The Real Women of Pricescope

[kayceeleigh]

Mariposa, I am thinking of you and praying for you!

Me- I am 21 years old and work full-time for the local government. It was actually my first job (I started there when I was 16 as a file clerk) and have been promoted a few times throughout the last five years. I am enrolled in college and will obtain a degree in history within the next year. Approximately $5,000 in school debt as scholarships have covered most costs.

Him- He is 26 and was recently laid off from a very large company''s corporate office doing IT work... They cut 11,000 people and he was one of them. $30,000 in school debt. Currently enrolled in school again to obtain more certifications and possibly another degree.

Us- We have been together since December of 2005. Engaged since May 11, 2007. Bought a house together in August of 2007. We were the first of all of our friends to get engaged and we just got married this past Saturday!

The Ring- 1.25 carat marquise cut center stone, E/SI1 (eye clean). 1 carat of diamonds on a vintage inspired band. There were plans to "upgrade" on our one year wedding anniversary, but I doubt very much I wil want to change from this ring when the time comes!

 

[CharmCity]

Thanks everyone for participating, and...

PLEASE POST PICS

And Princess, getting a graduate in creative work really wasn''t worth it for me either. I should have spent the $80,000.00 and three years making a film. It would have served me better in the long run.

 

[gwendolyn]

Mariposa, hon, hope you''re doing ok.

Not going to get into too much detail, but we paid $0 for my ring--it''s a family heirloom. It''s not a large diamond--about half a carat--yet I have still been judged ("wow, is that REAL?!") as if it is too extravagant for me (31 years old, special needs teacher--fiance is 27 and works in a retirement home as a health care assistant). My ring size only makes the stone look smaller too--size 9. Where we live (outskirts of London), it''s considered a large stone. The thing is, it''s not my style, and it''s not the size diamond I''d like. So, in a couple of years, after saving up a lot of money, we''ll get MY ring, that''s my style, that''s the right size for my finger (a carat, maybe a carat and a quarter?), and that doesn''t have sad memories of my grandmother wrapped up in it. People will no doubt judge that as they judge the current ring, but I don''t care. My ring is for me, and it''s really no one''s business if I save up for years for it or inherited it from someone or won it in a contest.

Sorry, but it gets under my skin a little bit when people get overly involved in appraising what''s "appropriate" for someone else, no matter how well they know you. I don''t even think it''s my mother''s place to know details of my finances, and she knows me better than probably anyone. My finances are between my partner and myself, and should be respected as off-limits.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 6/30/2009 2:20:36 PM
Author: NakedFinger
Turns out, when the grooms parent's are rich, that is the grooms parents 'contribution' to the wedding. Brides parents pay for wedding, grooms parents pay for ring. You'd be surprised how many rings are bought, or at least 'chipped inn' by the parents. If it makes you feel better

My cousin's almost-fiance was going to have the ring mostly funded by his parents. As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-no. I'm perfectly fine with the girl chipping in for her own ring or an heirloom ring/stone, but a guy asking his parents for money to buy a ring just seems like he isn't ready to be getting married...maybe it's just me.

I don't think I'll ever upgrade from my lovely .9ct, I'm too sentimental for it, not to mention I wouldn't even know how to ask my fiance for something that expensive (and arguably frivolous since I have a perfectly lovely ring already). I might get myself a nice diamond solitaire pendant or RHR when I'm older to celebrate a milestone (maybe a 25th anniversary or when the kids all leave the house).

Here are pics of the ring with my different wedding bands

 

[purselover]

Personally I didn''t find anything wrong with the post about wanting something bigger than 1.8 carats, if you can afford it why not? Just b/c most people have smaller rings doesn''t mean she should have to.

As for what I do I''m 24 working for a non profit and FI goes to a top law school, my ring is a family ring, but once he''s working again I would like an upgrade that will definitly be in the 2ct range. Before he went back to school we were a 6 figure household at 22 .....it was called banking, he picked probably the best time ever to quit.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Mariposa - my thoughts & prayers go out to you!

