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 :)

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.

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.

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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... :-)

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.

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

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

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