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Comment by tiborsaas | Hacker News Reader

> at a fraction of the cost

That might also be the reason. If something is cheaper, it feels inferior.

Also with diamonds it's probably a factor that the fiancé is expected to present serious intents with a deeper monetary investment. "Look honey, it's an ethical, clean diamond and only cost 1/20th of a dirty one" sad, but feels wrong.

Edit: I also remember a guy at dinner party bragging about buying a 5000EUR ring, it goes both ways.

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> A Veblen good is a type of luxury good for which the demand for a good increases as the price increases, in apparent contradiction of the law of demand, resulting in an upward-sloping demand curve. The higher prices of Veblen goods may make them desirable as a status symbol in the practices of conspicuous consumption and conspicuous leisure. A product may be a Veblen good because it is a positional good, something few others can own.

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veblen_good

Also:

* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giffen_good

Maybe the key would be to keep the artificial diamond ring at a similar price point. Larger, designer brand, more manual labor details, I don’t know. Not saving money, but get a superior product.

> Also with diamonds it's probably a factor that the fiancé is expected to present serious intents with a deeper monetary investment. "Look honey, it's an ethical, clean diamond and only cost 1/20th of a dirty one" sad, but feels wrong.

Then he can spend the same money for a bigger diamond ? That would give also more bragging rights to the future wife (nobody will come and ask if it is a natural or artificial one).

Buy 20 then. I wonder if there's a way to tastefully put them all on a single ring.

A friend of mine lost the fist one so he had to go back the same day to the same shop :)

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