Sort of the last straw for me, even beyond the interminable candle passings, was the semester with a roommate absolutely fixated on choosing the perfect engagement ring and when she finally chose it and her fiance presented it to her in an elaborate ceremony that included him getting dunked in the lake and her serenaded by his fraternity - she broke it all off after a couple of weeks.
Because of my own life experiences, I can’t even think about diamonds objectively. Probably others can.
Without a really good advertising campaign, it is difficult for me to believe they won’t be like pearls.
The pearl thing is different though - pearls were rare to begin with. The demand was created by rarity. Diamonds, however, are quite common, and the demand was manufactured while supply was artificially shrunk. The really good advertising campaign already happened, and that’s what made the natural diamonds expensive in the first place.
Googling around, it looks like already in 1700s France, sumptuary laws restricted diamond wearing. So they were desirable before modern advertising, and someone kept them, or maybe made them, desirable by restricting who could wear them. I have no idea how many diamonds were around then. Evidently someone wanted to restrict those who could afford them from wearing them. The best known diamonds seem to have been Indian. Maybe someone here studies court jewels?
If man-made diamonds become readily available, and are much less expensive than “real” diamonds, it would seem to me there would be less market for the “real” ones and the prices would drop. Just like with cultured pearls. But that is just my opinion.
People can have very good reasons for not buying counterfeit goods. If price matters to you, what is the good reason not to buy man-made diamonds? And it sounds to me no one will be able to tell it is man-made unless you tell them.
eta: I’m not suggesting the man-made diamonds are counterfeit. I am just thinking about reasons not to buy other types of imitation goods. For a lot of folks, man-made diamonds are a better idea than mined. Maybe we would be willing to pay more for them than “real” diamonds, for that reason, with the right sort of marketing campaign?
Shhhh alh don’t give the man-made diamond companies any ideas 
I admit, I’ve never understood pearl. I don’t like them at all. Neither does my mom, but my grandma loved them and they’ve been passed down to me. I really hope one of my potential future child(ren) or their SOs like them.
some like vanilla, some like chocolate
some like sparkly, some don’t
gold vs silver and on and on and on
but in this country, I think it is still true today, that a diamond solitaire on your left hand means engaged or married. Does any other stone get that engaged message across so very well?
My engagement ring was an emerald and the simple design could not have been mistaken for anything other than an engagement ring. I wanted something different but still traditional and I never regretted it. Im divorced now and I haven’t thought about what to do with the ring. I have developed a strong dislike of diamonds. I hate the marketing of them at every holiday. If I ever remarry I’d prefer a vintage band with some small stones of some kind. But I appreciate why others find diamonds attractive.
I have several inherited diamonds. I knew my son would not want the Marquis, but I have round cut 1 c earrings, which would be a perfect center stone. Son likes sapphires,but g/f wants a diamond. I felt bad that he said they would pick their own, when I’ve had these earrings in bank vault 14 years. I’d like to see one of these diamonds passed on.
Post #87. raises hand
Hayden, do u mean u agree with me?
Bookworm - I think she means she would like to have them passed down to her
:))
@bookworm I’m available for adoption 8->
Thanks. I cannot see using them on a day to day basis. I’m just not fancy. But I would love to know that my grandparents had some meaning to future DIL.
My mom wears a diamond ring with two ginormous diamonds from engagement rings of earlier generations, which she’s going to pass on to me eventually. My younger sister already has her ring from family, since it’s not the one mom wears.
I’m torn because I love the family associations, but it’s something I’ll hardly ever, if ever, wear, and it’s worth a fortune (huge diamonds) that could really help my kids. Neither of which wants a diamond, either. No other grandkids in the family.
Well, hopefully mom lives forever and I won’t have to figure out what to do with it.
The resale value on diamonds (or any jewelry) ain’t that grand. IMO, you buy because you like, not because you’ll get your money’s worth if fortunes change and you have to sell it.
@bookworm you can try suggesting to the future DIL (bypass the guy!) that she take the diamonds and have them re-worked into whatever ring she wants to design? Sometimes when young people see the diamonds or other gemstones in rather dated looking settings they can’t imagine the stone in a new, cooler setting.
Agree that diamonds or any stone can be reset into more modern style, one that you may wish to wear more often, perhaps as a pendant instead of a ring?
I’m honestly not going to wear it (them) in any form, so it just seems wasteful to hang on. what might seem like a small resale value to some people, may look like a lot to me.