I faced a similar dilemma when purchasing my (now) wife's engagement ring. We were both familiar w/ the con, but she likes the traditional ring, so I wanted to find a diamond I could live with. Ended up with a vintage diamond ring from the 1940s (original papers and all). I was happy to avoid a greater contribution to the insanity of the diamond trade and my wife loved that the ring had a story stretching back a couple of decades.