Rebel against "engagement rings". - Page 9

nausicaa · 08-21-2003, 01:32 AM

"Blood diamonds" are mined not only in Sierra Leone, but also in war-torn countries like Botswana and Angola. I'm not sure if Sierra Leone diamonds are structurally different or not, but I do know that A LOT of these "blood diamonds" are smuggled across international borders into the markets of other countries, so there's often no way of determining their points of origin. Presently, I believe, there are no domestic certification procedures and norms to regulate these things (correct me if I'm wrong, by the way.) So, it's hard to bypass this whole issue with "well, I just won't buy a blood diamond, then...", 'cause you never know what you're getting.

On the up side, I know De Beers, various NGOs, and even the UN have started to crack down on the smuggling (and mining!) of blood diamonds, so hopefully things will get better.

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eny · 08-21-2003, 07:45 PM

There has been an "official" ban on SL diamonds since the late 90's by the UN. Diamonds from Liberia are also funneled through SL and those stones have also been linked to the terrorist activities of Al Queda. Half of the world diamonds go through Antwerp Belgium . Officially nothing is being accepted from there, but officials admit smuggled diamonds are entering the country. Diamonds are sorted according to grade and parceled for sale to dealers. There is a still a possibility that illegal stones are being sold through legit dealers this way.
The diamond fingerprinting of rough stones is now possible, but not widely in use. I had honestly never heard of Botswana gems being a problem.
Maybe just make sure the stones you are buying, come from Asia , India , Australia or Canada or directly from South Africa. Since they go through different dealers the would be no way you would be getting a blood stone.
Blame it on Queen Victoria. She was the one that heightened the craze for brides to have diamonds.

BravoFan · 08-29-2003, 09:22 PM

Glad the ring worked out so well Paulie!

Yellow Apple · 08-30-2003, 03:34 AM

Wow, I had no idea diamonds were so... complicated.

You learn something new every day. Well, at least you should anyway.

Reading that makes me sorta glad I don't have a girl, so I don't have to worry about buying diamonds. Sorta glad....

Duxxy · 08-31-2003, 03:19 PM

Well I for one love my engagement ring and my wedding band. I love the sparkley diamonds! My husband has a very good eye for quality jewels and for my taste in them.
Our engagement happened much the way Amanda's did, it was more of a decision not some earth-shattering, down on one knee, I can't live without you moment. It was a gradual realization that we were two halves of a whole and we didn't want to go through life without one another.(sounds corny, I know) I told mrDux that I didn't need an engagement ring, I would feel much better about putting a down payment on a house! He agreed and the day after we set our wedding date, I got ready for bed and went to our bedroom to turn in for the night. Lo and behold! what's on my pillow but that very recognizable velvet box, all tied up with a bow.
Cut to much later that night .. I asked him why he bought me a ring when we had decided together that we were going to use the money another way. He said this to me:
You are going to be my wife, I want everyone to know it. You will only be married once and this is a gift that I wanted to give to you. *sniffsniff*
My husband is not romantic by any stretch of the imagination, he thinks dancing around in his underware singing hey baby, wanna get busy is cute and passes for pre-foreplay so his gift to me was monumental.

Paulie · 08-31-2003, 05:44 PM

Wow. Great story, and a beautiful ring, Duxxy. Thanks for sharing.

luv4stephen · 09-01-2003, 02:32 AM

I was gonna make a crack about a 'bow-chicka-bow-bow' (is that the right term?) moment in Duxxy's post, but I just couldn't do it! Her story is too sweet!

Great rings, Duxxy!

AND I have a question: this whole business of the 2 or 3 month salary being spent on the engagement ring, is that before or after taxes???

Duxxy · 09-01-2003, 04:21 PM

LMAO luv4stephen! Shh no one was supposed to catch on to that part!

the whole 2-3 months salary thing is complete and utter bullshit! Buy what you like and what you can afford, keep in mind that this insane guideline was instituted by the diamond suppliers themselves. What better way to make 'keeping up with the Jonses" work for you than to advertize that 'everyone is doing it' bah-humbug! buck the system and buy what you like ... I would have been happy with a big screen tv too... but it would have been hard to fit into my flat bed scanner to show you guys

luv4stephen · 09-06-2003, 10:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Duxxy

LMAO luv4stephen! Shh no one was supposed to catch on to that part!

the whole 2-3 months salary thing is complete and utter bullshit! Buy what you like and what you can afford, keep in mind that this insane guideline was instituted by the diamond suppliers themselves. What better way to make 'keeping up with the Jonses" work for you than to advertize that 'everyone is doing it' bah-humbug! buck the system and buy what you like ... I would have been happy with a big screen tv too... but it would have been hard to fit into my flat bed scanner to show you guys

Heck yeah, I caught that part! That's why I read these boards!

I agree completely with the 2-3 month salary thing being BS!! I had huge big ole solitaires from the EX-husband (which I actually LOST and never did find!) and that sure didn't make our marriage worth anything (I did get a great kid out of it though). With my current husband, I was surprised to get diamonds at all! I thought we were just doing bands and I was perfectly happy with that (actually, more like perfectly happy with the man that came with the band - wedding band that is! heehee), but he did surprise me with a very nice engagement ring after all.

LMBO at the image of DUXXY trying to get her big screen on the scanner!

