Promise Rings

Have you ever heard of a Promise Ring? Traditionally, a Promise Ring is given or exchanged when two people want to prove their commitment and devotion to each other. It is usually given as a prelude to marriage or as the name implies, as a promise to be married.

According to Wikipedia, “A promise ring is a ring that is indicative of a serious promise made to oneself or another.” Full stop. Did Wikipedia just say that a Promise Ring indicates a promise to ONEself? Well, I promise to get my car washed on a weekly basis and pay by cable bill on time. Now can I go out and buy myself a Promise Ring? Hope so.

FYI, these days Promise Rings include a wide range of choices. Everything from a heart symbol sterling silver ring to a Three Stone diamond ring (smaller in scale than one that would used for an official engagement, of course).

Diamonds … bigger isn’t always better

How many of you have imagined this scenario … You’re sitting at lunch with a high school friend you just happened to run into after 15 years. You’re both chatting and having a good time catching up. In the midst of conversation, you oh so graciously move your hand to brush the hair away from your eyes when suddenly, the sunlight catches the brilliance for your massively huge diamond ring and the flash from your enormous diamond blinds your friend semi-permanently! And of course, the server comes over to your table to not only check on your friend, but to comment your gorgeous and massively huge diamond ring.

While many of us dream of owning that big beautiful rock to flash around, the best flash (and bang for your buck) can be had in a smaller stone. Dare I say it? Yes, a smaller diamond can prove to be not only a better buy, but the smart choice.

The price of a diamond goes up proportionally according to the size/weight (carat). While many of us want to be able to boast that our diamond is at least a carat, you may be able to save hundreds of dollars by coming short of that perfect carat size. In other words, rather than buying that one-carat ring, go for a 0.95 carat stone, or a 2.44 rather than a 2.5 carat ring. The difference in size will not be discernable, but your bank will surely take notice.

Anniversary Stone

Did you know that wedding anniversaries have corresponding celebration stones? Like birthstones, there are special stones to commemorate each year of marriage. Instead of giving traditional gifts, like paper for the first year or a waffle iron for any other year, you can present your loved one with a jewlery featuring your wedding anniversary year's corresponding gemstone.

I just discovered that the 10th year anniversary stone is a diamond. And respectfully, it is customary to purchase and/or receive at least a one-carat stone. That one-carat can be constituted as a single solitaire or combined in a diamond wedding band or other design piece.

Has anyone received a diamond jewelry to commemorate their 10th year wedding anniversary? If so, must be nice.

To Sparkle or Not to Sparkle

When I got engaged many moons ago, I was young, headstrong and adament about being unconventional. I didn't want anything to do with tradition or the norm, and that especially applied to jewelry. The last thing I wanted was to be like every other woman with a diamond ring on her finger to hallmark (or shout, in my opinion) that she was now "offically" engaged and preparing to get married.

Thankfully, my then boyfriend (now husband) knew my feelings about diamonds and asked for my hand in marriage with a beautiful sapphire ring. I know, I know, sapphire is as traditional as it can get given that sapphires have been the stone of choice for royalty (Princess Diana had a sapphire engagement ring) and for old money blue-bloods. But in my opinion, sapphire was NOT a diamond and therefore, I was NOT like every other young engaged woman.

As the years have gone by, I still love my engagement ring and wear it proudly with my wedding band. But something odd and curious has happened. I have grown an affinity and attraction to diamonds! I find myself looking at diamond bands and diamond engagement rings and ooh and ahh at the sparkle and brilliance of the stones. I will casually flip through magazines and stop to gasp at a diamond ring ad and will sometimes even put my hand up to the picture to see what it would look like on me - ! What does this mean? Am I getting old? Am I now "conventional"? What had happend to my anti-diamond taste that represented so much?

I have come to the conclusion that all women love diamonds. There is no denying it. Maybe not all women will wear diamond jewelry, but every woman will stop to gasp and linger at a beautiful diamond piece. This does not mean that she is selling out or being stereotypical, but simply that she loves things that are beautiful, exquisite and most of all, sparkly.

I am now comfortable and proud to say that I love diamonds. Mind you, I don't own a lot of diamond jewelry (very few in fact) but I love to appreciate the craftmanship of a brilliantly cut stone and the beauty of a delicate setting. And yes, I will continue to put my hand up to the diamond ad pictures in magazines to envision (or pretend) what that ring or bracelet would look on me. So when it comes to the question of whether to sparkle or not to sparkle, I will choose to sparkle!