• polygon6121@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    97
    ·
    11 months ago

    I am also convinced that diamonds are a scam. If you like the stone and think it is worth it, by all means, go ahead and buy it. I fucking love shiny things too. But really? Have you seen the price for a tiny 1 karat stone on a ring? That is ridiculous, there is no way in hell those stones are rare enough or warrant that kind of price, and even if the cutting process was the reason for the price ( as if it is not completely fucking automated by now). Fuck the diamond industry.

      • LordOfTheChia@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        21
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        11 months ago

        I think they’re better. Way more fire, less brittle, and a more unique and much rarer stone.

        First discovered 120 years ago in very tiny amounts in a meteorite crater, it wasn’t till the 90s that you could actually get a moissanite gemstone.

      • SuperIce@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        edit-2
        10 months ago

        The reflections that moissanite makes are a lot more colorful. I prefer that, but some people may prefer the more subdued colors of diamonds. Lab grown diamonds are similarly priced, so just choose which one you prefer.

        • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          edit-2
          10 months ago

          Either way, you’re getting something lab grown. Almost all moissanite is synthetic because the natural stuff is far rarer than diamond. I don’t know why it matters if it’s formed naturally or made in a lab anyway (aside from avoiding the blood diamond problem obviously). Is it because we’re playing god with diamonds?

    • frickineh@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      43
      ·
      11 months ago

      Also, all the violence involved in the industry. I prefer my sparkly shit to involve less blood.

    • NotATurtle@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      28
      ·
      edit-2
      11 months ago

      It’s definitely a scam, because they gained their value through manipulation as well as artificial and controlled rarity.

    • runswithjedi@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      16
      ·
      11 months ago

      I was shopping for a ring and the salesperson said it’s not even worth buying a diamond now because synthetics are expected to take over the market in a few years. It will likely tank the price of real diamonds because they’re chemically and structurally identical.

      • TexasDrunk@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        14
        ·
        11 months ago

        For a while they weren’t as good. Then they were TOO good. They were identical but the way the inclusions were structured was a giveaway (supposedly, I’m still not sure how true that was).

        Now? The biggest giveaway is the lab certificate of authenticity.

        • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          10 months ago

          Also like why would I care if it was made in a lab instead of obtained through large amounts of human suffering?

          And as it is lab grown corundum is good enough for me. Choice in color, low price, and it’s not like I run in circles that have a problem with sapphire

    • Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      5
      ·
      10 months ago

      diamonds aren’t even that pretty, like oh wow how impressive, a bit of particularly reflective glass…

      meanwhile there’s minerals like labradorite or opal that have actually interesting optical effects and CHANGE COLOUR, for a fraction of the price.

      • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldM
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        I disagree on the first part. I think diamonds, properly cut diamonds anyway, are very pretty. But they are vastly overvalued and if humanity as a whole gave up on diamonds as an aesthetic item, I wouldn’t shed a tear.

      • nBodyProblem@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        1
        ·
        10 months ago

        Moissanite is by far a better buy. It has more fire for 1/100th the price than a natural diamond.

        But I feel like the people saying clear stones like diamond and moissanite aren’t pretty have never seen a clear, well cut, multi karat, example in the sun. The rainbow colors and brilliance from a clear high refraction stone like a diamond is frankly insane. You can see the rainbow colors shooting off of it from like 100 yards away if the lighting is right. No colored stone has quite the same wow factor as a good diamond or moissanite in the right light. That’s why diamonds have historically been in such high demand.

        Opal, Alexandrite, and many other stones are equally beautiful in their own way. But it’s weird to make that point by putting down clear stones that are absolutely spectacular.