 

[PinkTower]

Mariposa,
My thoughts and prayers are with you-

 

[packrat]

My thoughts and prayers are with you as well, Mariposa!

 

[Lynnie]

Mariposa, I would like to ditto all the others in wishing you well and keeping you in my prayers....

Charm, this has been an insightful thread, and I thank you for it!

Me... 27, grew up in a terrible neighborhood with no money. We weren''t allowed to answer the phone or the door because it was almost certainly a bill collector. I think growing up that way has taught me SO much about life and finances. Earned a partial scholarship to a large uppity University, and dropped out after a semester. I felt like I just didn''t belong there. Plus, it was over an hour commute. Then I farted around for a few years, trying to figure out what to do with my life. I decided to start taking classes at the community college. Applied for their nursing program, got in, and am now an RN at a large hospital, making a good salary. My mom had bought me a car when I was 16 (she lost a finger in a work-related accident, and after 10 years, they reached a settlement). Other than that, I received no financial help from my parents - all school loans. Only 8K, which I just finished paying off last month I love my CC education! The smartest thing I ever did. And I still drive that car.

Him... 28, grew up in same neighborhood. His family was even worse off than mine. His dad left when he was 16, and he had to drop out of high school to help support his siblings and mom. Eventually got his GED, and is now going to school part time (yes, at CC!), hoping to get into their radiology program next year. He works for a contractor part time. He''s extremely handy, so he does a lot of side jobs as well. But it''s backbreaking work, and he wants better stability.

Us... together for 10 years, married since April. No debt... living in a cheapola apartment, saving for a house. We just started looking seriously last month. Hopefully, we''ll be in a house by the end of the year, and start making babies! haha... Although we are planning on finding a house that we can afford on my salary alone, because if he gets into that program, he won''t be able to work nearly as much as he does now.

The ring... He''d been saving for 3 years. Little by little. Then in Dec ''08 he called into a radio show, and won $1000 (no kidding.. he''s a lucky dude). That put him past his "goal" of 5K. We saw an ad in the paper about a local jeweler going out of business. We went, and he bought my ring...
1.33 K VS2 in platinum. For 3K cash. I wouldn''t trade it for the world. The 2K that was left over rolled into our wedding fund (we paid ourselves... the most expensive day of my life!). I fell in love with this ring. There were more expensive ones there, and I could have spent more of the budget, but I think the more sensible side of me was thinking "we could really use that extra 2K".

Geez, this turned out to be long....sorry!
Here it is (w/my wedding bands):

 

[NakedFinger]

Date: 6/30/2009 4:03:03 PM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 6/30/2009 2:20:36 PM
Author: NakedFinger
Turns out, when the grooms parent's are rich, that is the grooms parents 'contribution' to the wedding. Brides parents pay for wedding, grooms parents pay for ring. You'd be surprised how many rings are bought, or at least 'chipped inn' by the parents. If it makes you feel better

My cousin's almost-fiance was going to have the ring mostly funded by his parents. As far as I'm concerned, it's a no-no. I'm perfectly fine with the girl chipping in for her own ring or an heirloom ring/stone, but a guy asking his parents for money to buy a ring just seems like he isn't ready to be getting married...maybe it's just me.

Big ditto on that. I totally agree. If my FF didnt have the money for this ring, I would prefer he got me what he could afford, whatever that may be. I wouldnt want him to "go to mommy and daddy" for help. Seems weird to me. I would rather a couple pay for it together since its a big purchase like adults, then have to have it funded by parents. But a lot of the comments I received were "there was no way I was going to let MY SON give a cheap ring" or "We couldnt have everyone thinking my son cheaped out" etc etc. I think a lot of what I hear are the parents being concerned with their family/friends "perception", not the son feeling like he needed help.

I was speaking to my jeweler one day, and he said he gets a lot of parents secretly putting money in on the ring. Like the son will go with his mom looking and get what he can afford. Then, have the mom call and say "I am adding X amount of dollars, increase the carat size to the one he said he couldnt afford, and just tell him you are giving him a discount".

 

[Lilac]

Mariposa - I hope you''re doing ok - you''re in my thoughts and prayers.

