So I want to propose to my gf and don't have any money for

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Sorry for a shitty image.

holy crap I am 0 for 2. Sorry, I don't think there are a lot of high res images of this place.

>>1004327

>My chances of impressing my girlfriend's friends and my girlfriend's mother

Are you role-playing as a cuck? I think there are reddit boards for that

>>1004327
Make a trip to Arkansas and mine for diamonds.
http://www.craterofdiamondsstatepark.com/
The diamonds at this park are so great some dude was passing off other diamonds as from there.
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-curious-case-of-the-arkansas-diamonds-43575867/

>>1004327
>but hey, we all know that isn't true.

You are wise beyond your years, OP.

>>1004350
Thanks for your productive input.

>>1004375
Thanks!

I saw that, and thought it was the best option overall, but I think I am limited to CA at this time.

>>1004327
>>1004411

OP here: I've found another option: Benitoite

http://geology.com/gemstones/benitoite/

I think this might be a better option, as the Cherokee mine might be on private land and not have running water to pan in.

Beintoite is more rare than a diamond, so I might be able to work that angle...

>>1004327
Don't marry. Worst choice possible. Seriously.

>>1004416
I like this idea, OP. If I ever get married this is what I'm going to do.

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>>1004416

I'm a student of geology and this site is a gold mine (no pun intended). Thanks!

>>1004327
Ruby's are more valuable then diamonds in the market right now. And also a lot easier to come by in north america.. Also generally speaking. Ruby's are more rare then diamonds, without the jews. Diamonds would be worthless. Theres lots of nice gems out there.. Just don't get her something tacky like tourmaline...

>>1004451

I'm glad I can help.

How would you recommend I look for the diamonds if I'm not at a pay-to-mine site? I'm thinking of making a shifter box, bringing buckets of dirt to it from the hillside, and using a uv light to find any stones in the dirt. if there is water up there I can pan, but it's apparently seasonal. Any other suggestions?

>>1004460
I did not know this, thank you! I'm going to avoid Rubys for the ring itself (I'd like it to be a diamond or some sort of blue stone to match her eyes) but if I start doing this for fun and profit that's good to know. Or I might be able to get a bunch of raw rubies and trade it for a ring...

>>1004483
>Blue stone that match her eyes
yeah, a ruby.. or as better known as sapphire. comes in blue. Ruby's are sapphires they are only called ruby's because some special snowflake decided to call red sapphires ruby's.

check out this website..
https://www.gemselect.com/sapphire/sapphire.php

any respectable jeweler will set a loose stone into a ring.. you can find gold rings/silver/platinum rings with missing or broken stones, or just shitty fake stones, for pretty much the melt value on ebay if you dig hard enough.. try to get one without engraving too. laser engraving is also cheap and any respectable jeweler should be able to do it for you without much added cost. since they stick it in a machine and click "print"

I'm also Californian, I've prospected quite a bit including in that area, but mostly in the mother lode region (more south of where you are which is called the comstock lode). I am well equipped to do so (metal detector, sluice, good knowledge of what I am doing and looking for). For me, the chances of finding something that can even pay for the gas to drive to a claim and back are about 1%. Finding something worth putting on a ring maybe .0001%. For you, someone with no equipment or knowledge, your odds would be much better buying a lotto ticket.

>>1004419
He's in CA, he is too cucked to listen.
If society wasn't fucked and marriage was worth it. OP, would be based af, literally going out to get a diamond ring for his walking pocket pussy

>>1004491
Most of my gem knowledge comes from playing Diablo 2 as a teen, so I appreciate the clarification.

Buying a gem is my last resort. It's definitely the practical option, but the adventure aspect of going to these places and possibly finding something cool is very exciting. The link and your advice will be helpful when I inevitably strike out and don't find a single gem, so thank you.

>>1004492
I saw a different forum give the same advice. I am starting to suspect the Cherokee mine would be a waste of time, if I could even get on the property. Still, articles like the one below pique my curiosity to say the least.

the-unsolved-mystery-of-californias-idle-diamond-mine-p1576-84.htm

Some guy in 1990 found three larger diamonds in Trinity County, and the geology seems right in a lot of these areas, but there is a lot of fucking dirt in them thar hills to go through.

Do you mainly prospect for gold? After researching this, it seems like a very interesting hobby! What should I look for when looking for kimberlite and lamproite? What sort of tools or techniques should I use other than those you mentioned? Any good field guide recommendations?

Go find some opals in the Australian /out/back like SmarterEveryDay did

Lady of /out/ here. There are a lot better and cheaper options for engagement rings, and I personally want one with either a meteorite or a fossil in it, which is way cooler than a piece of carbon. I've perused this website a lot but this one is my favorite: https://jewelrybyjohan.com/shop/sterling-silver-engagement-ring-meteorite-2119/

Also cubic zirconium is just a labratory made diamond, and only jewlers could spot the difference (so don't let your mother in law near it if she accepts). I have also personally always loved opals, but if you went hiking for your first date you could get a small pebble from there? That would be adorable.

My grandmother got a cheap ring from my grandmother when he was broke, but he became a lawyer later on and bought her a giant ring but she still wears the cheap one for sentimental value, so if you plan on buying her a better ring ask her if she will actually wear it before you buy it.

But personally I wouldn't go anywhere near an abandoned mine, you don't know if there is gas you are going to breathe in because of poor ventilation or if it could collapse on you with just a little mining. Try panning perhaps?

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What about flying to somewhere in Africa to mine the gemstones myself? I doubt anyone in Tanzania would make a big enough deal about me mining that I couldn't bribe them with a few beers.

>>1004327

Why dont you just buy a simple looking ring with no decorations made of some fancy weird metal or material.

Diamond rings are a meme and look terrible.

>>1004852
>I've perused this website a lot but this one is my favorite *linksnip*

I have an issue with this shit, why does it cost $1,034.00 for a silver ring, a wire soldered silver ring at that...? 500 dollars should be its actual worth.

>>1004518
>Buying a gem is my last resort.

Depending where you're at in the USA.. Hawaii has Peridot, Arizona has Opal, North/South Carolina has Garnet and sapphire. Generally state stones are what the state has much of. A true artist can take a piece of flint and some gold and make a beautiful work of art.

>>1004852

CZ =/= lab made diamonds

Both are pretty easy to tell apart from natural diamonds though. Lab made stuff is all too perfect.

I personally purchased a (relatively) cheap color change garnet and mounted it in my mothers original white gold engagement ring that she had replaced with yellow gold band at a later date.

Garnets are baller as fuck, and the color change one I got goes between a nice solid red to a purplish red depending on the lighting conditions (sunlight, incandescent, flourescent, etc). Gemselect that someone linked earlier in the thread has nice garnets in a wide variety of colors at significantly reduced prices compared to (((diamonds))).

>>1004859

Nigga, gem quality deposits are gonna be protected anywhere in the world like gang bangers protect their wilderness pot farms in california. You aren't gonna get anywhere near that shit without running into angry guards with guns. Especially since tanzanite is a very valuable export for the tanzanian government.

If you want to travel internationally, grow a beard and go up into the mountains of afghanistan or pakistan and try to get in good with the locals. Tons of legit shit there, and a lot of it is mined... 'artisinally'. You can get some badass aquamarine, titanite, tourmaline, ruby/sapphire, etc all up in there.