Strangers bullied newly engaged woman for the size of her ring — but research shows Gen Z is ditching big diamonds
A newly engaged TikToker was forced to delete negative comments after footage of her diamond ring went viral on the app.
While comments focused on the gem’s size, according to new research, she’s not the only Gen Z bride-to-be happily rejecting the giant diamond tradition, much to the chagrin of the jewelry industry.
Just as we’ve seen with the micro-wedding trend (also called mini-mony), more and more young couples are forgoing flash when it comes to their nuptials — and saving a ton of money in the process.
U.K.-based Alana Smith (@ourhouseatnumberone) gained over 3 million views, 128,000 likes, 3,200 saves and 1,600 comments when she shared a video of her ring on the app.
“Constantly looking at it,” Smith wrote in the caption of her now trending video, which was quickly inundated by hateful comments.
While Smith ended up deleting most of the negativity her video collected, some of those comments managed to survive.
“More like constantly looking FOR it 🧐 (sorry but someone had to say it),” commented @1.800.goodbye.
Others were more subtle with their negativity, opting to express their judgment with emojis.
“🔎” commented @absolutelynot308.
“😬🤣💀” commented @auntiescorpio.
Smith addressed the negativity in a follow-up video, captioned, “Another one for the haters 😘”
She continued, “negativity=deleted. My ring was more expensive than I ever thought possible after buying a house together, and its the most perfect ring for me, so much thought went into it! Get on with your own lives.”
Smith, who recently purchased her first home with her fiancé, Jordan, has also taken to the app to document their renovation journey in a series of TikTok slideshows.
“YES GIRL FLEX ON THOSE HATERS. Most of them can’t even afford their own home (or have good enough credit), let alone a ring that costs thousands,” commented TikTok user @kaylagreenlikethecolor.
‘Love isn’t determined by the size of the ring on your finger’
In The Know by Yahoo spoke to Smith to learn how it felt to receive such an onslaught of negativity over her engagement ring.
“Honestly, they didn’t really bother me,” Smith said. “For me it’s the perfect size! I don’t wear rings or much jewelry at all so I would’ve hated anything bigger. A lot of people associate the size of a ring with the cost, but it’s not the case at all.”
She continued, “Not everyone likes the same style and that’s okay, it doesn’t give people the right to be nasty for no reason! Love isn’t determined by the size of the ring on your finger. It was picked out with so much thought and love, and I couldn’t be happier!”
As for the ring itself, Smith said it’s everything she ever wanted. “He knew I would want something dainty, elegant and sparkly, and it ticks all of those boxes. He always calls me a princess so a princess cut for the ring was the perfect choice!”
And for Smith, the positive comments have made a deeper impact on her than the negative ones.
“I love reading people’s positive comments! Most people were really nice and gave me lots of compliments. It was also really heartwarming to hear strangers congratulating us or saying they are happy for us!”
‘People are not buying engagement rings’
According to new research, Smith isn’t alone in her perspective on diamond rings, as it would appear many young millennials and Gen Z couples are doing away with the tradition of engagement rings altogether.
“Jewelers sent out an alarm earlier this month that people are not buying engagement rings,” reported Time. “Sales at Signet, the U.S. jewelry giant that owns Zales, Kay, Jared, and Diamonds Direct, were down almost 10% compared to this time last year.”
For those who do choose to purchase engagement rings, many are doing away with the “three months’ salary” rule and instead opting for more affordable rings than prior generations.
For couples still wanting some sparkle without all of the debt, many are choosing lab-grown alternatives — called moissanite — which cost 50%-70% less than natural, mined diamonds.
Others are opting for cheaper, alternative stones such as rubies or emeralds.
‘Anyone who hates on other peoples happiness is simply jealous’
Many TikTokers took to Smith’s comment section to defend her ring from the haters.
“Anyone who hates on other peoples happiness is simply jealous. Your ring is gorgeous and timeless and on top of that you’re happy and in love,” commented @bridediaries.
“People hating are probably in a crazy amount of debt all over a piece of jewelry 😂 I love your ring. so sparkly,” commented @norah_james.
“It’s beautiful! the size of the diamond doesn’t define anything! loyalty, love, repsect! those quality’s are priceless .. shallow people,” wrote @n_99981.
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