Interesting thread - nice to hear a little bit about everyone.

Me - 21 years old (well actually, I''m still 20 - I''ll be 21 in about 7 hours!) finishing up undergrad. I''ve had jobs every summer for the last few years and spent the first 2 years of college working and going to school. I hate spending money, I prefer to save as much as possible. I''m very fortunate that I have parents who paid for my college education as well as my wedding. After college I plan on going to grad school, and my parents have told me they will help pay for it, but I''ll also have to take out some loans to pay for the rest myself (but I''m just grateful for whatever help they can provide!)

DH - 22 years old, went to the same college I did and graduated last year. I am thankful every single day he worked so hard and got the exact job he was looking for in finance. He plans on going back for his MBA at some point, but for now he wants to save some money and gain some work experience. DH has worked basically every single day since he was 17 years old when I met him - as a waiter and counselor at first, then he got a job working in a small law firm nearby, then interned and worked in a couple finance places during college. He also doesn''t like spending money, but he''s had to pay for his car, education, clothing, food, etc since he was 17 also, so he didn''t get to save as much as he would have liked.

Us - We met almost 5 years ago, dated for 4 and a half years before getting married this past February. No debt. Right now we''re (unfortunately) renting an apartment and trying to save up for a house one day. We would have loved to buy, but since I''m still in school (with no income) and the economy is still shaky we were worried about having a mortgage if he lost his job at some point. So for now we''re renting until we feel stable enough to buy our own place.

The ring - We knew we wanted to get married right away even though I was only 16 and he was 17, so he had been trying to save for the entire time we were dating. When he got his job, he received a nice signing bonus and used a large portion of that for my ring. He paid in cash for my ring. I had told him many times that I would love whatever he got me, and if this was too much money then I would gladly take something smaller. But he knew I loved this size and specifically this diamond, so he wanted to get it for me so he went ahead and bought it. The ring is a 1.7 carat round with 2 side pears. I love my ring and most importantly, I love the person who gave it to me!

He also surprised me with a 7 stone diamond wedding band (I thought I was only going to have my plain wedding band that I used for the ceremony, but right after the ceremony he surprised me with the diamond wedding band). I love my plain wedding band just as much as my diamond wedding band and I wear both every day along with my engagement ring

 

[Linda W]

Mariposa,


My thoughts and prayers are with you sweetheart.

 

[morganleFay]

Mariposa, My thoughts are with you. My father has had two cancer scares and has gone through chemo for one of them.
I agree that there is more to life than big diamonds.

But here is my story as a pricescoper for about a year now:

I am 32 years old. I am a high school Social Studies teacher in Vancouver BC for the past nine years. I have two beautiful little girls-one is 4 and the other is going to be 2 in one month. We grew up in a suburb of Vancouver both of us (husband and I)had middle class upbringings. Both sets of parents were immigrants to Canada in the 1970''s (my parents came from Portugal and his came from England). They worked hard for us and we lived a relativly nice life.
We met in high school. We have been together for 17 years and married for 10 years.
We have our own house (mortgage only), two children, one car is paid off and the other is on a car loan. We have no debt at all.
He propsed to me when we were 20 and bought a .33 ctw round brilliant center stone with four side stones in a trellis design. It was around $4000 from Birks. Probably paid too much with that money today I could get a much bigger diamond from one of the pricescope dealers. I have two matching diamond bands that I wear on either side of the original e ring. The diamond face up looks about .50 and is an F VS2 in clarity. I always wished he had gotten me a bigger ring but most of my friends do not have anything bigger than half a carat anyway. I am not sure if big rings are really that big here in Vancouver BC. I have never really seen that many and I have worked with a lot of people in my work as a teacher and during Universty when I worked in Tourism.
My rings seem to be the flashiest compared to my friends. I have one friend who has a larger ring but her diamond is actually four smaller princess cut diamonds invisibly set to look like one. They have no sparkle as she just went for carat rather than quality.
Recenlty we invested in a 10 year upgrade for me. I cannot wait to wear it. It is set in white gold, my original is in yellow and white gold. We still cannot afford to get a big diamond so we had a 1.14 pink sapphire ring made with two side .50 ctw half moon diamonds surrounded in melee halo. I am currently getting my jeweler to make me two 2mm eternity bands to go with this new ring but he is just resetting diamonds from a pave 6mm band I already had.
I could never trade in my original set. It has too much sentiment to me.
I cannot believe some one would complain about a 2 ct ring. If she was not happy with the setting that is one thing but I would gladly take her 2 ct and have it set in an amazing halo or something.
Thanks for starting this thread. its nice to here where the ladies of pricescope come from and what there lives are like.

