Millennials are often a topic of debate, more so than any other generation. They're frequently the object of ridicule or the source of a very specific internet-grown sense of humour, but one strange phenomenon is the number of articles blaming the generation for a fluctuations across a wide range of industries.
There have been think-pieces, hot takes and long editorial columns about millennials 'killing' all sorts of industries, including Buffalo Wild Wings, Applebee's, TGI Fridays, traditional weddings, beer, Hooters, mayonnaise, cereal, motorcycles, golf, pubs, and more. At the end of the day, it's a lot easier to refer to it this way, rather than point out that maybe millennials want to be catered to a little more.
From there begins the advice from professionals on how to save money. Seeing as the generation face 300% more student debt than their parents, are increasingly less likely to own their home, and are looking forward to a retirement at 75 (if at all), there's a lot of money problems that need to be solved - but a lot of the time, the answer ends up being something to do with eating fewer avocados and staying away from artisan coffees.
However, a potentially brilliant piece of money-saving advice made its way online, originating from a joke thread about one of these millennial articles. When an Economist article asking 'Why aren't millennials buying diamonds?' was shared online, the internet quickly jumped on to note their actual reasons for not buying them.
Then, one user who claimed to be a “former Jared’s salesperson” shared a hack to get around the expensiveness of diamonds, using a "created white sapphire" - an option that looks like a diamond but is a fraction of the price. They wrote:
"Pro tip from a former Jared’s salesperson: You want a sparkly white rock that will look like a diamond to the untrained eye and will literally cost the price of a nice dinner for two? Created white sapphire.
"They’re lab grown and cost *pennies* to make, so you can get a 1 or 2 carat white sapphire for like… $30-80 probably. You can get one as huge as you like, perfectly clear, perfectly flawless.
According to the user, it's only a professional that would actually be able to tell the difference between this and the real thing. On top of this, sapphires are still extremely durable, so will last a good while too:
"Very unlikely that they’ll chip or crack. Get that bitch set in sterling silver and you are GOOD TO GO. Whole thing should cost you less than $200 unless you get a fancy band with a lot of extra stones. Of course, created sapphires come in every color of the rainbow, so if you want something more exciting than plain white, you TOTALLY CAN.
"Created sapphires and silver: The poor Millennial’s engagement ring."
So, thinking of saving a little money without downgrading on the glam? This may be the perfect solution.