“AITA For Buying My Fiancée A Lab-Grown Diamond And Refusing To Exchange It For A Natural Stone?”

Lucky De Beers didn't jump on the flat earth bandwagon or else most the planet would have bought into that nonsense too!

I actually thoughf the same thing years ago, before lab grown diamonds became available. At that time I let my fiance (or so I thought) know that I would prefer a ring that was not "real" should our relationship progress to marriage. At that time the options for a synthetic stone that looked like a traditional diamond were limited to cubic zirconia rings. I always thought that they were far more sparkly and pretty than a real diamond. I also though it would be easier on his/our finances, and did not like the diamond industry putting a monetary value on our love. And of course the ethics and environmental issues surrounding the diamond trade were a big part of that decision as well.

It's even funnier when people say buy Canadian or other non conflict... Hey they were convicted of mixing them in with blood diamonds at the highest levels and only one person went to jail... Yeah much like the entire fashion industry(all slave labour...). Blood diamonds are still in with the clean ones...

I agree. I asked for no stone, my mother, both grandmothers, at least one aunt and a sister all lost diamonds. We got matching tungsten rings, but my husband usually wears a silicone ring because of work anyway.

Tanzanite is gorgeous, one of my favorites. But it's not really high on the Mohr's scale, so it's more susceptible to scratches and cracks from everyday wear. You have to be really careful with the type of setting, and get a maintenance plan so it can be cleaned regularly.

I'd be happy with a cheap, ethical fake...as long as he gave me at least 30 thousand to put into my own bank account.

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You're clueless.

Are you sure about that? I think you're wrong.

I don't think this is his dream ring. His dream was a kit car. It sounds like he employed the help of friends and family in order to get something she liked, while still maintaining a surprise for her. And from the sound of it, she loved the ring...until she found out it was manufactured rather than mined. The glaring issue here is that she is focused on the ring, and not what the ring represents. Her ring represents a man who wants to commit his life to hers, who considers his impact on the world and those in it, who gave up 10 years of savings to give her a beautiful symbol of that dedication that he can also feel good about. I would never ask my husband to sacrifice his morals to meet some socially fabricated standard that says mined diamonds are somehow better. I could never accept anything "no matter the cost." That cost could mean actual. Human. Lives. Just so I could say some miner had to chisel it out of the earth. Partner > ring.

Nah if the story had a happy ending instead everybody would be telling OP how he done a great job talking to her friends and family and not one told him it was a bad idea so either none of the people closest don't know her at all or she is being picky

If she wanted real diamonds how would he know that? It was most likely what she wanted but had better quality to it. Lab growns, last longer than your average diamond and require less of a hastle when it comes to resilience and maintaining that perfect look. Lab grown diamonds look identical and mean the same thing as one that has been received naturally. Only difference is that she wanted to see and wear “MONEY” which I believe is a unreasonable remark. She can’t appreciate a materialistic thing such as this, that is worth a lot of money first of all. She cant come to the realization that what she has received is from the heart and was thought about for so long. Yet she goes and becomes ungrateful for what she has gotten. Opposed to nothing if he didn’t agree with her. That woman is lucky she even has a man and any ladies who have standards that are pinpoint thin and limited are not going to be easily acceptable when it comes to them being on the lower side of a simple notion of love. I would have said okay and gave her a small ass diamond on a thin ass ring one size too big and said this one is real and this is what you get. She also didn’t have input when it came to what she exactly wanted prior to receiving it. that’s a communication issue in the relationship not even HIS or HER own problems. I find this whole post to be ludicrously obscure and unhealthy. Sad really.

That still makes no sense. Why a "real" Dimond? As a woman her reason is no excuse. Sure, I want my dream ring but as a woman I KNOW how my man(and many others) don't think like we do. They are practical thinkers and we are emotional ones. I have said over and over and over the things I love and hate out loud for him until he get SICK of it and says. "I know, I know.. you've said it a million times!" Good! Now I know that he knows what I want. I hate the idea of a boring diamond ring, I want an emerald ring! He knows my tastes and my first ring he gave me was a practice run to see if he got my style right 😂, I now wear a pinky ring that cost MAYBE 60 bucks that is his promise to get me a real engagement ring in the near future. I agree that it should be OUR dream ring, but I also see an engagement ring and a wedding ring as two different things. He can pick the engagement ring. I get the final say in what I wear on my finger for the rest of my life as a WEDDING ring.

I hope you life is a miserable as your morals.