A gift of jewelry lasts forever. Not only the item itself but the memories it evokes. A young son gives his mother a bracelet he bought with his own money at a yard sale. A schoolboy saves his allowance to give the little red-haired girl a tiny heart. Parents say, “We’re proud of you,” with a gold graduation cap pendant. And, of course, that ultimate symbol of love and commitment, the diamond engagement ring.
It’s not about the price. It’s about the joy of giving and receiving in equal measures. It’s about the message, a message that is enshrined forever in a piece of jewelry. And because it carries a message, a gift of jewelry is carefully selected and that adds to its value and meaning.
More than the price or the size, thoughtfulness must be evident in the selection. A gift of jewelry has to acknowledge, respect and value the recipient. When those recipients, mother, classmate, daughter or fiancee, opened their gifts, they “got” the message.
Here’s a true story to illustrate how a gift can go wrong: A man proposes marriage with three brilliant diamonds set into a platinum antique setting. And there would be a problem with that? Yes, when the woman is an ultra-modern sort of gal with a cutting- edge style. The jewelry she wears tends toward imaginatively cut stones in geometric settings. She accepted the proposal but continued to wonder about the message. Did he not care about (or even know) what she liked? Did he disapprove of her style? Was he going to try to change it? She had $20,000 on her finger and did not feel valued. (To add insult to injury, the ring was an exact copy of his mother’s engagement ring. Guys, really, don’t do that!)
It’s not about the price nor the grandness of the jewelry. It’s about surprising and delighting the recipient. What a thrill to see the joy on her face when she opens your gift. How much more thrilling when you see that same joy 10 years later, as she recalls the thoughtfulness and imagination you put into the gift and how much you wanted her to feel valued.
Don’t pass by the fine jewelers thinking that it’s out of your budget. Don’t think that the staff wouldn’t want to be bothered with you. In fact, they find a great deal of satisfaction in helping to pick out the perfect gift at the right price. So everyone is happy. It’s all good.
And as we’ve seen with the people in the above anecdote, a $100 gift can produce more happiness than one that costs tens of thousands of dollars. As long as you keep foremost in your mind the message you want to share with a loved one.