 

[Diamond*Dana]

Mariposa...you are in my thoughts and prayers.

 

[tradergirl]

Marisposa: much white light directed your way.

Me and hubs, both late 40s. Married 20+ years. He's an attorney; I'm a trader in the financial industry.

I thought diamonds and jewelry were frivolous until about 2 years ago. Since then I've spent a fair amount of money building up a collection which I now am kind of annoyed at. I have that rug merchant mentality, unfortunately, and want to think I'm getting the better of the seller in every transaction (as in my business), which of course never happens buying diamonds (well, almost never).

I am not surprised at the young 20somethings expecting the kind of rocks you would normally be getting at my age. Their parents are my contemporaries and I know from my friends that a lot of them were indulged and spoiled to compensate for time not spent with them, etc. The sense of entitlement and "want it now" inability to delay gratification is obnoxious but what can you expect when everyone now has a 30 second attention span, if that.

I've got a 4 ct. tw set at the moment but everytime I look at it, all I think is what else I could have done with that money. But, it is pretty, so it's got that going for it.

 

[beechezz]

Charm City--great topic, it''s so interesting to read about the Real Women of Pricescope.

Mariposa-my thoughts and prayers go out to you, you certainly put everything into perspective.

Me-40 (ouch) teacher for the last 5 and 1/2 years. I went back to school to get my BA in education right after we got married (it will be 9 years on August 19th). Before that I worked full time since I was 19, pretty much supporting myself. I always saved money because I wanted to be financially independent. I was going to use the money as a down payment for a house, but I used my savings to pay for our wedding and a down payment on a house. Thankfully, the money we received as gifts at the wedding was used to pay for my education. BTW, I worked p/t at the job I had worked at for 8 years the entire time I was going to school so we could have health benefits.

Hub-38 and works as a Field Technician. Of course he has a BA in law and justice, but doesn''t use it! (I find this so common).

Us-We met in ''96, got engaged in ''99 (I received a .75 RB Hearts on Fire stone (J, VS2) w/.15 of channel set stones in the setting). It was very pretty, but last September I upgraded the stone to a 1.35 RB H, VS2. I LOVE my new stone, it is the perfect size for me.

I find myself getting caught up in the SIZE of the diamond sometimes, but then I step back and realize how lucky I am to have such a great hub, and a great life.

 

[Buffy01]

Mariposa my prayers and heart go out to you. I have ulcerative colitis and have had it for 24 years now, and my rate of getting colon cancer has doubled after 20yrs of having the ulcerative colitis, my heart is with you.

Me-- 38 kennel assistant for an animal hospital, been out for 2 weeks now for major back problems.
Him-- 40 night shift foreman for a machine shop, keeps this family afloat
Us- 2 beautiful children -- sophomore and junior, we rent a home, used to own, but sold it cause too much family around
Ring-- started out with a 1/4ct. biggest diamond in the world to me. On our 16th anniversary he upgraded me to a 1.52ct J VS2. I never thought or imagined that I would ever even have a 1ct. We just celebrated our 18th anniversary yesterday and all we did this year was make a cake together ( betty crocker strawberry with vanilla icing, and fed each other a small piece like it was our wedding day) I will never forget that.

 

[Brown.Eyed.Girl]

This is a really interesting topic. I don't think I had quite the same knee jerk response at that thread as some did, but then again, the women at work have HUGE rings and I think that desensitizes me a bit.

