It's not so funny if you get a diamond from your loved one and lie awake seeing it sparkle on your finger. M'mmm...as the Mastercard commercial says: PRICELESS.

When you buy a luxury car, at least you get a very comfortable ride, less noise, and better performance. Nice clothes can keep you warm (you can't really run around naked anyway), and even a Rolex can meassure time. We can utilize most luxury items, although it may not be as practical or useful as some other cheaper products. However, diamonds are probably the most useless item in the world. It was just the end result of a successful marketing campaign. I can understand it's plainly a status symbol, but do you think people in the upper class really need to show off their wealth? And if you belong to the Middle class, is it so wise to invest so much on a pointless piece of rock, while your money can be better spent elsewhere?

So which is it? Intelligent and educated, or brainwashed dummies?

Contact, you post the weirdest, most obscure threads ever.

Do you think it is any better to conform to the media's standards of beauty? Or better yet, GC's? (Think, is 160 lbs. too fat? Does this make one insecure? Or is it just fodder for conversation?)

I mean, come on. You have your opinons, we have ours. How dare you judge anyone based on how they feel about diamonds? Get a life. :rolleyes:

lol. Hush puppy.

welcome to the real world....

My real world includes diamond rings and I'm glad of it. Ipso facto, yours does, too. :)

Hey, I know I'd like one. I think the platinum movement is where we women are starting to lose perspective. I don't expect to be given a platinum ring with a diamond. White gold or even silver will do just fine. Just no gold (personal preference). It's the symbolism I care about. Platinum is expensive. If he gives me platinum, I have vowed to give my man an equally expensive engagement present then, he'll deserve it! Cuz even though I like simple things, I can have expensive taste....

it's personal
 

Jewelry -- especially an engagement ring -- is personal. What you like is your taste, what I like is mine. I don't care what you think.

On the same note, that piece of gold we value as our sorority badge means nothing to an outsider, but it means VERY MUCH to me.

So Contact, you & your fiance can make your own decisions on what to get. The rest of us will make ours.

Capitalism, free choice, credit cards... yes, I DO love America.

Oh, and don't worry...I never ask people to see their rings, so I won't ask to see yours.

wayer are zee di-a-mones??

OK, you (sorta?) have a point here - diamonds are FAAAAAAR less rare than most colored gemstones (i'll search for cite later). So in that regard, it's an artificial market. DeBeers holds diamonds of all quality ranges (but especially the "rarest") back to create lower supply, and you don't have to be an econ major to get the ramifications of that.

--------HOWEVER--------

I think the way you phrased your first post makes you look like a gargantuan ass, and makes your argument far less effective. The affectation here is that your good point is sullied by the mental retardation with which you spew it.

It's actually quite funny to see you posit a point in such a crude and ill-suited manner. You basically came in, made harsh points, and called people stupid-heads. How pleasantly adolescent.

Barely - Rolexes are shitty watches, especially in terms of accuracy.

For a "quality queen," you may want to do the research . . . or are you being brainwashed by Rolex ad campaigns and popular media, which make Rolex seem like the top watch brand?

(I WIN)

Better to invest in gems than the stock market these days.

And, Contact, if you're worried about spending a lot of money, I read on another thread here on GC that you can buy diamond rings at Walmart.. I'm sure they have prices that can suit any budget.

**Arsenio Hall audience hoot, hoot, hoot!!**

Ignorance is bliss. You OBVIOUSLY didn't read what I wrote. Diamonds are not just USED in jewelry. They are used in a lot of tools and machinery. So therefore, they're not useless.

And diamonds are not the end result of a successful marketing campaign. Diamonds have been around a lot longer than Public Relations and Marketing.

and doo-doo is not cool....

it's 11:39, what the ish are you doing right now?!