<p>Personally I think the US shoppers who buy (or bought) a Jag because it was comfortable or reliable and not because, well, its a jag, are in the significant minority. There are lots of attractive, comfortable cars. Not all of them are status cars.</p>
<p>My mother owned a Jaguar in the 1980’s, as it has always been her dream car. That car sucked – was always in the shop!</p>
<p>Cobrat - yes, exactly, that’s the “blah blah blah” of the Lifehacker article - so much pretentious droning on about differences that probably 99% of people can’t even tell the difference between.</p>
<p>I’ve been reading this thread with amazement. I don’t have a “kidult” looking to get married, but my mother was from the SES where the kind of jewelry gourmentmom is talking about would have been common. Her engagement ring was from one of the makers gourmetmom touts as being the best of the best of the best. But despite being raised in such rare air, I don’t ever remember her once talking about needing to have the finest things or how “inferior” stuff just wouldn’t do. And being busy raising 5 kids and a few dogs, she didn’t really wear her best of the best much. </p>
<p>And later in life, she worked for one of those local jewelers who apparently made low-quality, poorly constructed items. But the necklace she had made for me means more to me than any showy multiple-thousands-of-dollars over sized piece ever could, no matter where it came from. And it’s held up just fine. </p>
<p>I have no quarrel with people who think that spending huge amounts on jewelry means that you’re somehow proving your love. I don’t care if they think what most of us wear is “inferior”. But you can’t curl up at night with a loving diamond. And a husband who can only afford an inferior local piece can be just as wonderful and supportive as one who can shower showy pieces on you. The ring my mother wore until the day she died wasn’t the showey piece from the best of the best of the best. It was a simple gold ring with the words “I love you” engraved in my father’s native language". Love is the real point of an engagement ring, no?</p>
<p>op, this was a good topic. I learned about “blood” diamonds, things to study up for on diamonds, etc.</p>
<p>Well said, sseamom.</p>
<p>Getting back to some of the jewelry Gourmetmom thinks we should all admire, it is surprising to me how much of the current Van Cleef & Arpels, Bulgari and Buccellati lines resemble some of my family pieces. So I guess the “local jewelers” of the late 1800s did know what they were doing. :)</p>
<p>jym- Perfect example. I would never consider getting a treadmill at Costco or getting a used one (unless I absolutely knew it’s pedigree and why it was on the market). I carefully researched treadmills and also consulted other competitive runners who had done research, and got mine from a specialty treadmill/cardio equiment dealer. I paid a fair price (most here would be in shock), but it’s VERY important to me, and I know that for my level of training I needed something good. It’s not the top one on the market, but it’s very high quality and H and I were in total agreement that we needed to put out the bucks to get what would be right for our needs. If people want to do that with rings, cars, vacations, pedigreed pets or whatever, I say “Go for it!” </p>
<p>I learned that the male must collect shiny objects and give them to the female to prove his potential as a mate. Or am I mixing up this thread with the nature show on TV?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/feds/2014/files/201476pap.pdf”>http://www.federalreserve.gov/econresdata/feds/2014/files/201476pap.pdf</a></p>
<p><a href=“http://courses.washington.edu/evpsych/luxury%20brands%20as%20costly%20signals%20-%20EHB%202011.pdf”>http://courses.washington.edu/evpsych/luxury%20brands%20as%20costly%20signals%20-%20EHB%202011.pdf</a></p>
<p>missypie: Thank you for thread.</p>
<p>emilybee #257 " It depends on the occasion whether I use paper or cloth. Can I be in both groups? "</p>
<p>This was my favorite post. I may experiment this week with just posting the bold part in a thread without reading it beforehand and seeing how many times it makes sense.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If that’s actually the case, a bunch of new shiny pennies, nickels, dimes, quarters, or better yet, lower value foreign currency coins(Russian Rubles) or random stuff in the trash like broken glass or shiny pieces of scrap metal should fit the bill as a compelling gift of this type. </p>
<p>I’d be game for trying it, but that will certainly result in complete ceasing of any health/life insurance coverage along with a steep drop in my continued life expectancy. I understand the latter, however, may be very pleasing to some participants on this thread/forum. :D</p>
<p>For folks who are curious what a nicely sized chunk of carbon would cost without the Tiffany name premium:</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.costco.com/exclusive-jewelry.html”>http://www.costco.com/exclusive-jewelry.html</a></p>
<p>Holy moses. I’d better get my mom’s rings, which I wear, re-appraised. No, they are not from Costco (Clark Howard bought his wife’s ring from there) but her engagement ring is big.</p>
<p>That’s hilarious, BunsenBurner.</p>
<p>So I wonder…how many people who care about such things would rather have the bigger, better diamond but have to say they got it from Costco, or have a lesser one from Tiffany’s or another prestigious jeweler?</p>
