Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 16 of 20

Thread: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

  1. #1
    Moosing about! CAT-THE-FIFTH's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Not here
    Posts
    32,039
    Thanks
    3,910
    Thanked
    5,224 times in 4,015 posts
    • CAT-THE-FIFTH's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Less E-PEEN
      • CPU:
      • Massive E-PEEN
      • Memory:
      • RGB E-PEEN
      • Storage:
      • Not in any order
      • Graphics card(s):
      • EVEN BIGGER E-PEEN
      • PSU:
      • OVERSIZED
      • Case:
      • UNDERSIZED
      • Operating System:
      • DOS 6.22
      • Monitor(s):
      • NOT USUALLY ON....WHEN I POST
      • Internet:
      • FUNCTIONAL

    De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    An interesting read:

    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27371208

    Basically De Beers during The Great Depression came up with the one to two month salary idea for rings since their sales were dropping.

  2. #2
    jim
    jim is offline
    HEXUS.clueless jim's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Location: Location:
    Posts
    11,457
    Thanks
    613
    Thanked
    1,645 times in 1,307 posts
    • jim's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus Maximus IV Gene-Z
      • CPU:
      • i5 2500K @ 4.5GHz
      • Memory:
      • 8GB Corsair Vengeance LP
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Sandisk SSD
      • Graphics card(s):
      • ASUS GTX 970
      • PSU:
      • Corsair AX650
      • Case:
      • Silverstone Fortress FT03
      • Operating System:
      • 8.1 Pro
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2716DG
      • Internet:
      • 10 Mbps ADSL

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    It is something I've heard before... IMO, what matters is that both parties are happy with what the eventual choice.

    If that means that you want to propose to someone who follows the 2 month salary rule, then I don't think explaining that it's all a big marketing con would help the situation much.

  3. Received thanks from:

    Saracen (16-05-2014)

  4. #3
    Admin (Ret'd)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    18,481
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    3,208 times in 2,281 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by jim View Post
    It is something I've heard before... IMO, what matters is that both parties are happy with what the eventual choice.

    If that means that you want to propose to someone who follows the 2 month salary rule, then I don't think explaining that it's all a big marketing con would help the situation much.
    That.

    Trying to dictate what the cost of a wedding ring should be is, in my view, peurile, pathetic and totally, absolutely and utterly missing the point.

    The point is the symbolism. What it stands for.

    When I got married, two months of salary wasn't an option. And, what do unemployed people do? Two months of benefits? So they'll starve to death living in a carboard box under a railway bridge, but hey, nice ring!

    My wife and I settled on a pleasant ring that we could afford. Years later, I suggested maybe visiting a diamond merchant and getting her the ring I'd have liked to have been able to afford when we got married. I'd just got back from a diamond cutter in Amsterdam and had seen a nice stone, good quality, about 1 carat, and about £60k, and it got me thinking. Oh boy, I won't make that mistake again. Getting between my mrs and her wedding ring is right up there in danger terms with getting between a lioness and her new-born cubs in the wild in Africa. Not a good idea.

    I was told, in no uncertain terms, that it could have been a coke can ring-pull for all she cares, and that the ring she's got is the one she wants, and nothing, even if it had the Star of India (sapphire) in it, or if Her Maj Lizzie could be persuaded to part with the Koh-I-Nor (diamond) could replace her ring.

    Simply put, her wedding ring is her wedding ring, and nothing else is. Cost doesn't come into it.

  5. Received thanks from:

    CAT-THE-FIFTH (16-05-2014),fuddam (18-05-2014),kalniel (16-05-2014),Output (16-05-2014)

  6. #4
    Account closed at user request
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Elephant watch camp
    Posts
    2,150
    Thanks
    56
    Thanked
    115 times in 103 posts
    • wasabi's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI B85M-G43
      • CPU:
      • i3-4130
      • Memory:
      • 8 gig DDR3 Crucial Rendition 1333 - cheap!
      • Storage:
      • 128 gig Agility 3, 240GB Corsair Force 3
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Zotac GTX 750Ti
      • PSU:
      • Silver Power SP-S460FL
      • Case:
      • Lian Li T60 testbanch
      • Operating System:
      • Win7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • First F301GD Live
      • Internet:
      • Virgin cable 100 meg

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Mrs wasabi's ring (just one - German thing) doesn't have a stone at all - just a blend of gold and platinum in a slightly unusual style. Hand-crafted and from independent shop so wasn't cheap, but is her style of thing. Buying a lump of rock just because it is the done thing is daft IMO.