I'm 23, and BF is 27. We're both entering our final year of law school, and we're both working at large law firms. IF (and this is a BIG if this summer, unfortunately) we are fortunate enough to get permanent offers at the end of this summer, we'll both be making a very nice salary. He won't have any debt graduating; sadly, I will have a lot of debt.

We've already discussed our timeline and our budget (dependent on us both having these jobs, of course). Our budget for ring and wedding will be pretty high relatively speaking (about $25K for ring, $65K wedding, $10K honeymoon), but it's also a budget that we feel is doable (and we can pay for it all in cash when we're ready to buy). And we'll be living in NYC (where our budget is NOT big, let me tell you

).

I think it's different for every couple. We've both busted our butts in law school to get these jobs, and we're seriously busting our butts at work now to make sure we'll get an offer. It's a little terrifying but if we make it, then I think what we're planning on getting isn't insanely out of reach (and we won't be millionaires even with these jobs).

Sorry for being a bit vague here with details, though

ETA: Oh and we don't plan on having children anytime soon, so I think that lessens the costs on us. Although we will be adopting two kittens soon

 

[FrekeChild]

Me: 27 year old former pastry chef, associate''s degree in Culinary Arts from my local community college, two semesters at the most prestigious culinary school in the USA in Baking and Pastry Arts, currently going to school for a BA in Psychology, with which I should graduate in December. Currently unemployed and will begin a job search in earnest around October.

Him: 27 year old statistician, BA in Awesomeness, and MA in Further Awesomeness from our local university. He is currently a PhD student in Beyond Awesomeness, and is also a data monkey for a research institute. He also teaches statistics. He has significant amounts of student loan debt, which he has told me he will pay off by himself, so I shouldn''t bother trying to help.

Home: 937 sq ft condo purchased by my mom, with the intent to put my name on it after Christmas. That did not happen. So it currently belongs to dear old dad.

Wedding: Will be paid for by dear old dad, because that''s how my mom wanted it, and my dad does what my mom wanted when it comes to me. Probably end up around the $15k mark.

The ring(s):
1 1.20ct blue spinel round in a custom split shank setting by a local jeweler (original ering stone)
1 1.11ct pink spinel round in a Vatche Royal crown replica setting (original ering setting)
1 .81ct blue-green Montana sapphire in a Liebcor solitaire setting

The original setting and stone were paid for by FI, as well as the custom setting. Grand total for all of that together is just over $1k. The pink spinel stone was bought by yours truly, as was the sapphire and it''s setting. I like to switch out my rings depending on what day it is, what colors I''m wearing, what I haven''t worn in a while, where I''m going, what the weather is like, etc.

Link to my mini ering photoshoot.

 

[brightlight]

I missed the thread. Can someone post a link to the thread everyone is referring to?

ETA: Nevermind. Found it.

 

[T L]

Mariposa,
You will be in my thoughts.

As for the now infamous thread, I didn't mind the fact that she wanted a larger stone. I guess, as they say, "to each his own." I personally am not drawn that much to white diamonds in the first place (I'm a colored gem person) and spend 99% of my time here in the CS subforum. If you can afford a huge diamond, and that makes you happy, then that's your perogative. It doesn't make you a horrible person.

My husband is a senior electrical engineer for the government and I'm a software developer for a major corporation, and we're both not young. We have three small children (we started a family ten years after marriage), and my six year old daughter has Type 1 diabetes (the insulin dependent kind). As they say, you can have all the material things in the world, but if you don't have your health, well . . . even the rich and famous this week couldn't be saved by all their money. Very sad.

However, although I've been collecting gems for years and years, the true gems in my life are my children.

 

[luv2sparkle]

Boy, I bet the girl who posted about how she wasnt sure she liked her e-ring is sorry!!!

I am 49 and a stay at home mom for about 20 years. Hubby is also 49-turning 50 at the end of July. We have been married for 29 years on July 12. Hubby is
a fire captain for a large county agency in SOCAL and has been for 26 years. We have a home and very little debt. We have 5 kids, the oldest is 26 and the youngest is almost 13. We are sending one son to UCLA-going on his second year. My first ring was .25, second was .75 and I wore that for 20 years. Upgraded
1 year ago to a 1.7, and then recently to a 2.57. Not millionaires by any stretch of the imagination but when you have been married for a long time, hopefully
things get a little easier.

