Wedding ring ideas!

[Agnieszka]

Paul, DO NOT get a diamond, there is no way of knowing where it came from no matter how ‘real’ the guarantee is. Watch the movie “blood diamond” with Leonardo DiCaprio if you want a real insight as to where MOST diamonds come from. Its a disgusting trade and i would never ever wear a diamond. Have you tried Swarovski Crystals? They look so much better than diamonds anyway, theyre shinier and more beautiful but the problem is that theyre cheap. Why is this a problem? Cause most selfish little girls want an expensive rock. Sounds like it wouldnt be a problem for you though. Stick to what is important, its just a symbol of your love, not a measure of it.**

 

[Agnieszka]

Paul,
I had some issues as well but I did end up buying a diamond for my fiance. I figured that she was worth it and plus it representing a convenant that you and your future bride will be sharing and if you don’t want a diamond then maybe her favorite stone would suffice! God Bless you!

Thats the problem with our culture, we look at diamonds and see nothing special in them but becasue of their value we say “yep, im in love, she’s worth spending the money on”. If you only knew what a disgusting trade it was then you wouldnt even consider whether she was worth it, youd say ti yourself that the continuation of African **child **soldiers are NOT worth it, and all just to look all pretty on your finger: is it really worth it?

 

[hasikelee]

This is the age of the internet! With careful, smart shopping you can get an awesome ring for a good price.

For my engagement ring (and soon I will get the matching sway wedding band also featured) he got this set for $600:

http://www.thecladdagh.com/imageupload/1DWS7_T.jpg
It is 18kt white gold. He purchased this with a ruby heart and I wanted the diamond look so I replaced the ruby with a diamond I searched for on eBay.

I also got him a ring to match for $100, which will also be his wedding ring:
i23.ebayimg.com/01/i/05/59/75/8c_2.JPG

Just be sure to do your research. There are reputable artisans and wholesellers who can get you a good deal.

 

[Karin]

Thats the problem with our culture, we look at diamonds and see nothing special in them but becasue of their value we say “yep, im in love, she’s worth spending the money on”. If you only knew what a disgusting trade it was then you wouldnt even consider whether she was worth it, youd say ti yourself that the continuation of African **child **soldiers are NOT worth it, and all just to look all pretty on your finger: is it really worth it?

yes totally worth it …and not all diamonds are blood diamonds…

 

[shirleytowers]

When we got married about 8 years ago, my husband didn’t want a diamond for humanitarian reasons. I was okay with that and so we shopped for a fabulous colored stone ring.

A sapphire is the best choice because it is the next hardest stone. Emeralds chip like crazy and don’t last that long under daily wear on a ring. Necklace, yes, ring, no. Topaz are hard too. They are not as hard as a sapphire. Amythest and other stones are softer yet and will scratch and chip a lot.

Sapphires come in all colors, from orange to blue to pink to red to green to yellow and everything in between. You can get any color you want. Some are color changing, they different in different lights. They are not mined, they are placered–sifted from streams and river mud.

But I couldn’t find anything I liked in any store. So we shopped for a stone first, planning to get it set.

At a local gem cutter’s shop, we found a lovely sea-blue-green Montana sapphire, 2.8 carats, a good size, though I think three carats up to four would be best. This kind of stone is hard to get commercially, you have to hunt, but they are available. We had a white and yellow gold ring made by a local upscale jeweler with two estate diamonds as accents. We worked out a ring setting that was inspired by a David Yurman ring I saw in the shop there.

I get many compliments on my ring. The stone is not really dark and catches the light, the color is very noticeable. Many sapphires they try to sell you are so dark they look black when set.

I love my ring. I get many compliments. It is one of a kind. And it cost only $950, not as much as a car or something. Not too much, not too little!

 

[hasikelee]

Ladies (and guys),

Thank you all for the advice. 1st thing I want to say now is that this has NOTHING to do with money. I could afford a nice diamond and, frankly, if I used the industry’s 2-month-salary “rule”… oh gosh, what a joke.

It has nothing to do with money. It has to do with the fact that neither of us likes spending money on jewelry - it’s impractical. It “does” nothing; offers no value. We’d both rather put the money into, say, another week in Europe for the honeymoon, charity, etc. But… minds not made up.

Yes, of course, she’s entirely on-board with this - I would not consider it otherwise!! However - we also both believe that I should be the one to actually pick out the ring (alone).

I will post again when I buy something! Promise.

Paul

P.S. That is strange that so many of you married Designated Hitters.