08-29-2003, 09:22 PM	#83
BravoFan COMBAT MISSIONS junkie! Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: At the FORT Posts: 12,970	Glad the ring worked out so well Paulie! __________________ "They can only edit what you give them. They cannot manufacture a fictional character out of thin air." (Bill Rancic - 4/04) Regarding editing reality TV: "You can't edit IN a bad personality." ("Cali"-11/02) BB8 - A "conveyor belt of human garbage." ("Pono" - 9/07)

08-30-2003, 03:34 AM	#84
Yellow Apple So Far Away Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: She'll be there when I'm gone... won't she? Posts: 2,427	Wow, I had no idea diamonds were so... complicated. You learn something new every day. Well, at least you should anyway. Reading that makes me sorta glad I don't have a girl, so I don't have to worry about buying diamonds. Sorta glad.... __________________ R.I.P Willie Dog (?/?/1989-12/17/2004). Gone but never forgotten. Welcome Zelda (and a hot of other names)! (Born 08/08/2005, adopted 10/08/2005) Also welcome Shasta! (Born ?/?/2004, Adopted 03/??/07)

08-31-2003, 03:19 PM	#85
Duxxy Wash your damn hands Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: looking for a deal on evilBay Posts: 5,362	Well I for one love my engagement ring and my wedding band. I love the sparkley diamonds! My husband has a very good eye for quality jewels and for my taste in them. Our engagement happened much the way Amanda's did, it was more of a decision not some earth-shattering, down on one knee, I can't live without you moment. It was a gradual realization that we were two halves of a whole and we didn't want to go through life without one another.(sounds corny, I know) I told mrDux that I didn't need an engagement ring, I would feel much better about putting a down payment on a house! He agreed and the day after we set our wedding date, I got ready for bed and went to our bedroom to turn in for the night. Lo and behold! what's on my pillow but that very recognizable velvet box, all tied up with a bow. Cut to much later that night .. I asked him why he bought me a ring when we had decided together that we were going to use the money another way. He said this to me: You are going to be my wife, I want everyone to know it. You will only be married once and this is a gift that I wanted to give to you. sniffsniff My husband is not romantic by any stretch of the imagination, he thinks dancing around in his underware singing hey baby, wanna get busy is cute and passes for pre-foreplay so his gift to me was monumental. __________________ Wash Your Hands!! Keep the world healthy. Last edited by Duxxy; 01-23-2007 at 04:45 PM.

08-31-2003, 05:44 PM	#86
Paulie Sexy evil genius Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: Not the regular cabana boy Age: 38 Posts: 11,787	Wow. Great story, and a beautiful ring, Duxxy. Thanks for sharing. __________________ When you're ten years old and a car drives by and splashes a puddle of water all over you, it's hard to decide if you should go to school like that or try to go home and change and probably be late. So while he was trying to decide, I drove by and splashed him again. - Jack Handey Read Paulie's Precaps for Survivor:Vanuatu: 1-2-3-4-5

09-01-2003, 04:21 PM	#88
Duxxy Wash your damn hands Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: looking for a deal on evilBay Posts: 5,362	LMAO luv4stephen! Shh no one was supposed to catch on to that part! the whole 2-3 months salary thing is complete and utter bullshit! Buy what you like and what you can afford, keep in mind that this insane guideline was instituted by the diamond suppliers themselves. What better way to make 'keeping up with the Jonses" work for you than to advertize that 'everyone is doing it' bah-humbug! buck the system and buy what you like ... I would have been happy with a big screen tv too... but it would have been hard to fit into my flat bed scanner to show you guys __________________ Wash Your Hands!! Keep the world healthy.

08-21-2003, 01:32 AM	#81
nausicaa FORT Fogey Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Oz Age: 24 Posts: 1,238	"Blood diamonds" are mined not only in Sierra Leone, but also in war-torn countries like Botswana and Angola. I'm not sure if Sierra Leone diamonds are structurally different or not, but I do know that A LOT of these "blood diamonds" are smuggled across international borders into the markets of other countries, so there's often no way of determining their points of origin. Presently, I believe, there are no domestic certification procedures and norms to regulate these things (correct me if I'm wrong, by the way.) So, it's hard to bypass this whole issue with "well, I just won't buy a blood diamond, then...", 'cause you never know what you're getting. On the up side, I know De Beers, various NGOs, and even the UN have started to crack down on the smuggling (and mining!) of blood diamonds, so hopefully things will get better.

08-21-2003, 07:45 PM	#82
eny FORT Fogey Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 10,476	There has been an "official" ban on SL diamonds since the late 90's by the UN. Diamonds from Liberia are also funneled through SL and those stones have also been linked to the terrorist activities of Al Queda. Half of the world diamonds go through Antwerp Belgium . Officially nothing is being accepted from there, but officials admit smuggled diamonds are entering the country. Diamonds are sorted according to grade and parceled for sale to dealers. There is a still a possibility that illegal stones are being sold through legit dealers this way. The diamond fingerprinting of rough stones is now possible, but not widely in use. I had honestly never heard of Botswana gems being a problem. Maybe just make sure the stones you are buying, come from Asia , India , Australia or Canada or directly from South Africa. Since they go through different dealers the would be no way you would be getting a blood stone. Blame it on Queen Victoria. She was the one that heightened the craze for brides to have diamonds.

09-01-2003, 02:32 AM	#87
luv4stephen FORT Fan Join Date: Jul 2003 Location: Georgia Age: 44 Posts: 174	I was gonna make a crack about a 'bow-chicka-bow-bow' (is that the right term?) moment in Duxxy's post, but I just couldn't do it! Her story is too sweet! Great rings, Duxxy! AND I have a question: this whole business of the 2 or 3 month salary being spent on the engagement ring, is that before or after taxes???