Money comes and goes, mostly goes... so let it.

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'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

Not to mention the wedding dinner, photographer...

I could not believe the cost of invitations.

Yeah gone is right. Good thing we did it on the cheap.

I mean seriously, friend of mine spent 22k on his daughter's reception only for them to divorce a few years later. That was in 1991. These days weddings are like 50k. A wedding cake is freakin' a thousand bucks.

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You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Yeah, we've (both) got mixed emotions re: pricing and ethics of diamonds. That's why Apollo is so compelling. I spoke with their only jeweler yesterday and apparently it is a small family-owned company who doesn't quite know business... just how to make diamonds. Can I get a licensing contract?

They aren't publicly traded, or I'd have moved almost everything I have over there. They will explode, as their diamonds will revolutionize technology- $5/carat! So, I'd get in quick- Of course, DeBeers will probably find a way to undermine the entire thing. Yuck.

I'm really only looking for a modest piece- It's going to be bezel set in a one-of-a-kind setting designed by us- round or cushion will work- 1ct-ish, I or better, SI2 or better- nothing too fancy. No sense putting a mortgage on the hand of a social worker! (her words, not mine!)

Wish there was a nice family stone, but they had amythist!

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www.djugurba.com
www.waldenwellness.com

If I ever get married I ain't paying for no wedding! She is getting a reasonble priced ring, and a cheap wedding. Chruch, cake, and dinner afterwards at a nice place. A few grand max. If her family wants a big wedding her parents can pay for it. That and a pre nup.

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Good points.

Did you know that Sapphires were the stone of choice way back when before diamonds were mined to a great extent? It was what all the royal folks wore. BTW, Sapphires come in blue and red, the red ones are called Rubys. There's a lot of variation from pale to dark. Just a thought.

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-livin' in the terminally flippant zone

Yeah, we've (both) got mixed emotions re: pricing and ethics of diamonds.

check this website out:

http://www.canadadiamonds.com/

Not real sure of the particulars; but during the "Ice Truckers" show on Discovery it seemed that all the Canadian mines had De Beers signs on the front of the mine. So, I'm just sayin', maybe wrong.

Whatever you do, don't buy into that 2 months salary thing. That's pure marketing. I still say go with sapphire. It'll cover that "...something blue..." bit. Oh yeah, and man-made diamonds avoid the ethical dilemma and count for "...something new...".

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-livin' in the terminally flippant zone

I have a cubic zerconium that I found in my Parking lot one day that is the seze of a small pea.

I will let you have it realy cheaply....she will never know!

Tom W

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Wow - Kevin....life has many turns, no? I'm wishing you nothing but the best.

Diamonds are a very personal/emotional choice. Spend what you are comfortable with.

Congrats!