Millennial Trend: Diamond Engagement Rings Are No Longer Forever

[Tennis]

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entr...b0be71dcf38aab

Diamond engagement rings are (sort of) losing their sparkle.

According to recent research conducted by insurance house, Allianz, consumer habits are changing when it comes to buying an engagement ring.

And it’s millennials leading the way by opting for coloured stones, such as rubies, sapphires and emeralds, due to ethical, financial and creative tastes.

Thanks to diamond company DeBeers’ ‘two months’ pay’ marketing campaign in the 1980s, it had became commonplace for men to spend at least two months’ salary on their fiancee’s engagement ring.

But the report showed that men now pay a lot less for a ring, spending on average £573.

Anusha Couttigane, a senior analyst at Kantar Retail, spoke to The Telegraph about the trend.

“A generation of marital age people are now prioritising other things such as weddings, housing and the cost of having children, rather than splashing out on a really expensive ring,” she said.

“There is still a lot of demand for solitaire diamond rings, but there has been growth in non-traditional designs which use a range of cheaper, coloured stones too.”

Sorry Marilyn, but it looks like a diamond ring is no longer a girl’s best friend.

Great to see. Time to move away from spending so much on jewellery.

[Azadina]

The problem I have with diamond rings, is that most of them look flat out boring, or just ugly (the bigger ones). I rather wear cheaper and prettier ring.

[Molis]

I think I am coming down with something, because I agree with you.

17 years ago my wife and I bought her ring together. Why pay for a $10k stone when you can get one with the same color and clarity for less.
Who really gives a shit about flaws that can only be seen under a microscope.

When one of my children gets married I would much rather give them money for a house rather than some huge wedding, and advise they put the money towards some giant ring into an investment account instead.

[Deleted]

Good. Diamonds were overrated anyway. They're just sparkly stones. Which, funny enough, are more useful in cutting certain materials than to be worn by people. They're also over-priced compared to how much it costs to mine and set them on rings.
And, in the end, the engagement ring isn't even the final ring when talking about marriages. The final one is the wedding ring.

Also, marriages in general are overrated. In the end, excluding certain benefits from the state for children, why would you marry someone? If you love eachother, would you really need a piece of paper to show you that?

And even if you do end up marrying someone, why would you invite EVERYONE. I mean seriously, at weddings people end up inviting people they haven't talked or seen for years because of very clear reasons, now suddenly you're all friends again... give me a break. Again, if you do marry someone, for any reason, invite only close family members and friends. Not random nobodies who are there solely because they're somehow related at the 14th connection to you.

[Pannonian]

Engagement rings are a big marketing gag by the jeweling industry (deBeers). They should act as some kind of security for the bride. Problem is: As diamonds are vastly overpriced (due to the monopoly) and the strong urge from industry and marketing to buy new engagement rings (would you ever buy second hand?) - the rings aren't worth shit, and you cannot really sell them.

Good thing this dies.

[TirielWoW]

The problem I have with diamond rings, is that most of them look flat out boring, or just ugly (the bigger ones). I rather wear cheaper and prettier ring.

Then you're wearing a low quality diamond. The good ones don't look flat or ugly.

[Jayburner]

great way to throw away money for nothing

[Knaar]

That reminds me of something about my mom.

She received a really nice ring back in the days, with diamonds. Apparently a very pretty ring.
The week following her wedding, because of how expensive the ring was, she went and store it in a safe at a bank. She has not seen that ring ever since.

I doubt she's the only one that did something like that. I just dont see the point in todays world to buy a very expensive ring to never let it out in fear of losing it.

[Puupi]

I would never wear a ring.

[Tennis]

Good. Diamonds were overrated anyway. They're just sparkly stones. Which, funny enough, are more useful in cutting certain materials than to be worn by people. They're also over-priced compared to how much it costs to mine and set them on rings.
And, in the end, the engagement ring isn't even the final ring when talking about marriages. The final one is the wedding ring.

Also, marriages in general are overrated. In the end, excluding certain benefits from the state for children, why would you marry someone? If you love eachother, would you really need a piece of paper to show you that?

If you really love the other person then you would want to make it official and show your commitment.

[TirielWoW]

They're also over-priced compared to how much it costs to mine and set them on rings.

Whenever I see comments like this, I can't help but think about how people always complain about Conflict Diamonds, but no one actually wants to pay a decent price for their ring to properly pay the people who actually made it. Because those people all have to be paid, too.

Engagement rings are a big marketing gag by the jeweling industry (deBeers). They should act as some kind of security for the bride. Problem is: As diamonds are vastly overpriced (due to the monopoly) and the strong urge from industry and marketing to buy new engagement rings (would you ever buy second hand?) - the rings aren't worth shit, and you cannot really sell them.

Good thing this dies.

DeBeers hasn't controlled the diamond industry in a quarter century. Yet this meme persists. Still, it really is just a meme.

Just like people have no idea that the majority of diamonds come from places like Canada, Russia, Australia...and, well, Botswana. Places with legal industries and workers who need the work to support their families (and who are paid a decent wage for their work).

[the game]

This is because millennials are broke.They're lazy and don't contribute anything but outrage to society.

[Phookah]

Awesome, diamonds are infinitely more useful as tools and such. Plus I think more colorful stones like opal (my wife's personal favorite) are prettier anyway.

[Socialhealer]

That reminds me of something about my mom.

She received a really nice ring back in the days, with diamonds. Apparently a very pretty ring.
The week following her wedding, because of how expensive the ring was, she went and store it in a safe at a bank. She has not seen that ring ever since.

I doubt she's the only one that did something like that. I just dont see the point in todays world to buy a very expensive ring to never let it out in fear of losing it.

yup complete fucking waste of money use it on something useful that will actually improve your & your partners life.

[TirielWoW]

That reminds me of something about my mom.

She received a really nice ring back in the days, with diamonds. Apparently a very pretty ring.
The week following her wedding, because of how expensive the ring was, she went and store it in a safe at a bank. She has not seen that ring ever since.

I doubt she's the only one that did something like that. I just dont see the point in todays world to buy a very expensive ring to never let it out in fear of losing it.

This is what insurance is for. You get insurance on the ring, if anything happens to it, you get it replaced.

[Phookah]

This is because millennials are broke.They're lazy and don't contribute anything but outrage to society.

Yep, that's definitely it

[HumbleDuck]

A trend set by a marketing campaign is fading away.
That's good news.

[TirielWoW]

Awesome, diamonds are infinitely more useful as tools and such. Plus I think more colorful stones like opal (my wife's personal favorite) are prettier anyway.

Opals are gorgeous. Unfortunately they go to pieces when used in wedding rings, because they're soft. Same problem with Pearls, and, to a lesser extent, most other colored gemstones. The only colored gemstones that actually hold up well under the stress that is an engagement ring's lot in life are Diamonds, Rubies, and Sapphires.

[Exedore]

Pfft, it's just carbon in a lattice structure, I don't see what the big deal is.

I'm not surprised that the expensive diamond engagement ring trend is dying. There are more practical things on which to spend the money.

[NoRest4Wicked]

I got my wife white sapphire, no one can tell the difference. She actually prefers white sapphire over diamonds, so it wasn't just me being cheap, but the same ring and design my wife has with diamonds in it would have ran $4,000 more.