UH OH OPALS

Remember that time I said opals are fugg ??

Am now eating my words BIG TIME.

Go shop the new WWAKE collection over at Catbird.

His family bought me an engagement ring

Hi ESB,

Longtime reader, first-time writer, etc., etc. I really love your blog, and kept following it even after my wedding-ish thing, which was a year and a half ago. My question/dilemma is only semi-wedding related, but, I dunno, ESB is such a good forum for so many dilemmas of this nature. I'd love to know what you think.

My sweetie and I are pretty non-traditional. I'm queer, and he and I both are pretty non-conforming when it comes to gender presentation (I'm female, but I regularly get mistaken by strangers for a boy. I don't really mind - I like my androgynous style. And he has a very queer/feminine style). We didn't even really get engaged, but we did decide that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together and, at his urging, we threw a big party to celebrate this event. (That's when I first found ESB, actually - during my months-long quest to find a non-traditional-but-still-super-special dress for our party). The party was fun! 

Then last Christmas (6 months after our party), I got a completely unexpected gift from his family: A diamond ring. Clearly an engagement ring. It was from his whole family: parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, etc. As I opened the gift, they all stared at me expectantly with tears in their eyes. It was like THEY were proposing to me. It was a lovely gesture, but also kind of... weird? It felt weird. I thanked them all profusely, of course. I put the ring on my finger that day, but it was too big and after Christmas was over I put it back in the box and have not taken it out since then. 

The fact that I have not worn the ring since two Christmases ago has not gone unnoticed by his family. We live near them and see them fairly frequently. Nobody's said anything about it to me, but they've asked my sweetie why I'm not wearing the ring. He's actually lied and said that I do wear it, and that they just haven't seen me wearing it. So I guess that means now I really do need to start wearing it so they don't realize he lied? But: I'm really not an engagement ring person. I'm not a jewelry person at all, actually. My sweetie knew exactly what he was doing in not buying me an engagement ring (we don't wear wedding bands, either). And it feels incredibly weird to me that his family essentially bought me an engagement ring. Maybe I'm projecting too much here, but it feels like they were disrespecting the terms of his and my relationship, and trying to impose their own terms on it (i.e. "She's not wearing a ring? But how will anyone know she belongs to him?").

So I guess my question is: What do I do about this? Do I just continue to not wear the ring, since nobody's said anything about it to me explicitly? Do I try to remember to wear the ring every time I see them? I really, really don't like it, and don't feel comfortable with a diamond engagement ring on my finger. Am I thinking too hard about all of this?

Thanks.

*****

FUCK THAT SHIT

Your sweetie needs to tell his family, very sweetly, that he lied. That you're not an engagement ring person, you never wanted an engagement ring, and while you appreciated their gesture you thought it was kind of... weird. (Because, yes, an engagement ring from his family? is HELL OF WEIRD.)

Then sell it and buy yourselves a juicer or something.

Ellinore Erichsen for Madame Figaro by Jimmy Backius via Fashion Gone Rogue

Real Talk (semi-wedding related. but real.)

Firstly, I want you to know that no matter what you write or post about; weddings, style, life, snarky pointed mocking retorts, I (and a whole slew of other fantastic powerful ladies) will continue to read with gusto. [Editor's Note: YOU GUYS ARE GONNA MAKE ME CRY]

Secondly, I am having a major life crisis that neither therapy or friends can advise me with complete raw honestly, and although I haven't written a "Dear ESB" about it, I have read other letters with somewhat similar root situations and comments with valuable information which have helped me along my way. These letters from desperate women are possibly their last stop before making a major life-altering change, and there's something about the community you've built here which fosters that. I would like to think I would never let myself get to that place, however, at this juncture I am at my breaking point. 

I’m engaged to, in an ideal world my ideal mate, the guy who if you told me I'd be with forever when I was younger I would have shit myself.. but he's not who I thought I was getting. The person I thought he was when we met is not the person I am with now, and possibly I am not who he thought I was too. 

We had a quick moving-in and a quick engagement, but we've now been engaged for about a year, and due to extenuating circumstances I haven't started planning the wedding. Friends all around are getting married and dating and in love with their partners, and I am just meh for myriad reasons. Everything is just.. almost right in theory, but just not quite right. The idea of us together is better than what we actually are.

I have been in several significant relationships, he has been in few. I am a bit younger, he is approaching 40 and very ... well very much an "old habits die hard, you won't teach me any new tricks, I'm a peter-pan kind of stubborn person" man-child. 

