DiDiamond, Is there something you''d like to share with the group?

[didiamond]

Date: 1/6/2005 9:50

9 PM
Author: Jennifer5973


Mara, I am just honored to be mentioned in the same breath as Di...

Her collection is truly amazing--fantastic styles, shapes, variety and super high-quality stones. Really, really oustanding.

As for the husbands, I think my DH goes for the jewelry because he knows I really like it and it''s EASY. Our jeweler and his staff guide him and poof! instant gift Jennifer will love.

He still is an awfully thoughtful and loving man who is extremely indulgent of me, but I think a big part of the jewelry is convenience.Di and I do, uh, travel in slightly different circles but perhaps her husband feels the same way and the scale is just waaaaay bigger?

JFlo...I absolutely LOVE your jewelry collection and I show it to my hubby every time you get a new piece! He thinks we''re BOTH nuts (or maybe he thinks that he and your DH are nuts! LOL). Either way, I think he has the same sentiment as your DH. I wish all men could think the same way!

As far as traveling in slightly different circles...nah! Remember, I do more "trading up" than actually getting more pieces, although I''m hoping that there is no more trading to be done!

 

[BLINGQUEEN]

HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[DiamondsRagirlsbestfriend]

Didi:

I love the band that you''re wearing with the three-stone round. (looks like an eternity band with rounds?) This is the size I want for my wedding band. Would you mind giving me some specs? How many points are those round diamonds? You and your husband have amazing taste!!!!

Congrats and enjoy! Mary

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

THUD.............

ooohhh..that was just me fainting!! To die for!!!

 

[didiamond]

Thanks Mary! The eternity ring is 2.27 ctw; each stone is around .09 ct. To me it''s the perfect size and I wear it everyday. So far so good...I haven''t had any problems and I''m pretty hard on rings. I''m attaching a picture of it with the other eternity band I got with alternating (two white diamonds, one yellow diamond, two white, etc..). I hope you like them.

 

[DiamondsRagirlsbestfriend]

SO pretty! I love both of them.

I''m thinking that I need to go smaller, with say a 3 pointer for each stone, because it''ll be worn with a smallish three-stone emerald cut (center 1.17, sides .36 each). I hope it''ll work.

I really appreciate the information. LOVE all your rings! Smiles, Mary

 

[tomatoe]

Okay, this thread just made me wake up and chased my sickness away too!!!! Holy poo-poo! I cannot believe my eyes and ears when you say you''re just an average girl who adores diamonds, cos that''s what the rest of us are. You *must* be a princess, someone incredibly rich or someone famous who has to keep things secret!! *faint*

 

[icelady]

Didiamond,

You have an absolutely incredible collection of delicious and HUGE diamonds!!! I too would love to know how you and Jflo manage getting your husbands to be so generous!!! My husband seems to be coming around, it is a slow process but there is hope!!!!

Congrats on your newest additions!!!

 

[cflutist]

Date: 1/9/2005 2:26:35 PM
Author: icelady
Didiamond,

I too would love to know how you and Jflo manage getting your husbands to be so generous!!! My husband seems to be coming around, it is a slow process but there is hope!!!!

Its not a question on whether Jflo or DiDiamond's husbands are so generous, but rather how much discretionary income a couple has. I am sure there are many guys out there who would love to shower their wives or girlfriends with significant diamonds like these two women have, but do they have the discretionary income to do it? Just my two cents.

 

[Jennifer5973]

Date: 1/10/2005 12:20:34 AM
Author: cflutist

Date: 1/9/2005 2:26:35 PM
Author: icelady
Didiamond,

I too would love to know how you and Jflo manage getting your husbands to be so generous!!! My husband seems to be coming around, it is a slow process but there is hope!!!!

Its not a question on whether Jflo or DiDiamond''s husbands are so generous, but rather how much descretionary income a couple has. I am sure there are many guys out there who would love to shower their wives or girlfriends with significant diamonds like these two women have, but do they have the descretionary income to do it? Just my two cents.

Well said, cflutist!

Another aspect of the equation is how people want to spend their discretionary income. Most people I know choose to spend their money on other things. For some, it''s high-end cars or 3 or 4 vacations a year, or a super huge house. Others just have a bigger cushion in the bank. And if you think about it, diamonds really are foolish expenditures (ouch

).