  7. #5
    Grumpy and VERY old :( g8ina's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2006
    Location
    Northampton
    Posts
    6,776
    Thanks
    2,613
    Thanked
    1,704 times in 1,108 posts
    • g8ina's system
      • Motherboard:
      • ASRock Z75 Pro3
      • CPU:
      • Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-3570K CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.40 GHz
      • Memory:
      • 16GB Corsair 1600MHz DDR3.
      • Storage:
      • 250GB SSD system, 250GB SSD Data + 2TB data, + 8TB NAS
      • Graphics card(s):
      • XFX Radeon HD 6870
      • Case:
      • Coolermaster Elite 430
      • Operating System:
      • Win10
      • Monitor(s):
      • Iiyama 22"
      • Internet:
      • Virgin 100MB unlimited

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Cant help but wonder if Frances Gerety got royalties from the Bond movie for use of the slogan ?
    Cheers, David



  8. #6
    MCRN Tachi Ttaskmaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Reading, UK
    Posts
    6,917
    Thanks
    672
    Thanked
    806 times in 668 posts
    • Ttaskmaster's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Aorus Master X670E
      • CPU:
      • Ryzen 7800X3D
      • Memory:
      • 32GB Corsair Dominator DDR5 6000MHz
      • Storage:
      • Samsung Evo 120GB and Seagate Baracuda 2TB
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Aorus Master 4090
      • PSU:
      • EVGA Supernova G2 1000W
      • Case:
      • Lian Li V3000 Plus
      • Operating System:
      • Win11
      • Monitor(s):
      • Gigabyte M32U
      • Internet:
      • 900Mbps Gigaclear WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    Trying to dictate what the cost of a wedding ring should be is, in my view, peurile, pathetic and totally, absolutely and utterly missing the point.
    The point is the symbolism. What it stands for.
    Engagement ring, not wedding ring.

    I agree with you that trying to dictate anything as a marketing ploy is indeed very very evil... But while I do believe it was still a genius concept and very well executed, it was also a rip-off of long-standing traditions anyway rather than something they invented:

    I have Angeln heritage and I married into a Viking-descended family, so I spent a bit of time researching their wedding traditions...

    In many Germanic and Scandinavian clans and tribes of Angeln, Saxons, Jutes, Norsemen, and all that, the potential Groom would always approach the Father of the Bride - Mainly to ask her hand in marriage (unless it was arranged by someone already), which some of us still follow today. But it was more like a business meeting, in which the Groom proves his suitability as a husband and his capability to provide for his wife, this last part usually being some show of wealth he has managed to acquire and was often a gift that was presented to the bride once the terms of the marriage and everything had been negotiated with the Dad. That gift seals the engagement and, for several different occasions, rings were popular choices for valuable and meaningful gifts.

    In (relatively) modern times, the measure against one's wealth seems to have varied (you can be land-rich but cash-poor), so by taking something that stays up in value and scaling it against salary, it's the modern equivalent of the above, I guess.


    Incidentally, I did the whole Norse thing myself, actually sitting down with my wife's father and explaining to him why I would make a good husband, how I could provide for her, even showing him the ring. He did wonder a bit what was going on, but almost broke into tears when I came to the crux and THE question!!

    There are a couple of other gifts thusly given at weddings, such as the Morning Gift to the Bride and the Bride Price paid to Dad-In-Law. The Bride Price was usually fancy weapons and valuable livestock. My wife did get a morning gift, but while I had no livestock (and while Dad would have no use for six cows and a horse in the middle of Tunbridge Wells), I did present him with a newly hand-forged Norse sword!

