Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing. Unfortunately, based on my experience of how people’s brains work, that is quite an uphill battle.
People over here in Europe are not that hung up on diamonds. Not saying we don’t care about status symbols, because we most certainly do, just wanted to point out that it’s definetely doable to “eliminate” diamonds from the “status showing” game.
While status symbols exist everywhere, this specific obsessing over diamond rings and being "shamed" if you don't get one is pretty US-specific. In Hungary, for example, many couples just get simple, golden rings without any gemstone. A wedding ring traditionally isn't supposed to be flashy here.
> Society would have to work to convince people that status symbols are not worth pursuing.
On this note, a book recommendation: The Theory of the Leisure Class: An Economic Study of Institutions.
Thorsten Veblen, 1899.
More relevant now than ever. From Wikipedia, a short summary:
> a treatise on economics and a detailed, social critique of conspicuous consumption, as a function of social class and of consumerism, derived from the social stratification of people and the division of labour, which are social institutions of the feudal period that have continued to the modern era.
