A man who spent $20,000 on an engagement ring has shared how he was left heartbroken when his fiancée, 27, said that it wasn’t good enough. The 30-year-old man took to Reddit and asked: “AITA (AM I The A**hole) for buying my fiancée a lab-grown diamond and refusing to exchange it for a natural stone? “I told her that I had spent about $20,000 on it that I had been squirreling away for the last 10 years.” He continued:
“She was initially floored that I had spent so much but later became suspicious that I had managed to get such a large stone (3.6 carats) for the price, and asked to see the diamond certificate I got with the ring. “I, of course, showed it to her (I thought she was worried I had been duped into buying a fake) and when she saw it was lab-grown she got upset that I hadn’t bought her a ‘real’ diamond. “This reaction stunned me for a couple of reasons!
“Firstly, I had always been open in my distaste for the natural diamond industry, and secondly because I had employed the assistance of her friends and mother and everyone agreed that she wouldn’t care if the diamond was lab-grown.” The unnamed man claimed that he tried to explain his decision to buy a lab-grown diamond to his partner several times. “It’s better for the environment, I know the specific provenance of the stone, so I know it’s not a conflict stone,” he explained.
“Ultimately, it’s better value for the money, and I wanted to purchase her the most beautiful ring possible.” He also said that if he hadn’t told her, she would have had “no idea,” and that lab-grown diamonds are “indistinguishable from natural diamonds unless you look at their certificate.” The irritated boyfriend said that his partner had requested that the ring be exchanged for a natural stone of “equal value.”
“The prospect of obtaining a blood diamond just sickens me,” he continued. “So I told her no, and told her that if she wanted to return the ring and stop our relationship, she could, but I would not swap it.” “She called me an a**hole and went to her parent’s house to spend the night.” Since then, I’ve received many texts from her friends asking me to simply give in and replace the ring (which I will eventually do if it means saving the relationship),
but I just feel like this is something worth standing firm on.” Many people supported the man, with one Reddit user writing: “NTA You spent $20,000 on a ring, and she still doesn’t like it? I believe you have more important matters to attend to. “Will that be enough for her?” Another wrote: “NTA. Jesus Christ. Your fiancee sounds deeply materialistic.” A third added:
“NTA – I can’t understand why you’d want to be with someone who is willing to actually end a relationship over a non-conflict diamond that was given to her out of love and a hope for a future together.” What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments section and SHARE this story with your friends and family