Mariposa, I hope you make a full recovery soon! Life certainly isn''t about the bling we wear, but those we love.

 

[MakingTheGrade]

Date: 6/30/2009 7:12:18 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
If you can afford a huge diamond, and that makes you happy, then that's your perogative. It doesn't make you a horrible person.

I think what made it awkward for me, is that HE is the one who has to be able to afford it. I think I'd have a totally different reaction if someone posted about buying herself a 2ct diamond ring with her own money, but I just have a hard time even thinking about asking my husband for a few extra thousand (on top of the thousands already spent) because I want a bigger diamond. Maybe it's because my fiance's never bought any luxury items for himself that were over 2k, and because of how he views jewelery as something mostly frivolous, and we both still view a thousand dollars as a lot of money. I might feel differently if my husband was very well off financially and habitually treated himself to expensive things. Who knows, in twenty years, maybe I'll finally cast off my "broke student" view of money and be comfortable asking my husband to spend 20k on jewelery, guess only time will tell.

 

[atroop711]

Date: 6/30/2009 1:21:05 PM
Author: Mariposa
I just want to say that I''m in total agreement with you. I actually had the misfortune of reading that post while I was at the hospital getting my 22nd round of chemotherapy. Needless to say I had nothing nice to sat about it, so I said nothing. The more I thought about it, the more it got to me...come on! Some people have REAL problems.


Me - 33 years old, on disability for stage 4 colon cancer, was diagnosed 4 months after marriage. Used to be a Histotech at a large hospital. 4 year degree + 2 year certification


Hubby - 35, attorney, $150k in debt for law school loans


Ring - 0.58ct ACA set into a gorgeous Van Creaynest set.


Mariposa

Mariposa...my thoughts are with you and I''m sending you get well quick dust!

 

[4ever]

Charmcity- thank you for making this thread. I really enjoyed learning more about fellow pricescopers and it really helps get a sence of perspective when it comes to all the expensive jewelery we drool over here.

Mariposa- lot''s of love and good feelings coming your way. You''re right, we all love sparklies but they''re just things.....

I think what we see in that thread is just a reflection of many of the youth of todays attitudes. We want expensive stuff, we want it now and we don''t want to work for it. We want life to be like the movies, where the man on one knee hands us a massive rock with no mention of how it was payed for or how they could afford that. We want everything to be easy, but it dosn''t really work like that.

Anyway....

ME: I''m 20 (21 in oct), I''m in my final semester of my University degree. I was fortunate enough that my mum chose to use much of her inheritance from her Aunt to pay tuition fees for myself and my two siblings. I will always be greatful to her for allowing us to start our lives after school without the crippiling student dept many people our age face. I owe $2000 NZ in an interest free loan which I got from visiting my FF in the UK (during the lengthy long distance part of our relationship). I will pay this off when I get a job after uni is finnished.

HIM: FF has just turned 29 and at the beginning of the year left a job with the UK armed forces to move to New Zealand to live with me (No more long distance!). Because he is not a resedent he has had to accept a job in IT support for a mobile phone company which pays much less then any job he could get in the UK and which he is very overqualified for. He is hoping soon to be offered the job perminatly so he will get New Zealand resedency and we can have the financial security to get our own place. He payed off all debt before moving to NZ.

US: Not yet engaged- he has a specific date/plan in mind. I know it''s before the end of the year but that''s it. I hate it when people make b****y comments about the age gap. It dosn''t bother us or our parents. He is not my "sugar daddy"

The ring is a 0.75ct pear with 0.18ct oval side stones. Like Australia, Diamond jewlery in NZ is seriously overpriced and we had to compramise to get somthing nice for our small REALISTIC budget (He saved the money from his previous job in the armed forces and we both agreed that more then this is imparacticle considering we''re not exactly secure financially). We got it for around 1/3 the valuation price because it has a few "issues" (The side stones are not perfectly matching, the setting was abit unsafe- which we had fixed once we bought it). I''m fine with this, it means we got somthing much bigger then we would otherwise have been able to afford. Nothing in life is perfect and I think it''s beautiful

In future when we have alot more extra cash laying around we have agreed to upgrade to a more perfect version of the same ring (I''m thinking swap it round, oval center and pear sides)- the center pear will become a pendent and the ovals, earings.

