Alicorn comments on Stupid Questions June 2015 - Less Wrong

5 Post author: Gondolinian 31 May 2015 02:14AM

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Comment author: Taa 01 June 2015 12:33:02AM *  2 points [-]

I am a prominent LW poster; this is a through-away account because my girlfriend also uses LW.

I would like to propose to my girlfriend in the near future. For this I would like to use a diamond ring. I have never bought one before, so would appreciate any advice. The main things I would like help with:

  • Not paying extra due to ignorance
  • Ensuring she never has cause to regret the choice of stone/ring.
  • Anything else you think I should know.

Some background in case it helps:

  • I live in NYC, so have access to the diamond district.
  • I am leaning towards an artificial diamond, as it seems hard to guarantee conflict-free otherwise (which does not seem romantic!) and we are both pretty pro-science.
  • My price range is orgjrra bar naq gra gubhfnaq qbyynef, ohg V jbhyq cersre gbjneqf gur ybjre raq bs gur enatr
  • My girlfreind is neither unusually fat nor unusually skinny for an American of marriageable age. She is white.
  • She does not wear much jewelry. The stuff she has is mainly (fake?) yellow gold and silver, mainly gifts.
  • I am probably looking for a relatively simple design, round stone.
Comment author: Alicorn 01 June 2015 12:48:29AM *  8 points [-]

I do not recommend choosing a diamond. Diamonds are both less pretty than and more expensive than moissanite; if you have the budget for a diamond, you can get better for cheaper with moissanite. The exception is if you know for a fact the recipient is a natural stone chauvinist, which doesn't sound like your situation at all (you basically can't get natural moissanite). Bonus: moissanite is from SPACE.

If you are unwilling to consult her in advance on her taste in rocks, the safe choice is a gold-band solitaire with a round brilliant cut rock set in prongs. More expensive, more interesting, and also pretty safe is a "past present future" setting with three rocks, matching if you want to be conservative about it. I'm not sure what the conventional alloy for gold-looking jewelry that needs to not deform with use is, but if it looks like yellow gold and anyone makes a point of telling you how many carats it is, it's probably good.

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