  9. Received thanks from:

    Saracen (16-05-2014)

  10. #7
    LUSE Galant's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Gibraltar
    Posts
    3,252
    Thanks
    502
    Thanked
    555 times in 339 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    This is not to mention the other bits and piece:

    1 - As per g8ina - 'A diamond is forever' - Nice way to make people hold onto their rings/diamonds to reduce the second-hand market.
    2 - By dominating the market in general Debeers set prices others have to follow.
    3 - By releasing only a portion of the diamonds they obtain each year Debeers, by reducing volume, also manage to keep the prices high.

    It came as a surprise to me learn that sapphires are actually rarer than diamonds. You'd never tell by the price!

    Mrs. Galant got a custom designed and engraved gold ring with a really nice sapphire I was able to obtain via a gemstone market in Arizona. Found it in another ring, got the jeweler who was making our ring to remove the sapphire, keep the original band and small side diamonds, and that value of those went into the ring. The size and quality of sapphire I could buy was far, far superior to that I could have had in a diamond for the same money. In the end, it was a far more impressive and beautiful ring.

    As Saracen said, though, it depends on the lady. If she wants a diamond, that's that I guess.

    The other issue that comes up is blood diamonds.
    No trees were harmed in the creation of this message. However, many electrons were displaced and terribly inconvenienced.

  11. #8
    Admin (Ret'd)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    18,481
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    3,208 times in 2,281 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by Ttaskmaster View Post
    Engagement ring, not wedding ring.

    ....
    Noted. But the reasoning holds true, IMHO.

    interesting perspective on the Norse aspects. Good reading.

  12. Received thanks from:

    Ttaskmaster (16-05-2014)

  13. #9
    MCRN Tachi Ttaskmaster's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2013
    Location
    Reading, UK
    Posts
    6,917
    Thanks
    672
    Thanked
    806 times in 668 posts
    • Ttaskmaster's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Aorus Master X670E
      • CPU:
      • Ryzen 7800X3D
      • Memory:
      • 32GB Corsair Dominator DDR5 6000MHz
      • Storage:
      • Samsung Evo 120GB and Seagate Baracuda 2TB
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Aorus Master 4090
      • PSU:
      • EVGA Supernova G2 1000W
      • Case:
      • Lian Li V3000 Plus
      • Operating System:
      • Win11
      • Monitor(s):
      • Gigabyte M32U
      • Internet:
      • 900Mbps Gigaclear WHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by Saracen View Post
    Noted. But the reasoning holds true, IMHO.
    Despite how that may have sounded, I do agree.

  14. #10
    Admin (Ret'd)
    Join Date
    Jul 2003
    Posts
    18,481
    Thanks
    1,016
    Thanked
    3,208 times in 2,281 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by Ttaskmaster View Post
    Despite how that may have sounded, I do agree.
    I suppose it might have sounded more than one way, but I didn't read anything into it. My Mrs doesn't draw much distinction, in the terms we're talking about, between the two rings. The wedding ring is, I assume, more important, but both are meaningful because of the symbolism, not as jewelry.

    Mind you, she's not a jewelry display stand anyway. She's kinda de minimus in the jewelry department, preferring simple and clean designs, subtle, reserved and 'classy' rather than loud or brash. Much like she is, come to think of it. Reserved and classy, I mean.

  15. #11
    Registered User
    Join Date
    May 2014
    Posts
    6
    Thanks
    0
    Thanked
    0 times in 0 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Personally my wife told me to get a CZ instead of a real diamond... why people worry so much about an overpriced rock beats me

  16. #12
    Does he need a reason? Funkstar's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    Aberdeen
    Posts
    19,874
    Thanks
    630
    Thanked
    965 times in 816 posts
    • Funkstar's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte EG45M-DS2H
      • CPU:
      • Intel Core2Quad Q9550 (2.83GHz)
      • Memory:
      • 8GB OCZ PC2-6400C5 800MHz Quad Channel
      • Storage:
      • 650GB Western Digital Caviar Blue
      • Graphics card(s):
      • 512MB ATI Radeon HD4550
      • PSU:
      • Antec 350W 80+ Efficient PSU
      • Case:
      • Antec NSK1480 Slim Mini Desktop Case
      • Operating System:
      • Vista Ultimate 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell 2407 + 2408 monitors
      • Internet:
      • Zen 8mb

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    We found an antique (approx. 100 year old) white gold and platinum 5 stone ring when we got engaged. Take that De Beers!