Paul, I completely agree! That was the vexing part for my df to find a ring for me. I am a tomboy. The only jewelry I have is my engagement ring and my scapular.

I even told him to put a fake diamond in the setting. I just don’t like the flashy girly girl style.

But having a beautiful ring to show off is still fun!

 

[annb]

My engagement ring has 3 miniature diamond chips in it. I now wear it on my right hand (as did my mother wear hers on her right hand -not sure if she does now, she had lost a diamond out of it- hers is a saphire with small diamonds on either side).
DH and I have matching wedding bands, they are the Artcarved brand. They are gold with silver engraving…overlapping circles that go around the band. It is simple yet beautiful, and I love that they match.

My favorite stone is tanzanite, since it is purple.

 

[Agnieszka]

yes totally worth it …and not all diamonds are blood diamonds…

Karin I hope you werent serious because if you were im absolutely horrified.

Yes, not all diamonds are blood diamonds, great excuse, but because diamonds are every little girl’s dream your support will mean that the blood diamond industry will be rife. Yeah so what, you may go out and find out whether the diamond you own on your finger is not a blood diamond, but 99% of the population wont, nor do they care.

I was speaking to a friend about this and said to her ‘i dont understand why people would wear a diamond when this sort of thing goes on’ to which she replied ‘yeah well, one diamond cant stop all that, one attitude wont change that, i’ll just make sure my diamond wont be a blood diamond, I still want a massive rock for my ring’, to which i replied “oh really? then why do you sponsor a child in Africa? Do you think feeding that one child will make a difference?”

Everyone who wears diamonds support the industry. if it wasnt for greed in our culture this would not exist.

 

[Karin]

Karin I hope you werent serious because if you were im absolutely horrified.
**It is not worth it in the sense of buying Conflict Diamonds …but I see nothing wrong with buying legal, non-Conflict diamonds. **

Yes, not all diamonds are blood diamonds, great excuse, but because diamonds are every little girl’s dream your support will mean that the blood diamond industry will be rife. Yeah so what, you may go out and find out whether the diamond you own on your finger is not a blood diamond, but 99% of the population wont, nor do they care.
so instead of banning all diamonds and the wearing of them …EDUCATE the folks that do buy them…educate them to the idea that some diamonds are “blood diamonds” and that these should not be purchased!

I was speaking to a friend about this and said to her ‘i dont understand why people would wear a diamond when this sort of thing goes on’ to which she replied ‘yeah well, one diamond cant stop all that, one attitude wont change that, i’ll just make sure my diamond wont be a blood diamond, I still want a massive rock for my ring’, to which i replied “oh really? then why do you sponsor a child in Africa? Do you think feeding that one child will make a difference?”

Everyone who wears diamonds support the industry. if it wasnt for greed in our culture this would not exist.

Well I wear Diamonds…on my fingers, in my ears and around my neck… I do not buy blood diamonds…my dh does not buy them…this has nothing to do with greed and NO I do not support the Conflict Diamond Trade by buying diamonds…but thank you for attempting to lump my in with a bunch of folks

Here is some info for you regarding Conflict Diamonds…

Most people are unaware of the role diamonds play in bringing real benefits to people in the countries around the world where diamonds are sourced. Nowhere is this more evident than in Africa. It is also in Africa that this same resource has been used to fund conflict. In 2000, a coalition of governments, non-governmental organizations and the diamond industry worked together to address this issue. In 2002, they established the Kimberley Process Certification System, a UN-backed process that has virtually eliminated the trade in conflict diamonds. Today, over 99% of the world’s supply of diamonds is from sources free of conflict. Diamondfacts.org

This website also has a good bit of info regarding Conflict Diamonds… un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

 

[Agnieszka]

Well I wear Diamonds…on my fingers, in my ears and around my neck… I do not buy blood diamonds…my dh does not buy them…this has nothing to do with greed and NO I do not support the Conflict Diamond Trade by buying diamonds…but thank you for attempting to lump my in with a bunch of folks

Here is some info for you regarding Conflict Diamonds…

This website also has a good bit of info regarding Conflict Diamonds… un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html

Karin the very fact that such a stone could create such evil just goes to show that its not worth getting involved in anything that has the potential for this. I know all about conflict diamonds, the UN statistics can tell us this but its simply not true, yes on paper it may be, but diamonds are still being smuggled across borders and this is still very much happening today. I did a couple of courses on African politics in my degree and you wouldnt believe the amount of things that go on in the world, especially Africa.

Africa is one of the most richest continents in terms of natural resources and yet it is one of the poorest in the world. Why? Because of the greedy westerners who exploit it and the corrupt governments who serve them. Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda network has collected millions of dollars from the illicit sale of diamonds mined by Revolutionary United Front (RUF) rebels in Sierra Leone alone, the diamonds are certified, oh yes they sure are, by corrupt officials who stamp them with a seal of approval: “not a conlict diamond”.

Who buys these diamonds? Girls in the US who go insane over an engagement ring. What of the Kimberley process? Well i guess now its made the diamond dealers smarter:

Amnesty report in 2004

Only 27% of shops were able assure us that they had a policy on conflict diamonds.

30% of the shops that said they had a policy were unable to produce a hard copy of or explain it.

Only 13% of shops provided warranties to their customers as a standard practice.

37% of the shops we visited claimed to be aware of the conflict diamonds issue. But 54% of them reported an inaccurate definition of the crisis.

Only 28% of the shops were aware of the Kimberley Process.

29% of those who were aware of the Kimberley Process had only a minimal or limited understanding of it.

When asked whether consumers inquired about conflict diamonds, 83% of respondents answered rarely or never.
110 shops refused outright to take the survey.

This is just a small sample of what Amnesty has seen, yes it has been successful, but to a very limited degree.

 

[Agnieszka]

amnestyusa.org/business/deja_vu_us.pdf

This is the reality of the kimberley process.

 

[hasikelee]

Karin the very fact that such a stone could create such evil just goes to show that its not worth getting involved in anything that has the potential for this.

So you also refuse to live in America and pay taxes, right? Because last I checked taxes go to pay for some abortions and also to some abortion providers.

Do you wear home-spun clothes, too, or are they purchased at a store that uses sweatshops?

And I take it you don’t eat at mexican restaurants either?

 

[Karin]

So you also refuse to live in America and pay taxes, right? Because last I checked taxes go to pay for some abortions and also to some abortion providers.

Do you wear home-spun clothes, too, or are they purchased at a store that uses sweatshops?

And I take it you don’t eat at mexican restaurants either?

 

[Agnieszka]

So you also refuse to live in America and pay taxes, right? Because last I checked taxes go to pay for some abortions and also to some abortion providers.

Do you wear home-spun clothes, too, or are they purchased at a store that uses sweatshops?

And I take it you don’t eat at mexican restaurants either?

That is the most absurd and ridiculous comparison ive heard. Firstly, no i dont eat mexican food because i dont like it, secondly i dont live in the US, and even if i did how can you compare something that you can change to something that you cannot control? This is absolutely absurd.

I try to make my own clothes because they are cheaper and i dont buy anything thats made in China because usually this means junk or some designer is making a fortune by charging through the roof on shirts made in China which cost practically nothing, i try to buy local products because at least i know that theyre paying 14 dollars an hour to the person that makes it and not 2 dollars a day.

BUT this is besides the point. If you know that there is an illegal diamond trade that is literally killing thousands of people and turning children into soldiers then why on earth would you support it? So a ring can look nice on your finger? This is a simple and sad scenario where the rich take advantage of the poor through their stupidity and naivety. Sorry, but common sense says Jesus would not advocate anything of that nature, it is quite disgusting really. Sorry, but i, nor any decent moral person who is educated and has knowledge of how our world actually works, would think that this is a splendid idea. The world saddens me, just because its a hopeless situation doesnt mean that i should contribute to it.

 

[Karin]

.

BUT this is besides the point. **If you know that there is an illegal diamond trade that is literally killing thousands of people and turning children into soldiers then why on earth would you support it? **

Once again, in case you missed it[sign]…I DO NOT SUPPORT IT![/sign]
you are making a nasty assumption that anybody that buys diamonds is supporting the this cause…when if fact that is a BIG FALLICY!
I make sure that the diamonds we do purchase are not Conflict or Blood Diamonds!

So a ring can look nice on your finger? This is a simple and sad scenario where the rich take advantage of the poor through their stupidity and naivety.

Once again it would seem that you missed it [sign]

I DONT SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF BLOOD DIAMONDS nor DO I OWN THEM! I DO CONDEMN THE PRACTICE OF SELLING THEM(blood diamonds) AND USING THEM!
[/sign]

Sorry, but common sense says Jesus would not advocate anything of that nature, it is quite disgusting really. Sorry, but i, nor any decent moral person who is educated and has knowledge of how our world actually works, would think that this is a splendid idea. The world saddens me, just because its a hopeless situation doesnt mean that i should contribute to it.

It disgusts me that you keep insisting that I and others that do own diamonds and purchase them ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUPPORT OF CONFLICT/BLOOD DIAMONDS! I am really getting sick of your assumptions!

 

[Agnieszka]

Once again, in case you missed it[sign]…I DO NOT SUPPORT IT![/sign]
you are making a nasty assumption that anybody that buys diamonds is supporting the this cause…when if fact that is a BIG FALLICY!
I make sure that the diamonds we do purchase are not Conflict or Blood Diamonds!

Once again it would seem that you missed it [sign]

I DONT SUPPORT THE PURCHASE OF BLOOD DIAMONDS nor DO I OWN THEM! I DO CONDEMN THE PRACTICE OF SELLING THEM(blood diamonds) AND USING THEM!
[/sign]

It disgusts me that you keep insisting that I and others that do own diamonds and purchase them ARE CONTRIBUTING TO THE SUPPORT OF CONFLICT/BLOOD DIAMONDS! I am really getting sick of your assumptions!

Sorry but anyone who buys diamonds is supporting it one way or another. How do you know where your diamonds come from? Really, how can you be sure? I am not making any assumptions, i am simply stating FACTS. Because diamonds are “every little girl’s dream”, “a girl’s best friends” etc etc, because they are so highly fantasized about and worshipped in Western culture and highly sought after the illegal trade will continue. YOU may not be buying conflict diamonds (are you sure about that? do you know how easy it is to get a certificate to say that these diamonds are not conflict diamonds?) but someone else may be and not even know it. As long as diamonds remain popular and the earth is not yet completely robbed of them they will continue to be a problem, and the trade will continue so long as people are buying them, as long as women in the West continue to focus on the material aspects and store these valuable treasures for themselves.

 

[Karin]

Sorry but anyone who buys diamonds is supporting it one way or another. How do you know where your diamonds come from? Really, how can you be sure? I am not making any assumptions, i am simply stating FACTS. Because diamonds are “every little girl’s dream”, “a girl’s best friends” etc etc, because they are so highly fantasized about and worshipped in Western culture and highly sought after the illegal trade will continue. YOU may not be buying conflict diamonds (are you sure about that? do you know how easy it is to get a certificate to say that these diamonds are not conflict diamonds?) but someone else may be and not even know it. As long as diamonds remain popular and the earth is not yet completely robbed of them they will continue to be a problem, and the trade will continue so long as people are buying them, as long as women in the West continue to focus on the material aspects and store these valuable treasures for themselves.

Once again…[sign]I am totally sure that I do not own or buy conflict diamonds.[/sign]…
if you want to get into more detail about my diamond buying practice then I suggest you PM me.
Otherwise I am done with your WILD accusations and assumptions!

 

[Agnieszka]

Once again…[sign]I am totally sure that I do not own or buy conflict diamonds.[/sign]…
if you want to get into more detail about my diamond buying practice then I suggest you PM me.
Otherwise I am done with your WILD accusations and assumptions!

Karin i have done ALOT of research on global issues and global conflicts, i am highly qualified to say all this, i am not making wild accusations and assumptions. If you really knew how the world operated it would make your head spin, everything is interconnected. So long as people continue to regard material things and pretty things with such high regard there will always be a backdoor trade you dont know about, an illegal syndicate of evil and corruption to satisfy consumers. The only thing i wear is a scapular, nobody ever died or was harmed by making a scapular, theres just no money in it. Have a great day.

 

[Karin]

Karin i have done ALOT of research on global issues and global conflicts, i am highly qualified to say all this, i am not making wild accusations and assumptions. If you really knew how the world operated it would make your head spin, everything is interconnected. So long as people continue to regard material things and pretty things with such high regard there will always be a backdoor trade you dont know about, an illegal syndicate of evil and corruption to satisfy consumers. The only thing i wear is a scapular, nobody ever died or was harmed by making a scapular, theres just no money in it. Have a great day.

thank you for that wonderful insight…gosh I guess I should pull my head out of my … you have spoken and your word is the finally authority!!! Have a great day now!

 

[Agnieszka]

thank you for that wonderful insight…gosh I guess I should pull my head out of my … you have spoken and your word is the finally authority!!! Have a great day now!

Theres no need to be like that, seriously, obviously youve nothing else to add to the conversation. If someone is more educated on a particular subject matter i dont see why they should be made fun of on a Catholic forum (sadly) when they try and tell others what they know.