Post AdHhus7aQu91wazykK by halleberry@noagendasocial.com
(DIR) More posts by halleberry@noagendasocial.com
(DIR) Post #AdHfypZvd5JbJ8114i by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-28T23:55:12Z
2 likes, 7 repeats
New Year is fast approaching! Many of you will be finding someone and getting engaged.Every year I post the advice for young men on one of my Fediverse account. This year I will post it on NAS.You can also find it on my Gemini capsule: gemini://brainsocks.xyz/gemlog/2023/2023-05-05.gmiThis year I will try to fit it into 8 posts. [1/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgDpXy1sKtYMFa8O by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-28T23:57:55Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
1. A ring is not an investmentNew cars lose half their value when they drive off the lot: jewelry loses even more.Unless you are purchasing an investment-grade rock, you don't have a stone that's rare. Your stone has very little value in the competitive commercial market.A diamond of a certain cut, clarity, color, and carat weight can be matched and delivered in three days if you can afford market price. This is not rare. [2/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgJSTmhrMNkRyfZI by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-28T23:58:56Z
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A rare stone is when someone asks we say, "Tell us your budget and give us three to six months to search for what's out there."It's very unlikely anyone will ever care about anything other than the metal if the day comes that you decide to scrap out the ring. People are upset when I tell them the diamond they had appraised at $6,000 only costs me $1,000 to buy.Also, if you have a rare stone an appraisal and insurance is useless: no one can replace it. [3/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgSsduniSxUzD0RE by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:00:38Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
2. Diamond is not foreverDiamonds crack as easily as cheap quartz points. The only thing that makes a diamond special is its resistance to scratching and comparatively high refractive index.Diamonds suck in terms of toughness. They break by being struck on the girdle. It can happen when bumping into a supermarket checkout, a cart, hitting the porcelain sink, etc.If you want to protect your stone, bezel set it. Everything was bezel set before 150 years ago. [4/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgVLjXc4sOIk19wu by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:01:05Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
3. Consider a different stoneYou can do a lot of nice things with color gems on a smaller budget. And a smaller cost means you will be less pressured to get into the jewelry insurance scam.The average wedding ring can be purchased three times over during the course of a marriage for what people pay in jewelry insurance.It is a scam.Don't buy a rock she will be afraid to wear and that puts you into horrible debt. Put the money toward your home. [5/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgeFiDMznuETdtWC by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:02:41Z
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4. Never buy off the shelfPre-made ring has far more loaded onto its cost. You have the store's profit, the salesperson's commission, the profit of the design house, their sales rep, the gem broker, the gold broker, and the casting house. At least.Buy a stone you want to see her wearing.Go to a gem show if you want best price. Never order from eBay sellers in India unless you want to recut. There are cutters on Etsy who can get you amazing American cut and mined sapphires for <$500. [6/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgjX7M5HDBf8v5bU by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:03:38Z
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Once you have the stone, have it set. Find a local bench jeweler, not a retailer under the Sterling-Signet brand. Who is under that brand?* Blue Nile* Belden* Ernest Jones* Goodman* H. Samuel* James Allen* Jared* JB Robinson* Kay* LeRoy's* Leslie Davis* Mappins* Marks & Morgan Jewelers* Osterman* Peoples Jewellers* Rogers* Shaw's* Weisfield* ZalesYour local jeweler can do a custom wax or order a pre-made setting you like and set the stone according to your budget. [7/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHgrOnMuVBYATK1Ca by rher@mugicha.club
2023-12-29T00:05:03.610837Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
Thanks Istvan
(DIR) Post #AdHgzMRpWPTzCj2nDM by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:06:30Z
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I've never seen an engagement ring where the metal work and accent stones together cost more than $1,000 to make in 18K gold. And that's with our profit margin included.Engagement ring and band together should be under $1,500 in metal.Women's settings don't cost much unless you do something stupid like surround the entire band in tiny diamonds so she has a million prongs poking her fingers and you are forever paying as stones fall out. [8/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHh9EEAwICSbbMWtk by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:08:17Z
2 likes, 1 repeats
5. Don't do novelty metalsThese will be a nightmare as you go through life.Those cool inlay rings you see? Held together with super glue and will fall apart when exposed to showers, dish soap, and a couple spilled shots of whiskey. It's in the fine print.That titanium band is going to be a problem when the fire department is called to the hospital. Firemen can't do it: it goes to surgery.Just get silver, gold, or platinum. Everyone knows what to do with them and has the tools. [9/8?]
(DIR) Post #AdHhKOpJs95OfC3xrs by IceCubeSoup@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:10:18Z
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@istvan posting in this thread which has no direct interest to me personally, but it's of such high quality that I can't help it.