    One of the stones has a flaw and seems to be cracked now, need to get a replacement. Apparently old stones are pretty easy to get hold of and can be very inexpensive as the market seems to want new ultra clear shiny ones. I bet that is down to marketing by Big Diamond and people perceptions of what a diamond should be.

  17. #13
    Formerly known as Viet Cong Zombi and tuone
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Posts
    1,111
    Thanks
    21
    Thanked
    5 times in 5 posts

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    girls like one that excites them and reassures them. as long as it's more expensive than their other stuff!

    A girl being fussy about a wedding ring price probably is not having fun in the rest of the relationship.

  18. #14
    RIP Peterb ik9000's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Posts
    7,701
    Thanks
    1,839
    Thanked
    1,434 times in 1,057 posts
    • ik9000's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Asus P7H55-M/USB3
      • CPU:
      • i7-870, Prolimatech Megahalems, 2x Akasa Apache 120mm
      • Memory:
      • 4x4GB Corsair Vengeance 2133 11-11-11-27
      • Storage:
      • 2x256GB Samsung 840-Pro, 1TB Seagate 7200.12, 1TB Seagate ES.2
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Gigabyte GTX 460 1GB SuperOverClocked
      • PSU:
      • NZXT Hale 90 750w
      • Case:
      • BitFenix Survivor + Bitfenix spectre LED fans, LG BluRay R/W optical drive
      • Operating System:
      • Windows 7 Professional
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell U2414h, U2311h 1920x1080
      • Internet:
      • 200Mb/s Fibre and 4G wifi

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    it partly all dates back to times when the engagement ring was security against being jilted and the social stigma it would bring. but yes, the de beers thing as has been said in previous threads, is a load of guff invented to drum up profits for a business at the average persons' expense.

  19. #15
    Banhammer in peace PeterB kalniel's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    31,023
    Thanks
    1,870
    Thanked
    3,381 times in 2,718 posts
    • kalniel's system
      • Motherboard:
      • Gigabyte Z390 Aorus Ultra
      • CPU:
      • Intel i9 9900k
      • Memory:
      • 32GB DDR4 3200 CL16
      • Storage:
      • 1TB Samsung 970Evo+ NVMe
      • Graphics card(s):
      • nVidia GTX 1060 6GB
      • PSU:
      • Seasonic 600W
      • Case:
      • Cooler Master HAF 912
      • Operating System:
      • Win 10 Pro x64
      • Monitor(s):
      • Dell S2721DGF
      • Internet:
      • rubbish

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by ik9000 View Post
    it partly all dates back to times when the engagement ring was security against being jilted and the social stigma it would bring.
    Which time was that? Traditionally it was the woman('s family) who had to put up assurance money for that sort of thing

  20. #16
    Account closed at user request
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
    Location
    Elephant watch camp
    Posts
    2,150
    Thanks
    56
    Thanked
    115 times in 103 posts
    • wasabi's system
      • Motherboard:
      • MSI B85M-G43
      • CPU:
      • i3-4130
      • Memory:
      • 8 gig DDR3 Crucial Rendition 1333 - cheap!
      • Storage:
      • 128 gig Agility 3, 240GB Corsair Force 3
      • Graphics card(s):
      • Zotac GTX 750Ti
      • PSU:
      • Silver Power SP-S460FL
      • Case:
      • Lian Li T60 testbanch
      • Operating System:
      • Win7 64bit
      • Monitor(s):
      • First F301GD Live
      • Internet:
      • Virgin cable 100 meg

    Re: De Beers and the engagement ring rule

    Quote Originally Posted by kalniel View Post
    Which time was that? Traditionally it was the woman('s family) who had to put up assurance money for that sort of thing
    Either party can do the jilting.

Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •