that they were sparklier and less expensive. I got a three stone, three carat equivalent ring for less than $1500. We're both happy with the result!
Damn I am going to get one of those big a*s sapphire thingies and marry myself right now.
Wow, there's still stupid people on the planet that doesn't know this? WTF, it's only been on the web for decades. The ENTIRE diamond industry is a scam controlled by De Beers. Diamonds are not rare, they're not valuable, and they have negative resale value. You want something that will last longer then your "love" - buy Real Estate, almost guaranteed to increase in value.
When I meet the woman who will become my wife, no engagement rings or dresses. We will get the bands and do the court house then a family/friends BBQ. Engagement rings, wedding dresses, and wedding ceremonies are the BIGGEST money racket of all time (after religion who created those rackets in the first place). Be practical and push all that money forward into investments that pay out.
I watched a couple of video's from Cody'sLab where he made a silver ring from his mine! for a quick primer check this out: https://hackaday.com/2015/12/09/cody-takes-us-from-rock-to-ring/
I know I'm conservation-obsessed and the "you must be fun at parties" type, but I swear if I'm ever proposed to I hope it's a ring bent out of an old aluminum can because mining for precious metals is so damaging to the environment.
My whole wedding cost $300 (about $600 adjusted for today's dollar, blah blah blah). Rings included. Stillllll married. We knew which mattered more. The years or the "day".
Totally all for the lab created gems, but even the picture shown, I can tell the difference between the two. On another note, when I was stationed in Europe, I learned from my German landlord, they didn't give rings for engagements. He said that you exchanged the rings when you wed, and that it was a western tradition that really started the engagement ring idea.
These comments are great! DeBeers has been manipulating the diamond market for decades. Every year changing their "must have" pieces to eliminate excess inventory. Truly, there are better ways for people to invest in their future together than by buying into the diamond fraud.
I have a friend that only accepted a ring from the man who wanted to marry her that atleast costed 10k. (it ended up being 13k). I REALLY don't understand. I would be terrified to move if I had that much money on my finger, because of the chances to lose it.. the thought alone gives me shivvers..
you assume the woman is reasonable enough to agree to this....big assumption...
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