Diamonds and Engagements

97K15004WD

97K15004WD

Joined
Dec 11, 2011
Messages
943
Location
USA
Signet (owner of Zales, Jared, Kay Jewelers, Blue Nile and Diamonds Direct) said the lull in proposals is expected to bottom out this year, and engagements will likely rebound starting in early 2024.

Who would have guessed - engagements going back up? That's not the story line I've been hearing lately. Latest generation is not interested in marriage at all.

www.businessinsider.com

The American nuclear family is officially over

The number of Americans living with a spouse and children has plummeted in the last 50 years.
www.businessinsider.com www.businessinsider.com

www.pewresearch.org

The Modern American Family

Key trends in marriage and family life in the United States.
www.pewresearch.org www.pewresearch.org

 
It will be interesting to see how this plays out. It is statistically clear that the nuclear family produces far less troublesome children. Whether that factors in, in any way, remains to be seen. As a man old enough to be on the cusp of retirement, I've developed a number of opinions on this subject, mostly by observing ever worsening court cases.

My point of view has done a 180, I now believe that a good man is the prize and not the other way around. Men build, fix, engineer, earn and provide. Women get to raise a family on the back of a hard working man, married or divorced, it matters not.

If I were young, I'd not marry today
 
Interesting from OPs first link:
Pew found that Americans are pessimistic about the future of the family and marriage, although more said that having a job or career they enjoy is more fulfilling than having children, a lot of money, or being married.
Click to expand...
And the Pew link:
Americans most often point to job satisfaction and close friends – rather than being married or having children – when asked what factors contribute to a fulfilling life. Some 71% say having a job or career they enjoy is extremely or very important for people to live a fulfilling life, and 61% say the same about having close friends.


Only about a quarter say having children (26%) or being married (23%) is equally important.
Click to expand...
 
Gen Z is the smallest generation comparatively I think ever in US history. I am sure that plays heavily into the overall number as well - fewer people = fewer marriages even if the percentages stayed the same, which they are not.

As the parent of two Gen Z daughters, I think there generation looks a things pretty analytically. I imagine they look at Marriage, figure half end in divorce anyway, so why bother?
 
I bought my wife a 3/4 karat stone 55 years ago. Not perfect but had great cut, color, clarity. 25 year later I added another stone and at our 40th her ring has 3 matching stones. Looks more impressive than a 1.5 single stone. Don't need to go large.

Women like diamonds. Get as much as you can comfortably afford IMHO
 
It definitely seems less common today. But I do know people who have been married since they turned 18 too. It seems no marriage or young marriage is common today. I also know several in my generation who don’t want kids which I find disappointing. If I had someone I’d definitely be interested in marrying them as long as the ceremony was small and private I hate being the center of attention. By small I mean like our parents and grand parents and siblings and that’s it. I want to find the right girl for me but it seems so hard. I want to settle down and have kids and marriage. I know I’m only 21 so I still have time. The goal is I’d like to find someone by 25 and have kids before I turn 30. I’ll probably be like my parents and be too broke to buy from a jewelry store so I’ll just go to Walmart and get a nice one haha.
 
99Saturn said:
Silicone Rings perfect solution :)
Click to expand...

I tell my wife that I’m seeing lots of younger folks wearing $10 rubber wedding O rings from Grainger.
No need for expensive ring to have a happy marriage.

Some folks under the age of 35 have zero desire to get married, don’t want kids, no career prospects and still living with their parents.



AutoMechanic,

What you are saying is that you don’t want a ‘November Rain’ music video style wedding.
 
Last edited:
My wife periodically threatens to wear her mother's 1946 engagement ring which had a tiny flake of diamond. It meant a lot to her parents but I'd be embarrassed to have her wear such a tiny "diamond".

Anyway, my wife says diamonds are really boring and she'd rather have an emerald. But then emeralds are notorious for well hidden cracks (apparently dipped in oil to hide the cracks, and I have to think later falling apart).

So she gets silver and turquoise instead. A few hundred dollars buys some beautiful turquoise jewellery.
 
Dave Hess said:
Some folks under the age of 35 have zero desire to get married, no career prospects and still living with their parents.
Click to expand...
Fairly certain you could replace 35 with 45 or 55 and it would be just as much of a truism.

Does getting married equate to career prospects? :unsure:
 
SC Maintenance said:
As the parent of two Gen Z daughters, I think there generation looks a things pretty analytically. I imagine they look at Marriage, figure half end in divorce anyway, so why bother?
Click to expand...
I also believe that many of them are pessimistic about their chances of ever owning a home (or even moving out of their parents home).
Also, there's the old "Why buy the cow when the milk if free" thing going on.
 
99Saturn said:
Fairly certain you could replace 35 with 45 or 55 and it would be just as much of a truism.

Does getting married equate to career prospects? :unsure:
Click to expand...
I do think I read that being married had a good correlation to becoming a millionaire.

I suspect that those who are against traditional behaviors and are actively fighting/protesting them are less than savory in other areas of their life as well.

Of course we also see that folks who claim they’re for traditional family values also have skeletons.

I can’t think of a single close friend of mine who isn’t married with kids. We are in our early 40s. I do recognize that many people wait longer to get married and have kids, but I also note that women are very tuned into the fact that their clocks are ticking.

I live in a very progressive area, and my observation is that you still get a very family- focused outlook from most folks once you get past the woke modern people. With only elementary aged kids I observe very few single parent families, and cases where the parents aren’t “together”, they’re both heavily involved.

I think fighting against what is still the norm is just a phase. Some may never grow out of it.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

John Galt
Lifestyle Enrichment in Later Life and Its Association With Dementia Risk
Replies
18
Views
800
AZjeff
Pablo
  • Locked
IRAQ Report
Replies
3
Views
1K
Pablo
Back
Top