I think the thing to remember is that the value of any gift given, whether it''s 5 carats or 5 points, lies in the act of giving itself.

 

[Mara]

I believe the question is two-fold, first is the discretionary income of course, because if you don't got the money, you ain't gonna be spending it...

but secondly is the real question, how do you get men to buy jewelry! Yes there are those men who would love to shower their gals with baubles, but most men out there are NOT like that..in fact they'd rather buy cars or boats or stereo systems...as Jennifer noted, it's also a matter of priorities and sometimes they are not quite connected in a 'couple'--hubby wants XYZ and wife wants ABC.

So I guess the Q could be from women whose hubbies would rather spend their fun $$ on other items, how do you show a man who thinks jewelry may be a waste of money (aka sunk cost!) that it doesn't seem that way to you? Rather than buying a car...you'd want a RHR?

I do know women like this...whose hubbies just don't think that it's a priority to buy their gals diamonds or pretty things. Also I know men who never bought a jewel in their life before a ring and therefore don't think of it naturally as a great 'gift'.

Lucky for me, Greg's mom and stepmom have always loved jewelry, so he likes to buy it, but right we have other piorities, hopefully in the future that may change...wait...other priorities? Sacrilege!!

 

[icelady]

Date: 1/10/2005 12:20:34 AM
Author: cflutist

Date: 1/9/2005 2:26:35 PM
Author: icelady
Didiamond,

I too would love to know how you and Jflo manage getting your husbands to be so generous!!! My husband seems to be coming around, it is a slow process but there is hope!!!!

Its not a question on whether Jflo or DiDiamond's husbands are so generous, but rather how much discretionary income a couple has. I am sure there are many guys out there who would love to shower their wives or girlfriends with significant diamonds like these two women have, but do they have the discretionary income to do it? Just my two cents.

Cflutist,

I would never consider that my husband should spend on jewelry for me while putting our family in monetary jeopardy. That would be very selfish indeed. No, the discretionary income is there, but he feels as Mara described, jewelry is a waste of money. However, he has made two wonderful jewelry purchases for me in the past year, and after nearly 17 years of marriage, I think he is beginning to understand how much I like it! I would never ask for anything that I think would 'break the bank' so to speak!

 

[didiamond]

Mary...A smaller eternity band will work just as well and sparkle just as much! Obviously you''re planning on getting a RB eternity band, have you thought about a baguette eternity band? I think that would also be lovely with your EC three stone ring. Just a thought...

As far as men not wanting to buy jewelry for their SO''s...I can honestly say that most men that I know don''t even think twice about jewelry. It''s just not in them to buy it (whether they can afford it or not). I''m very lucky that my DH enjoys buying me jewelry but our friends think he''s crazy. I think I''ve mentioned it before but there are things that I CANNOT get him to buy, like furniture! His attitute is "if it ain''t broke, don''t fix it". We moved into a new home three years ago and I still don''t have a new piece of furniture. He would rather spend money on "other" things. Somewhere down the line I''m going to have to put my foot down and just buy it myself. How many of you are still sleeping on a waterbed? Good grief, in 18 years of marriage (it''ll be 19 in 8 days) we have always had a waterbed. I think it''s time to move on! NOBODY has a waterbed any more!!

I don''t know, I guess there are just things that I wouldn''t spend a whole lot of money on except for jewelry. I''m not a person that wears a lot of name-brand clothes. I don''t shop at the high-end stores or HAVE TO HAVE the latest and greatest pair of jeans or handbag. Heck, I''ve been wearing the same pairs of jeans for 10 years! Don''t get me wrong, my husband''s business does well (knock on wood!!) but I guess I don''t see paying so much money for certain things but I''m willing to spend it on diamonds (go figure!). Everybody is different. All women (okay, MOST) women love jewelry but I have friends that would rather go on trips or buy a boat and I completely understand that. A few years ago, my DH convinced a friend to buy his wife a new diamond. He did (and a tennis bracelet to match)....guess what happened next? They got a divorce! I felt so bad that he had spent the money that he did. I''m sure jewelry will NEVER be a top priority to this guy again!

