I don’t care if my engagement ring is cubic zirconia.
In a heated, yet still friendly exchange one Friday night this winter, one of my girlfriends told a table of margarita-drinkin’, enchilda-eatin’ Kellogg students that she wouldn’t care if her boyfriend proposed to her with a ring of genu-wine cubic zirconia.
“What?? Are you serious?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I mean, if he was investing the money somewhere else, like real estate or something, I would totally be all for that.”
“Shut up. You would care. You would wear a fake diamond? Why not a semi-precious stone, like an emerald, or a ruby or something?”
“No, I really wouldn’t care. Really. I swear.”
One guy at the table totally backed her up, which made me think it might be a gender thing, arguing that he wouldn’t personally propose with CZ because his wife would have killed him. But if the woman had been okay with it, he probably would have too. On the other hand, some of the other guys at the table were like, “Noooo way. Too embarrassing.”
Historical note: I did learn this winter in my marketing strategy class that the whole diamonds-as-a-symbol-of-love is a manufactured concept, originated by DeBeers mid-century when no one was buying diamonds.
Even still, I think I’d be very unhappy to receive cubic zirconia. I’d much rather a semi-precious stone, or seriously, no stone at all, if it came down to finances and investing that same amount of money elsewhere.
Where do you weigh in on this? Rock or no rock?
the i don't care blog 