2002 Worlds Balloons

Like many women my age, I haven’t looked at diamond engagement rings since the Bush administration. The first Bush administration. My wedding pictures are a snapshot of every questionable wedding trend of that era. The mermaid style dress, the big hair that was permed, teased and sprayed into submission, the long pink fingernails and the cascade bouquet (pink of course).

The only thing I still love, or even like, is the wedding ring. I love my wedding ring. It makes me smile just looking at it. Like I said, the center stone is a marquise cut, which is the one that is long and pointed at both ends, with the points pointing toward my fingernail and my knuckle. There are curved gold places on the sides where little diamonds are set. It was a bridal set, so the wedding band is hooked together with it and has some little diamonds too.

So anyway, back to why I found myself going wedding ring shopping this weekend. My neice is getting married!!! We all love him and couldn’t be happier. He’s smart too. Smart enough to know that if a girl is going to wear the same wedding ring for the rest of her life, then SHE needs to pick it out. Her parents still live back home, so, being her favorite (or most local) aunt, that means that I got to go with them.

My gosh engagement rings and wedding rings have changed. Not much in the way of marquise. Lots of platinum. There is also a new cut called the princess cut which is square, but not like the emerald cut. It’s cut kind of like a round cut, with zillions of little facets.

Yes I said facets. I’m hip to the wedding ring lingo, y’all.  I’m also hip to shopping with a bride from the younger generation.  Not only did we look at wedding rings for her, we also looked at Bulova watches for the groom.  I didn’t realize until now how much younger men enjoy nice accessories too!

We went to the mall to look at the solitaire diamond rings there, but she still wants to look at a few other stores before she makes up her mind. It looks like she’s drawn most toward platinum, princess cut rings with some filigree.

So we’re going to go wedding ring shopping again this weekend. I can’t wait to see what she ends up with.  She has always liked the vintage engagement rings more than the pre set engagement rings, but wedding ring shopping is like a whole new game!  I can tell that it is hard for her to concentrate though because she is also looking at diamond earrings and diamond bracelets for the big day.  We even tried on pearl necklaces last time we went wedding ring shopping.  I guess we just really both like our jewelry!