Gold, Platinum or Sapphires

A year & a half ago for our ten year wedding anniversary my husband gave me a note that read.. "For a wedding band." You see... I had the engagement ring but never the separate wedding band that traditionally goes with the engagement ring. We had looked at them once, but back then we were poor folk. It was quite a bit of money and I'm not huge on jewelry so... less jewelry was fine with me. I really didn't see the point in purchasing the 2nd part.

Over the years I've had numerous people (even with my 4 children in tow) grab my hand and exclaim "You're engaged! When's the big day!?". I never realized the real significance (especially to old ladies that are afraid I've been living in sin all these years) that the extra band would have. So it was something that I eventually wanted.

So on our anniversary just after finishing a lovely dinner at "Five All's" Zach gave me a card that had the little note that suggested we finally go and get the wedding band. Well... time went by, we've been busy with kids & a baby. I've lost weight & my ring needed sizing anyway so I figured it was time to get that band.

I walk into the jewelry store & there are hundreds of bands to choose from. I chose a few & they just didn't look right with my ring. After a while there was a suggestion made by one of the sales people that maybe this would be a great time to "get a new look" which meant a whole new wedding set. I consider that for a moment & think... well... my ring IS a little out of date. It's gold & they don't even really sell yellow gold anymore. Everything is white gold or platinum. Silver is "in" right now. It's pointed out that it is kind of plain, just a gold band with a solitaire diamond. I would be keeping the diamond & move it to my new set. I call Zach & he says that it sounds good & to find something that I like.

There's an overwhelming amount of wedding sets to choose from. I eye seven or eight glass cases that are bulging full of sparkle & bling. I choose around 7 different ones, narrow it down to 3, then 2. I like them both equally. The first one is white gold & has deep blue saphires with white diamonds. They set my diamond in the middle & it looks like some really cool artistic ocean wave with my diamond at the peak. The 2 peices of the ring fit & swirl together perfectly. It's beautiful & totally me. They set my diamond in the other one. This one is platinum, a clean classic look with rectangle diamonds on the side of my round diamond & baguettes down the sides. Gorgeous! Very traditional, classy & elegant. I love it! I realize that it's like looking at the 2 opposite parts of me. The traditional part vs the free artistic part. How do I choose. I send pictures of them to Zach who immediately decided to go with the ring that has blue sapphires. I'm happy & sign the papers to have my diamond taken out of my old ring & put into this new ring. I go home quite a happy camper.

I worry about my decision all night. The ring doesn't really LOOK like a wedding ring even though it is. Although I love it I think it actually looks more like a fashion statement than a wedding ring. I talk to Zach, he gets my point & we decided that we would go back first thing the next day to change our request.

I talked him into sluffing work so he could come with me & help me make the right decision. They get out my diamond & they find the set that I would like to change over to. Everyone agrees that it's beautiful... platinum, more diamonds, more expensive but beautiful. Then... I don't know. It just didn't feel right. What's the point of wearing a new wedding ring? I didn't get married with that ring.

At the last moment I ask if we can place the diamond back into my old ring for a moment. They set the loose diamond in the spot & it just seems to belong there. I ask once again to look at a few wedding bands that I like & nothing really looks right. I finally ask if they have anything that is raised a little higher on the top. He looks around for a second & pulls out a band. I didn't like it, I would have never chosen it. He puts it with my ring & it was like... magic. I think we both knew that it looked perfect.


Yes, it was my old ring. The ring that according to the jewelers was "out of style, yellow gold, one diamond & plain". What I see though is the ring that Zach held out when he was kneeling in front of the Temple trying to get the right words to pass his lips. It's the one that I happily showed off to all of my girlfriends. It's the ring that has had play-dough, paint, Elmer's glue & gum stuck to it and still came out looking beautiful. It's the ring that I have been ecstatic to wear for over 11 years now. It's the ring that is perfect for me because it's the ring that means something to me. All the others are just metal.

Now I have an addition to that ring. One that compliments mine perfectly. I have a reminder of where I've been and a promise of great things to come.