(DIR) Post #AdHhLum2ZyJg2FFfo8 by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:10:35Z
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6. White gold, especially 14K white, is a money pitI hope you enjoy paying for rhodium plating. Look at the price and think about the cost in 10 or 20 years.Do you truly believe you are going to get free plating forever? I don't. Things have changed as platinum family metals have found use in military and space technology. It will get worse.18K gold and platinum are about the same price, and are a slight one-time premium. They pay for themselves within five years and hold more value.
(DIR) Post #AdHhUy4XgXS6s5Ds24 by kgibson@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:12:12Z
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@istvan we have platinum and they have been great for 20+ years
(DIR) Post #AdHhVJKucs1aow2jxo by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:12:17Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
7. If she says yes but complains about the ring: runYou and your fiancée have a fundamental mismatch in aesthetics. Even worse, she is extremely vulnerable to social pressure.Engagement is a shit test that goes both ways.If she loves the thought you put into the ring and loves that it came from you, you should have a long and happy future together.Wishing you much happiness and financial security in your new life together. [END]
(DIR) Post #AdHhdxuvdBJezr14W8 by Iamthebammbamm@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:13:50Z
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@istvan this is bad advice. I willingly sacrifice aesthetic decision making to the spouse. I'm unqualified.
(DIR) Post #AdHhus7aQu91wazykK by halleberry@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:16:53Z
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@istvan pretty cool read. Thanks
(DIR) Post #AdHhxOUL432KuKqLrs by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:17:21Z
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@kgibson Its a great metal. Scratches a little easy, but looks beautiful and will survive a lifetime.
(DIR) Post #AdHiArpTHr5Dfg9WEa by IceCubeSoup@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:19:47Z
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@istvan BIGGER !!
(DIR) Post #AdHiJIL4bmWcCqx7xo by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:21:18Z
0 likes, 1 repeats
@Iamthebammbamm If she can’t appreciate you making your best effort and bends to the peer pressure of her friends, it’s likely going to go bad at some point.My favorite customer ever had the story of giving a ring to a girl, she accepted, and then come back a week later asking, “OK, where is the real ring?”He kicked her and her belongings to the curb. Best decision ever: he has someone who is a much better match for him now.Balls of steel on that guy.
(DIR) Post #AdHiXZZtJLEHj5gxQe by progo@boop.city
2023-12-29T00:23:52Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@IceCubeSoup @istvan I don't really regret buying my low-end diamond engagement ring years ago. I didn't have some delusion that I could ever sell it for more than I paid for it.But if you'd asked me a year later I would have said: get metal rings for both of you, or no rings. Diamonds are bullshit.
(DIR) Post #AdHjIFTDt7SYySpUp6 by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:32:20Z
0 likes, 0 repeats
@IceCubeSoup Thank you for
(DIR) Post #AdHk5FFRVFYyTTkO7k by MartinDeLaToot@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:41:11Z
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@istvan I took none of your advice when I proposed to my wife 31 years ago. We picked out our rings, off the shelf but at a well respected small town jewelry store.You’re 100% right on those diamond appraisals and what actual value is.Glad we stayed on budget and got what she liked.I won but your mileage may vary
(DIR) Post #AdHkPxRCuru7Jn7uj2 by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T00:44:55Z
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@MartinDeLaToot That’s what matters at the end of the day.Budgets are incredibly tight for young people right now. They need all the advice they can get to control the process and get the best result.
(DIR) Post #AdHtpmQjMe9AIMI8sy by kgibson@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T02:30:26Z
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@istvan the scratches give it a nice look over time.
(DIR) Post #AdHtufXyNoyeOZ0hk0 by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T02:31:19Z
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@kgibson Would recommend if you like the look to just have the metal matte finished or sandblasted from the start instead of pursuing high polish that’s hard to maintain.
(DIR) Post #AdISfLxARjyFg8E8x6 by Flick@spinster.xyz
2023-12-29T09:00:43.504087Z
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@istvan I have an 18kt white gold ring, Georg Jensen, nearly twenty years old. What will change about it when it needs re-plating (how will I know)?
(DIR) Post #AdIhAMl0uEO4VWDz1M by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T11:43:12Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@Flick You won’t notice it as seriously as you would on 14K, which is why I recommend always going 18K white.White gold isn’t as bright as platinum, so it will just take on a darker or slightly yellow look. Polishing will bring back the shine, but the color will be off.That’s a ring that lost its plating.You are in UK so won’t be allergy signs. Cheap USA white gold contains nickel, so with the rhodium barrier gone a lot of people will get severe reactions on their finger. UK+EU bans this.
(DIR) Post #AdIhNYuB3Hl5wonqs4 by Flick@spinster.xyz
2023-12-29T11:45:35.234768Z
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@istvan Thanks for the info. I can live with that, I think!
(DIR) Post #AdIhYHDz808kIXB2vo by istvan@noagendasocial.com
2023-12-29T11:47:31Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@Flick I almost never bother replating 18K white unless someone is having a reaction or is REALLY insistent.It’s not the dramatic look improvement you get with 14K. A nice polish is usually enough to make the customer happy and much cheaper to maintain. 👍