For the Record
I would just like to state, for the record, that should I ever have a date, and should that date turn into a second date, and should that then eventually turn into a marriage proposal (a remote possibility, I know), I absolute do not want an engagement ring that costs one million dollars.
I don't care how rich my husband-to-be is (or I may be at that far distant time). If any man spends a million dollars on a piece of jewelry for me, I will leave him. Immediately. If anyone has that much money and wants to use it for me, please, please, please, build medical dispensaries and schools in developing countries, build houses for the poor, endow a library, distribute microloans to impoverished women. Do not spend it on a useless decoration. Please.
This is what started my rant. And this.
And, just in case my future husband is reading, this is the ring that I want.
posted by Lisa @ 11:00 AM
6 Comments
6 Comments:
That's a gorgeous ring, but don't you think even that, while it may seem like a bargain compared to J Ho's or Penis Hilton's, it is still a bit pricey for a piece of jewelry? Wouldn't you be afraid to wear it for fear it might break or you might lose the stone? Just curious, I'm not just being an ass, although I am known to do that with frequency.
I'll admit, I was a 21-year-old starving college student when I proposed, so the engagement ring was rather inexpensive. If I were doing it again today, I would probably be inclined to shell out a little more. However, $5K? That's just my 2 cents though...
BTW stop with the defeatest attitude. WHEN you start dating, WHEN you have a relationship with a guy who fits your personality really well and with whom you have a lot of a fun and WHEN that relationship is ready to turn into a life-long committment, you WILL have a ring you are ga-ga for and that is appropriately priced for your joint income level.
I'm going to answer your question by not answering it. Directly, in any case.
First, I would be happy with (almost) any ring given to me by a man I loved. I hope that I'm not so petty and superficial as to get uptight about something so petty and superficial. What would be more important to me is that the ring or other token reflected our personalities. That is to say, if someone gave me a huge honkin' canary yellow diamond in a gold band---well, he obviously hasn't been paying a bit of attention.
I'm also very torn on the whole diamond thing to begin with because most diamonds are linked to violence and oppression (e.g., mined out of a third-world African nation with slave labor and the profits used to fund warlords who chop limbs off of children). So as much as I like pretty diamonds (hey, I'm a girl!) and as much as it is the traditional thing to do, I'm not sure I'd want one on my finger.
Then again, I'm flexible on that. If it were an heirloom, well, I'm not going to politicize that. For example, I have a beautiful birthstone necklace from my parents that is accented with diamond chips from a broach that my grandmother earned from selling Avon products, which she was doing to put my father through college. Those diamonds, I'm okay with.
The Tiffany ring---yeah, it's expensive. Would I plunk down my own $5000 for that thing? Probably not. But it's a fantasy. My getting that ring is in the same realm as my living in a victorian house on the coast of Australia and marrying Marc Blucas. A girl can dream . . .
But there are dreams and then there is unbelievably selfish and indulgent realities, like Jen and Paris, who have the means to do so much good in this world---and still treat themselves to a nice, pricey ring. I'm not saying that they even have to go as low as $5000. Get a $100,000 ring and give the rest to charity! But neither of them is exactly known for their charity work. That's what gets me on my soap box.
There's a line---and no, I can't define it---but a one million dollar ring definitely crosses it.
And, yeah, I know I'm being judgmental and ranty. I'm just feeling morally indignant today.
No, your point is totally valid, there is a line there and those women both crossed all lines long ago. The rings are just another in a long line of their trespasses.
I thought you might have diamond issues as a politically active individual, so I wondered about your diamond dreams. However, I do also understand the fantasy aspect, it is healthy and it is good.
I think you hit the nail on the head with the desire for a token that reflects your personalities. Like I said, I was a broke-ass chump when I bought Lee her engagement ring, but she still loves it because I put a lot of thought and care into picking it and it is not just a typical engagement ring, but rather a ring I chose for her with her tastes in mind.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
I love Madaes for standing up for me! But I took some of the comments off. Because, well, it's my blog and I can.
(And I know this contradicts my previous comments under The Meaning of Work. Deal. It's still my blog.)
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