Okay, I''m rambling....sorry! I just think that all men are different. If they see how much you enjoy jewelry, I''m sure that your collections will grow. Sometimes I think it just takes a little nudging...okay, maybe A LOT!

 

[IrishEyes]

Hey ladies!! I agree with Mara and DidiDiamond, men are very different and just don''t think to buy diamonds all the time! I agree that buying jewelry constantly can be a waste of money, especially if it''s at the expense of other things that you need, like furniture, a new car, FOOD, etc

However, if there is room in the budget, I hope that men realize that maybe a RHR or new diamond or whatever isn''t necessary, but instead, wanted and would make his wife very happy!

When my hubby and I purchased my engagement ring, we went WELL above the original "limit" we set for purchase. Actually, we went above the set amount by almost $3000! As soon as I saw the ring, I was in love, I knew it was the "one" and had to have it. After some pleading, I got him to purchase it. As we left the store, he started to turn all red and started breathing real heavy. I thought he was going to have a heart attack

I asked him if he was alright and he shot me a dirty look and said he was fine, he''d just never payed so much money before for something that he wasn''t directly going to use or enjoy. Since then (2years later), he''s calmed down. He sees how much I LOOOVE my rings and how I still can''t stop staring at them

he even bought me a RHR this christmas! Although, he has made it quite clear that I am to expect no more fancy presents for awhile!!!

anyway, to make a long story short, sometimes it takes men to see how happy they are making thier women to realize that they want to do it again. I really believe that as long as necessities are being taken care of, like bills and such, a man will occasionally shower his lady with what she wants: DIAMONDS, BABY!!! we just have to be patient

 

[icelady]

Di,

You are so right, each person has a different agenda when it comes to spending money! Most women I know love jewelry as well. While I have a number of friends with husbands that love to buy them diamonds, I also have a number of friends whose husbands are like mine. Very hard for them to see the reason for spending on jewelry.

We built a beautiful home 5 years ago, and unlike your husband, mine wanted all new furniture!! Go figure!!

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

A friend of mine rec''d a $10,000 ring for her engagement about 2-3 years ago. I told my husband..he said "who the hell would spend $10,000 on a ring. Fast forward about 2 1/2 years. He decides that I deserve something nice for all my "sacrifices" as a military wife and says that he wants to buy me a new ring to replace my old ring..he said "pick out WHATEVER you want." Well, WHATEVER!! that is kind of vague..I knew he thought $10,000 was a lot so I was looking for under $10,000...my "dream" ring ended up being more than $10,000 but he didn''t flinch! I thought it was very sweet of him. He says he will also buy me the matching wedding band when he comes back from deployment! (I guess he has to recover from the e-ring first!)

Moral of the story: a man can always change!! (but I don''t think i''ll have the matching studs anytime soon!!)

 

[IrishEyes]

ah, yes... gotta love those military deployments!! I''ll tell you one thing, if it hadn''t been for me and my husband''s military deployments, I would NOT being sporting the ring I have now! I see my wedding rings as a sign of my sacrifice for my country!!! It''s great that he didn''t flinch, I wish mine hadn''t gotten so upset about it

 

[cflutist]

Date: 1/10/2005 1:28:26 PM
Author: icelady
Di,

You are so right, each person has a different agenda when it comes to spending money! Most women I know love jewelry as well. While I have a number of friends with husbands that love to buy them diamonds, I also have a number of friends whose husbands are like mine. Very hard for them to see the reason for spending on jewelry.

We built a beautiful home 5 years ago, and unlike your husband, mine wanted all new furniture!! Go figure!!

Icelady,

You are so right too. Websailor would probably let me buy more diamonds, but I am the one who is cheap with myself. In fact, he was the one who talked me into buying the tennis bracelet (I said, do I really need another one?). Websailor has never said no to anything I really wanted. Right now we are accelerating the payments on my mortgage so I will own my home free and clear in 5 years. Now what I do think is a waste of money are the checks I write every month to the Alameda Marina to store websailor''s sailboat since he has not taken it out in 9 years and of course he has deaf ears to my suggestion of selling the boat.