In NZ 1/2 a ct is pretty massive, the average would probably be much smaller then that. Coming from this culture, I can''t possibly imagine allowing my partner to spend $20,000 on a peice of jewlery and just can''t relate to anyone who thinks anything over one ct is small. I have yet to see anyone over here wearing a rock that big (and yes, I do look

). Although I love drooling over all the stunning and massive rings here, I know they''re just not for me.

 

[Buffy01]

Hey 4ever, don''t you fret about the age gap, there is what only 8 years between the 2 of you. My sister and her husband of 4 years, there is a 25yr age gap. she is 34 and he is 59 and no he is not a sugar daddy. Diabetes, insulin bound, lost some toes on both his feet. They love each other, and that is all that counts and that is all I care about as her sister.

 

[T L]

Date: 6/30/2009 7:23:22 PM
Author: MakingTheGrade

Date: 6/30/2009 7:12:18 PM
Author: tourmaline_lover
If you can afford a huge diamond, and that makes you happy, then that's your perogative. It doesn't make you a horrible person.

I think what made it awkward for me, is that HE is the one who has to be able to afford it. I think I'd have a totally different reaction if someone posted about buying herself a 2ct diamond ring with her own money, but I just have a hard time even thinking about asking my husband for a few extra thousand (on top of the thousands already spent) because I want a bigger diamond. Maybe it's because my fiance's never bought any luxury items for himself that were over 2k, and because of how he views jewelery as something mostly frivolous, and we both still view a thousand dollars as a lot of money. I might feel differently if my husband was very well off financially and habitually treated himself to expensive things. Who knows, in twenty years, maybe I'll finally cast off my 'broke student' view of money and be comfortable asking my husband to spend 20k on jewelery, guess only time will tell.

I get that. I also think that diamonds are really small for the prices paid for them. Although a 2 carat diamond may be huge to most of us, in reality a 2 carat gem (diamond or otherwise) is not particularly large. Mind you, I didn't read the whole thread, but she may not understand that. I like to give the benefit of the doubt. I remember one thread where someone was just floored at how much one carat diamonds cost and they were to her, very very small. I think people like that are better off with colored gems since you typically get more bang for your buck. For most of us, there is this psychological aspect to a diamond's size that makes even small ones look huge in our mind's eye. For example, most of us wouldn't think a one carat amethyst is huge, but many of us think a one carat diamond is enormous.

 

[4ever]

Date: 6/30/2009 7:41:44 PM
Author: Buffy01
Hey 4ever, don''t you fret about the age gap, there is what only 8 years between the 2 of you. My sister and her husband of 4 years, there is a 25yr age gap. she is 34 and he is 59 and no he is not a sugar daddy. Diabetes, insulin bound, lost some toes on both his feet. They love each other, and that is all that counts and that is all I care about as her sister.

Buffy01 - Thank you so much for your reply. I think the people who have called him my "sugar daddy" are just looking for a reason why a 20 year old is with a 29 year old and don''t understand that it could just be becuase we honestly just love each other.
I wish my sister was as supportive of us as you are of your sister.

 

[PrincessPeach]

And Princess, getting a graduate in creative work really wasn''t worth it for me either. I should have spent the $80,000.00 and three years making a film. It would have served me better in the long run.


Thanks CharmCity for your advice on grad school!!! I am so indecisive and really don''t want to go in more debt for school until I actually figure out what I want to do! I''m kind of letting the Creative Writing thing go...there is no demand for that kind of degree where I live (Binghamton, NY), so it would probably be money and time wasted. Hopefully I figure something out! haha

 

[Dancing Fire]

Mariposa, wishing you a speedy recovery

CharmCity, love your koi avatar.