<p><a href=“http://www.cnn.com/2011/08/24/living/diamond-ring-costco/”>Buy $1M engagement ring from Costco? - CNN; this is an older article, where Clark Howard talks about buying the ring. Oh, and :
</p>
<p>We missed out on this samsclub deal:
</p>
<p>Well, I have to say that my dream car used to be an 8-cylinder Jaguar sedan in British Racing Green with a calf leather interior. One didn’t want that car for its reliability. (And personally, not with any intention of “impressing” anyone.) I used to joke that if I ever bought one, I would have to buy a Mercedes and have a mechanic on retainer who drove around behind me in it to rescue me when the Jag broke down. :)</p>
<p>I also have always loved looking at the ads for unique, extravagant, and fanciful pieces by Bulgari and Buccellati. (The collection of precious objects crafted from Baroque pearls in the British Museum draws me like a magnet. I love fantastical objects made from gems and gold and silver by craftsmen in past centuries.</p>
<p>I love beautiful things. Whether I can afford to buy them or not.</p>
<p>This thread has been a lot of fun. The only estate jewelry I’m aware of in my family was a ring that went to me. The center stone was of dubious provenance and minimal quality - visible inclusions and discoloration, but it was all of a carat. I’ve replaced that stone with a sapphire and the ring looks much nicer to me now. </p>
<p>Diamonds sparkle and shine like nothing else, and I love looking at them on others but haven’t thought much about them. On the original topic, it seems like the important thing is that missypie’s son understands and respects his GF’s sensitivities and wants to make her happy. That’s important whether they are talking about rocks or houses or kids or colleges. We don’t have to understand or agree with them, as long as they support each other. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Oh, maybe I was secretly hoping that there would be a whole new tangent on whether or not we should make sure we have on cute shoes before we leave the house. That one was fun, and I learned a bit there, too.</p>
<p>I agree that diamonds “sparkle and shine like nothing else.” But I do love almost all gemstones. I think I was probably like a lot of kids who collected crystals and geodes and semi-precious stones and begged my parents for a rock tumbler. In our city the geology department at the university has its own museum with a variety of rocks on display–my kids used to love going there when they were little.</p>
<p>This thread has also gotten me thinking more about the next phase of my life as a mother of “launched” kids who will inevitably have serious relationships and (hopefully) someday settle down. It’s crazy to think of either of mine getting engaged or moving in with a significant other because it’s still pretty far away. Although I can summon up tears pretty easily picturing my daughter as a bride. :)</p>
<p>I can’t believe my eye.
If I am looking at a rack of clothes for example, they all may be priced around the same except for a few outliers that are significantly higher or lower.
Even though my budget is more comfortable with a $50 shirt, invariably I pick out the one that is $350.
(but when I tried it on, it still had that skinny arm thing mentioned on another thread goin on.)
</p>
<p>Because of this thread, I asked my wife whether we still keep some of the jewelry that we used to have, and I was told she keeps them in the safe deposit box in the bank. (I personally do not keep track of this kind of stuff. I only vaguely remember we used to have two nice-looking ones: One is a “goat” made of gold and the other is a “fish” made of some kind of jade (mostly in white color with a little bit green here and there.) The latter (“fish”) is much larger than the former (“goat”). These were mostly for kids (so they are in the form of a “cute” animal.)</p>
<p>There are also a couple of gold necklaces/rings and one of the necklaces from my MIL (it was for DS) is quite large in its size (but not very pretty/artistic like that “goat” one.) I heard my wife (in reality, it is her family, but somehow she got to keep that one and her brother got to keep the other diamond ring after having grown up) received that “goat” necklace when she was not yet 20 yo - about the time I met her in college. I was told most of these are all made of 24K gold, so they are very shiny but are likely not very sturdy.</p>
<p>We do not have any diamond one. The only one her family had went to her elder brother at first, but later it went to her sister-in-law - actually the wife of her younger brother.</p>
<p>My wife also told me that we used to have more but she asked her mother to take some of them back. They could be used (if needed) when any of our 3 nieces/nephews are engaged or married.</p>
<p>It is sort of funny that she also mentioned that we may want to select some “better” ones for DS’s GF when they engage. But they have been dating for only slightly less than half a year!</p>
<p>Before my MIL got married, the family she grew up with was actually in a business very close to the jewelry. It appears both MIL and (to a lesser extent) my wife know a little bit about jewelry (mostly the “gold” only.) I still remember that when both of us were in college, their family had many jewelry. At one time when we were dating, she actually helped carry some of them from her mother’s home to another store. (Isn’t it somewhat scary for two college students to carry so many valuable jewelry pieces?) But it was much safer everywhere in those years.) But none of my wife’s siblings is into this after they grow up.</p>