"It's a figure of speech."
And a very telling one too.
I'm completely with you on this issue, Russ. I'm a woman, and have been married 14 years, and never have owned or wanted a diamond. When my then fiance asked me what kind of ring I wanted, I told him, a gold band. We picked out a ring together, one that has a pretty design to it, and I have never regretted the decision.
Back then, the campaign deBeers was running showed a photo of a diamond ring, with the text, "Is too months salary really too much to spend on something that lasts forever?" My reponse was, and still is, a resounding YES!