Impress Your Ladyfriend on the Cheap

I don't know about the rest of you, but jewelry commercials annoyed the crap out of me.  As a female, I would much rather than the guy in my life not blow thousands of dollars on some useless sparkly rock that I'd be too nervous to wear in public in case it got lost or stolen (That's not to say I don't like wearing some nice jewelry - Claire's is one of my favorite stores and they do have some classy stuff).  Honestly, I'd rather he spend the money on something useful - like a Wii.

One of the teachers I work with at school was working on something for his wife that I think is much more impressive than taking out a second mortgage.  He's making her a ring out of a quarter!  That's ten times cooler than buying her something that a bunch of other women will have the exact same thing from their boyfriends or husbands. And she'll probably treasure it more.

Sure it takes a little planning, but I think if you really care about somebody (doesn't have to be romantic - could be a friend or a family member) it's nice to make them things instead of buying them.  It means that you thought enough of the person to make something unique for them - possibly you thought of the person all the time you worked on it (which, if the time estimate of how long it takes to make this ring is correct - that's about three months!)  And you didn't have to sell your soul to get it.

(Now that I think about it, my aversion to a guy spending boatloads of money on me may explain my current relationship status - er... the lack thereof.  If it does... how warped is that?)

The Price of Romance

I'm here watching Sunday Night Football and I know it's the Christmas buying season because of all the sappy jewelry commercials. And a blog topic occurs to me. No way am I going to let this opportunity slide.

So, I have a question - do diamonds really equate love? I mean, I know commercials are marketing ploys just to get a product's name out there and if you have the most memorable commercial people will buy your product. But honestly, I can't tell one jewelry commercial from the next. They all stinking look the same: guy and girl cuddling all sweetly in a blizzard or in front of a warm fireplace. Maybe she's a little clingier than usual. Guy is the epitome of gentlemanly chivalry - the kind that no living male could hope to be (I'm letting you guys off the hook here, you can thank me later). Using the powers of suave that would put James Bond to shame, he pulls out a black box that contains a diamond necklace or earrings or a ring. Girl expresses surprise - never mind that this has been his Christmas present routine to her the last five-ten years.

I can understand the diamond ring deal if it's an engagement ring (I may be cynical about all this romance crap, but I'm still female and an engagement is a special tradition that even I can't overlook). But I have a pair of earrings from Claire's that are pearl and cubic zirconium that I just love. They look the same as any diamond that any boyfriend could give me, I'm sure. I just don't get what the draw is for a guy to spend zillions of dollars on something that I probably won't wear very often because it's way too nice.

Sure, if you want to spend ten paychecks on something that just sits on my neck or finger or earlobes, I appreciate the gesture. But I'd rather that money be spent on something fun. Shoot, let's take the money and go to a football game together.

Besides, if all you give is nice jewelry, it gets boring. Seriously, how much thought goes into a piece of jewelry? That's the easy way out for a guy. Throw your girl a curveball once in a while - have you ever seen "Beauty and the Beast?" The Beast stresses about a nice present for Belle and he ends up giving her an entire library - something the bookish Belle can truly appreciate. And the Beast gets to save the diamond for another day when he can't think of anything else.

And then I wonder - what's a nice gift that a girl can give to the special guy in her life? The answer isn't quite as easy and it probably depends on what your guy's interests are. She really has to know what he'd like and actually have to put some thought into what she's going to give him. But it's kind of weird - he gives her a "Past, Present, Future" pendant and she gives him "Grand Theft Auto" for the PS3 (well, I guess each couple has their own tastes - maybe I just think it's weird).

Just my musings... these jewelry commercials are stinking boring. And I've never been in any kind of relationship where a guy would feel compelled to buy me something nice, so maybe that's where the cynicism comes from. Meh... take it for what it's worth.

(Man, I keep popping my neck and it feels good. My neck has been giving me grief lately. That would be a gift I could appreciate right now - someone to massage my neck and back.)