Diamond Engagement Rings – Why It’s So Popular

As a human, you live according to a wide array of societal pressures and expectations. One of the expectations is that engagement rings need to have a rock. Preferably a diamond to make for an ideal engagement.

But, other than societal pressures and expectations, are there other reasons why diamond rings are popular for engagement? Where did this whole idea of diamond engagement rings come from? Lastly, can you even find original but cheap diamond engagement rings?

History

You need to know the root of diamond rings first before figuring out why they are popular. It all started in the early 1900s when there was low production of diamonds worldwide. Of course, women would still receive engagement rings, and diamonds weren’t a favorite gem when it came to engagement rings.

After the great depression, the value of diamonds massively dropped. As a result, by then, only a small number of rings were diamonds. Come 1947, and everything changed thanks to an intelligent campaign massively.

De Beers launched a campaign that has brought about the expectation of diamond engagement rings to this date. The slogan used for this campaign, “A Diamond is Forever,” has been held on to decades later.

The company was smart enough to plan for this campaign and plan it out ahead for the next four decades. This marketing campaign also featured celebrities wearing diamonds wherever they go. It imprinted to the public that the gem was a must-have.

The first man to ever propose a diamond ring is Maximilian, the Archduke of Austria. This is how diamond engagement rings came about and a trend set that we still follow to date.

Reasons why they’re famous?

  • Tradition

The first reason why diamond rings are popular is engagement, more or less a matter of tradition. It is an expectation that you must fulfill even if you have to give out a cheap diamond engagement ring. It also symbolizes ownership of the wife.

In this case, the husband owns the wife, and the ring affirms that. Before the diamond ring, there were other ways that the husband would symbolize ownership of his wife. He would give her two rings – a golden one and a metal one.

The wife, while at home, would wear the metal ring. When the wife would step outside, she would wear the golden ring. Diamonds came in and simplified the whole concept and replace it with only one ring.

The tradition of the diamond ring was so that the wife would pawn off the ring during times of hardship.

  • Girls Love Diamonds

Generally, women are attracted to shiny objects, and nothing shines brighter to their eyes than diamonds. After the 1948 campaign that made diamonds famous, Carol Channing performed the song “Diamond is a Girl’s Best Friend.” This was exactly two years after that campaign.

You can assume that the De Beers was behind the song, too, as the musician elaborated on why women need diamonds. In her video of the song, she demanded diamonds from the men’s props there. This further enhanced the image of showing how much a man valued his woman when he gave her a diamond ring.

  • Diamonds are Forever

Forget tradition and everything; the idea that diamonds are forever is one you can’t take away. If you value your woman and want to show her that she is forever, you need to get her a diamond ring.

That phrase isn’t much of a phrase today but more reality to various audiences who consider diamonds a must-have. This, though, was a campaign done by De Beers’ marketing department. It was strategical and would go on for four decades and leave a mark.

The idea behind the catchphrase “Diamonds are Forever” was all about capturing the audience’s attention. It would end up fueling the desire to get even a cheap diamond engagement ring. This is a norm that has stayed with us to this date.

How much Do Diamond Engagement Rings Cost

There’s no set idea of how much a diamond ring costs. But it can be a substantial amount that requires you to save a considerable chunk of what you want. Of course, you can opt for cheap engagement rings, but they don’t show value to the woman.

And though diamonds are usually associated with high society, you can get a cheap diamond engagement ring for your fiancee.

Trends

As stated before, there are huge expectations regarding engagement and diamond rings at the top of this list. When you bow down to the expectations, you may end up ruining your financial plan.

There are quite a number of cheap engagement rings that you can go for if you don’t have the money to afford a diamond. You can also look at some of the cheap diamond engagement rings in the market. It should, however, carry some sentimental value to you.

The cheap ones are those that are the ones you know as synthetic diamonds. They, however, only account for just 1% of the on-sale diamond today, according to The Economist.

Though, the younger generation is keeping off the traditional diamond engagement rings as they are pretty costly. Someone who makes close to or $10,000 annually can’t afford to pay for a diamond.

Blood Diamonds

Blood diamond awareness has gone up of late. With more people conscious about buying diamonds used to fund violence. These diamonds are what is known globally as blood diamonds.

When you buy the ring at the shop, of course, you won’t know where it comes from. Dealers are the ones that are the front line when it comes to this fight against blood diamonds.

Conclusion

Diamond rings have always been popular, and one of the reasons is the four-decade campaign built to promote them. They are also a girl’s best friend. And though getting one may be costly, there are a few that are cheap. Above is the history of diamond rings and why they remain popular despite other gems being in the market.

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