Another thing, it doesn''t feel quite the same when you have to call all over to price tennis bracelets, and then order one yourself. Sometimes I wish Websailor would just surprise me for once as I have had to order every piece of jewelry I own.

 

[fortheloveofdiamonds]

Date: 1/10/2005 6:32:53 PM
Author: IrishEyes
ah, yes... gotta love those military deployments!! I''ll tell you one thing, if it hadn''t been for me and my husband''s military deployments, I would NOT being sporting the ring I have now! I see my wedding rings as a sign of my sacrifice for my country!!! It''s great that he didn''t flinch, I wish mine hadn''t gotten so upset about it

LOL! Irisheyes! I probably wouldn''t have mine either if it hadn''t been for yet "ANOTHER" deployment. I look forward to getting the new wedding band since everyone asks me when I am getting married ! I was very happy that my DH didn''t flinch! Why did yours get so upset?!

 

[IrishEyes]

He got upset because we went WAAAAY over the price we agreed we would spend. But he''s relaxed a little since then. Now he sees how happy I am with them and is happy he made me happy

so what branch of the military is your husband in? any ideas when he''ll be back? I hope he''s safe and sound

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 1/10/2005 6:51:58 PM
Author: cflutist
Now what I do think is a waste of money are the checks I write every month to the Alameda Marina to store websailor's sailboat since he has not taken it out in 9 years and of course he has deaf ears to my suggestion of selling the boat.

Ah, oh no. My husband is obsessed with buying a boat and insists that he will not be one of those people who stores the boat for years w/out using it. lol Whether or not he actually does buy and also take the boat out doesn't matter since I know that when he buys his treat I'll get one too.

Overall, DH is totally against jewelry. . . not only does he see it as a waste of money, he brings in ethical aspects of the diamond trade during our discussions. It's frustrating because every material object in our society carries ethical issues and why pick on one when another is completely ignored? (like he ignores the fact that his gass-guzzling truck wastes tons of gas and is so one-sided that he actually bought me a new car instead of a ring when I hinted about an upgrade. . .he'd probably buy me 10 cars before buying me a 10-carats worth of diamond jewelry

)

 

[websailor]

Cflutist is treading on thin ice here (and I don't mean diamonds).....

Okay, here is one guy's perspective - it's really simple really:

A happy woman makes a happy man! (And vice versa.)

Cflutist likes to be treated like a princess! While I make no pretentions to being her knight in shining armor, I do try to make her life a happy one.

Due to a LOT of hard work on both of our parts, we've been able to afford a few small treats for ourselves. Within the budget we negotiate about, we decide what we will spend our money on. (BTW, not having kids makes that a lot easier, though sometimes we wonder if we've missed out too much there.)

On my part, I try to encourage cflutist to expand her world and to indulge herself a bit - so now she doesn't feel so hesitant to buy sheet music, to have a mocha once in a while, to enjoy her beautiful home, and to drool over fine diamonds and gemstones. As to the expanding her world - before I met her, she never traveled. Now we go camping where she's met bears and rattlesnakes up close and personal, seen stunning sights of nature (Grand Canyon, Yosemite, etc), climbed volcanos, etc. Oh, yeah, and I introduced her to Cruise Ships (her main diamond competition currently).....

Also on my part, I do indulge myself on new tents (for the camping), signing up for things like sailing on America's Cup boats shore excursions, and eating some nice big steaks once in a while.

However I will confess - I have not bought cflutist any jewelry! Not that I don't want too!!!! There are two reasons - 1) She does not like suprises (Okay, yes she does, but she will not let you suprise her). She has found every single hiding place I know of (to the point where now I sometimes hide things and can't find them again), she's opened her Xmas presents before Xmas more than once, and you don't dare use any kind of electronic means to purchase something - I've gotten calls about purchases before I've even left the store......maybe it would work if I hand over $30,000 in cash to a jeweler who doesn't use a bank...

And 2) Yup, like I could really pick out a diamond that would meet her eagle eye! My only hope in this area is to form a conspiracy with didiamond or JFlo to have her pick something out with my money.....

I guess I'm still doing okay though - if I could photoshop better, I'd have added all the neat diamond pieces that she wears every day and looks at, oh, maybe a million times a day, to the way I think of us....

