I can't quite get behind the concept of "trading up," when it comes to wedding jewelry. At least, not within my age group. I do understand the basic idea -- what woman doesn't want a big, sparkly diamond, right? My aunt got a beautiful (2-carat, I think) diamond after about 25 or 30 years of marriage -- I still remember her 1-carat original and it was lovely, but her new one does have a real WOW factor. And after 30 years, she certainly deserves something that nice. But my friend Pam is now wearing a beautiful diamond and sapphire band that her husband gave her on their 10th anniversary. She doesn't wear her original anymore (I don't remember it).
Maybe I'm entirely too sentimental, but we're closing in on 9 years and I simply can't fathom turning my wedding set in, just to have a bigger, fancier, more expensive one. THIS is the ring DH picked out for me all by myself. THIS is the one he took out into the natural light, to make sure it was high enough quality. This is the one he put on my finger when he asked me to marry him. It's the one the priest blessed on our wedding day. It always was my style, and just the right size. Sparkly, noticeable, without being overdone.
What I would prefer after 10 or 20 years, I think, is a right-hand ring. Or an extra band to nestle next to my current one. Like I said, what girl doesn't want more sparkles?? I just can't imagine wanting to give up all the sweet, young history of this particular left-hand diamond. Maybe that will change and I'll get tired of it someday. But I doubt it.
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At AJ's school this week, the Kindergarteners visited Santa's Secret Shop. They were asked to "budget" what they wanted to spend on each family member -- and here, let me just interject that for ME, he budgeted "Less than $1.00" while for his Dad and his uncle both, he decided on "$9.00 and up." He was talking about "Nine hundred for Daddy" so I have a feeling he does not understand the concept of money very well, despite our giving him a small allowance when we remember. Some of the room mothers helped them shop and wrapped things up with nametags. "For Grandmommy, From AJ," for instance. Well, when he got into the car after this big event, he immediately pulled my gift out of his bag. He couldn't wait for me to see it, even though I protested every way I knew how. "It isn't Christmas yet, AJ, Mommy should really wait..." Eventually, though, I couldn't force him to wait, especially when he was so excited. He assured me it was something I needed before Christmas. I was convinced it was an ornament for the tree. What else could it be, for Less than $1?! Also, it was his first solo shopping excursion and he was high with the expectation of giving. (Don't you love that? When you've picked the perfect thing and you KNOW they're going to love it?) So, HE ripped open the bag for me. to reveal what I'm now wearing on my right hand:
Maybe I'm entirely too sentimental, but we're closing in on 9 years and I simply can't fathom turning my wedding set in, just to have a bigger, fancier, more expensive one. THIS is the ring DH picked out for me all by myself. THIS is the one he took out into the natural light, to make sure it was high enough quality. This is the one he put on my finger when he asked me to marry him. It's the one the priest blessed on our wedding day. It always was my style, and just the right size. Sparkly, noticeable, without being overdone.
What I would prefer after 10 or 20 years, I think, is a right-hand ring. Or an extra band to nestle next to my current one. Like I said, what girl doesn't want more sparkles?? I just can't imagine wanting to give up all the sweet, young history of this particular left-hand diamond. Maybe that will change and I'll get tired of it someday. But I doubt it.
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At AJ's school this week, the Kindergarteners visited Santa's Secret Shop. They were asked to "budget" what they wanted to spend on each family member -- and here, let me just interject that for ME, he budgeted "Less than $1.00" while for his Dad and his uncle both, he decided on "$9.00 and up." He was talking about "Nine hundred for Daddy" so I have a feeling he does not understand the concept of money very well, despite our giving him a small allowance when we remember. Some of the room mothers helped them shop and wrapped things up with nametags. "For Grandmommy, From AJ," for instance. Well, when he got into the car after this big event, he immediately pulled my gift out of his bag. He couldn't wait for me to see it, even though I protested every way I knew how. "It isn't Christmas yet, AJ, Mommy should really wait..." Eventually, though, I couldn't force him to wait, especially when he was so excited. He assured me it was something I needed before Christmas. I was convinced it was an ornament for the tree. What else could it be, for Less than $1?! Also, it was his first solo shopping excursion and he was high with the expectation of giving. (Don't you love that? When you've picked the perfect thing and you KNOW they're going to love it?) So, HE ripped open the bag for me. to reveal what I'm now wearing on my right hand:
(It's adjustable in the back.)
And I'm not ever trading this one, either.
9 comments:
AWWW. My mom still wears an ugly-ass mothers ring we got for her on the cheap ages ago.
I would never (purposely) trade up a wedding ring. Weird. I do have a friend who LOST her original and traded up, which I understand.
LOVE that ring! What a sweet kid. Jack better do that for me one day.
Since I HATED my rings, I get it. My engagement ring was my MIL's, so although it wasn't what I wanted (I didn't want ANY engagement ring, actually) I was never going to trade it. My band, however, we bought for $40 and as fast as possible because FIL (former jeweler) was pressuring us in the store. Gak. On our 3rd anniversary P gave me the ring I always wanted (sparkly band) and now I wear it all the time, and my engagement ring only if I'm going Out. It was hard trying to be sentimental about something I didn't want in the first place! But the ladies who think they've earned an extra carat after 10 years or something, yeah, I don't get that.
AJ's story makes me cry! So sweet.
Every year on Mother's Day, your Grandmother wore the tacky necklace, earrings, and bracelet that Aunt La-la and I bought for her at the 5-and-10 when we were just barely able to shop by ourselves. Tradition!
The AJ story is adorable. Little boys can be so wonderfully sweet.
I will never trade up my ring, but then again, when JP and I got engaged he was able to afford a ring that was exactly what I wanted. I could see trading someday if you were like my aunt who married young and had a .10 carat chip on a thin gold band because it was all they could afford. It is the one thing you'll wear every day for all of your life, so it should be somewhere in the range of what you want. That said, I totally understand what you mean. I'm hoping for an additional band to wear on the other side of my engagement ring one day - something to symbolize the addition of our family to the engagement + wedding rings I already wear.
I love how sentimental you are about your rings. My engagement ring is a family ring, which is priceless to me. I wouldn't want a replacement just for the sake of a upgrade, personally. One day I plan on giving it away to a future daughter-in-law, and so I would love to have a replacement that could be my very own! But we have a couple of decades to worry about that. I know, I have friends who have quickly replaced their wedding rings and it seems odd to me. But in their case, they had platinum, which is soft, and were already damaged.
I just LOVE AJ's present to you. What a sweet, sweet boy!
How sweet. :)
I want a right-hand ring, and I told Husband that I'll buy it myself when we can afford it, if I have to, because he doesn't "get" jewelry. I know what I want. But it is not to replace the perfect wedding band/engagement ring he gave me on my 21st bday (engagement ring, not wedding band) at all.
Hey. My comment yesterday didn't post. Oh well, no big loss. I was just saying that Madison would say Daddy needs a bigger amount of money because he's bigger. Maybe that's what AJ was thinking! You've got sweet children. Hope I'm not raising a brat.
Oh, this made me cry. What a sweet, sweet boy you have! I wouldn't trade that one, either.
I am in a weird situation where I'm being forced to change my rings - I've developed an allergy to white gold. I'm pretty sad about having to change my rings; I've been putting it off for over a year now because I don't want to see them dismantled for a new setting.
How sweet!
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