Article fashion jewelry

For many people
there’s only one way to propose and get engaged: with a diamond ring. It is considered to be a symbol of a man’s enduring love that he will spend a large amount on a large diamond that the woman can then show off to her friends and family – it shows that he can and will support her for the rest of her life.

This idea of giving diamond rings before marriage has been around for less than a century
however
as it was popularised entirely by Hollywood
allegedly because worldwide diamond monopoly De Beers paid off filmmakers to create a romantic image around diamonds
using the slogan ‘a diamond is forever’.

The reality is that diamonds are not intrinsically worth very much at all
with many people who try to sell their diamonds being shocked to discover that they can only get back a fraction of what they originally paid for them. Worse
many diamonds come from parts of the world where the locals have been oppressed and local officials bribed just so the company could set up a diamond mine
especially in Africa.

For these reasons – unjustified cost and ethical concerns – many people now prefer to use other gems in rings instead of diamonds. Fake diamonds with names like ‘diamonique’ and ‘diamonte’ are popular
as stones like rubies and emeralds.

However
for the real traditional feel
plenty of people still feel you can’t beat a diamond. When you’re looking for a diamond ring
it’s common to be worried mainly about how many carats the diamond is
but remember that its cut (that is
the way it has been cut out of the original mined material) can be even more important in giving the diamond a pleasant appearance.

Also
although this is entirely subjective
you might find it worth buying a ring where many small diamonds are used to pleasant effect
rather than one big diamond poking out of the top
and you should also consider getting a guarantee that the diamond is not a De Beers ‘conflict diamond’
so that no-one has suffered to get it to you.