 

[websailor]

Wow!!!!! All the Pricescopers are speechless. I'm..... dumbfounded....stunned....


Didiamond, I humbly apologize!!!! I really didn't mean for that to happen....

 

[MrsFrk]

I am not a RB fan, but your 3 stone is EXQUISITE!!! Love the EC band too, it looks fantastic with that yummy square emerald.

Different men express affection in different ways. My husband happens to be an actions speak louder than words/gifts kind of guy. He''s made an effort over the years to be more sentimentally demonstrative, but it is just not his natural way. He is extraordinarily kind and thoughtful on a daily basis, regarding PRACTICAL things, which is the way he shows his love for me. He does much of the housework, encourages me to run races (which he knows makes me happy, though he thinks it''s nuts), cooks dinner. I have male friends who lavish their mates with gifts, but can be real cads when it comes to being considerate of feelings and helping around the house. So I think it depends of the man.

 

[didiamond]

Wow, this has turned into a fascinating thread about what men will and will not do for their ladies!

websailor, please don''t apologize. It''s nice to have a man''s point of view and you sound so much like my DH. I too am a very hard person to buy for (as I am an "eagle eye" just like cflutist). I''m really not into surprises (especially with jewelry!) but this year he managed to surprise me for both my b-day AND Christmas. He did an absolutely fantastic job, if I say so myself!

icelady, maybe your hubby can teach my hubby the importance of furniture that''s in "proportion" to a new home!

fortheloveofdiamonds, it sounds like your husband has jumped on the bandwagon! Obviously, he sees how much it makes you happy! I hope his disployment is over soon. I think your right when you say a man can always change...it''s all in how you encourage him. He needs to know what makes you happy and what doesn''t (and the other way around too!). I''m not saying that it ALWAYS works but it''s a give and take situation. My DH didn''t ALWAYS pick up his clothes, do dishes or clean house but knowing that I''m a neat freak kind of encourages him to do these things. (Now, if I can only teach my 13 year old son to do those things, I''d be a REALLY HAPPY CAMPER!

)

cflutist, you have done a tremendous job ordering your own jewelry! I am in awe of your pieces! Websailor sounds like a wonderful man and I''m sure that he just "doesn''t want to get it wrong". He knows how picky you are and would probably be devastated if it wasn''t EXACTLY what you wanted. I can certainly understand that. BUT a surprise is always nice too!

MrsFrk, I absolutely agree with you...it does depend on the man. Not all men are the same so you have to find what works and what doesn''t for two people. Your husband sounds like a wonderful man and maybe a little talk with websailor might sway his mind!!

 

[MrsFrk]

It''s a chore getting a 13 year-old to answer a question, let alone pick up after themselves! Ahhhh, puberty.

My husband is a wonderful man, and he never tries to dissuade me when I decide I NEED a piece of jewelry. He''s just not into surprises, and to tell you the truth I''m not really either. We''ve spent our teens and twenties getting settled and achieving some financial security, I am confident that there is DiDiamond-level bling in my future.

A girl''s gotta have hope.

Your jewelry is really stunning, you have immaculate taste.

 

[didiamond]

Thank you MrsFrk and I will keep my fingers crossed for you!

 

[Libster]

Di,
You have the most wonderful jewelry collection!!!! All I can say is "WOW" and I love all your beautiful pieces

Cflutist and Websailor, you guys are such a cute and romantic couple. I always love reading your posts and especially viewing your beautiful diamonds!! You are very lucky to have found each other

To all the military spouses out there, you deserve the biggest ROCK in the world for the sacrifices you and your family make for our country and I want to thank you!!!

 

[didiamond]

style="WIDTH: 99.19%; HEIGHT: 244px">Date: 1/13/2005 10

5:35 AM
Author: Libster

To all the military spouses out there, you deserve the biggest ROCK in the world for the sacrifices you and your family make for our country and I want to thank you!!!

I second that!

(And thanks!

)

 

[babblingal]

Actually, I'd rather save the money and use it to bring home all the troops!

And after they are all home safely, THEN I want the big rock!

In all seriousness though, your expression of gratitude means so much!