We are both in creative professions and work odd hours which leaves little time and regularity for dates, regular plans, etc. We both maintained that we had never been in love before being together. We were friends for years before becoming romantically involved. We were both heavy drinkers when we met years ago, he has since cleaned up completely (no alcohol/smoking/drugs) and I still imbibe occasionally, but his sobriety has been a crutch which allows him to willingly avoid social and community engagement with myself and friends (not going out on New Year’s, leaving weddings early, avoiding dinner parties). 

We currently live in Chicago, where he has no friends or community, and I have old history. He has made no effort to meet people, find his own community, etc. citing that we are only here temporarily so why should he bother. 

When we started having some problems we went to therapy together (both he and I have been seeing therapists separately prior), but after a few months, our therapist doubled his rates, and although I thought we were making progress, we kind of haven't put in the effort to find a new one. 

And here's the big thing that I an't get over: A few months ago a stone fell out of my engagement ring. It's a family ring, fairly old, so not totally unexpected. As it's kind of an awkward every day ring anyway, we had talked about getting me something smaller for every day wear..  He took it in for repairs, and I forgot about it. 

One night a few days later (three days before our anniversary of our first date), I was planning to meet some newly-married friends for dinner at the restaurant where I work (my partner had never been to this restaurant in the 12+ months I had been working there despite my asking).. I asked if he would join us. He said no. He then walked into the other room, came out with a box in his hand, and said "if you're going out, you might as well wear this." All casual like.... 

It was a gorgeous ring, similar in style to mine but smaller, more appropriate for every day. It was exactly what I wanted. I asked "where did you find this!?" he said "I had my eye on it for weeks and finally got it at the place I took the other ring for repairs!" 

We tried it on but it was too small (which I thought was strange because he knows my ring size and if he had been planning on it for weeks then why not get it resized, right?) so I asked if I could wear it around my neck tonight so I could have it on, and then we would take it to get sized tomorrow.. 

His response was... well basically he was astounded that I was still planning to meet the friends, thinking instead that I would just stay home with him. I was astounded that he wouldn't want to go celebrate with friends who were just married. The argument escalated, and it came out that he had just found the ring by accident the day before (which is why he hadn't sized it properly yet) and that he was planning on giving it to me for our anniversary days later, I was baffled why he would give it to me in such a casual way, feeling almost like he just didn't feel like I was giving him enough attention by wanting to go out that night so he gave me the ring early to keep me home. Selfishly. 

I never went out with the friends that night. 

I wore the ring until mine was repaired and then I took it off, put it back in the box, and explained to him that every time I looked at it I just thought about the bizarre and strange way he gave it to me, and that it would be really great if he could find a more loving way to give it to me so that the energy attached to it was more.. LOVING. 

I don't need anything special.. It could have been wrapped up in a Christmas present. It could just be a quiet moment in our home. It could be on a walk or in bed for all I care, just not "... you might as well wear this.." I know we were already engaged but it just seems so lazy. 

For all the other problems we have I think stem from laziness. Or at least a lack of effort on his part to build a life with me that is engaging, inspiring, and full. I don't need to be perfect like one of those couples who have engagement portraits done or blog about the bread they just made, but I live a passionate life and I feel like I've lost some of that passion since we have been together. My friends have noticed it, my family has. The ring is symptomatic of a larger problem, and it just happened to be the straw that broke the camel’s back. 

I believe on some level that I love this man, I love the potential he has within him that I truly believe he is unwilling to tap into because of his depression, anxiety, sobriety, or laziness. We all have problems and I suffer from some of the same ills. I am not martyring myself, nor am I blaming him for everything. I'm just wondering how much of this is me being crazypants and how much of this is something I am unwilling to be OK with for the rest of my life. I don't feel like I am the best version of myself when I am around him. 

Maybe that's my answer. 

Anyway, I don't know if you will even publish this and/or if you even are still going in this direction on the blog or whatever blah blah blah.. I just.. I don't know. I think I just wanted to write this all down to see if it made more sense in black and white. 

It doesn't, BTW. 

so yeah. sorrryyyyyyy

*****

The ring part, whatever. You can’t throw it back at him and demand that he give it to you LOVINGLY. That’ll never work.

The guy part? Drop him right this very sec.


Collage / GIF by Ernesto Artillo

It's Been Too Long Since You've Had Turquoise Rings Up

Hi ESB,

Brilliant Earth has not one, not two but THREE antique turquoise rings up right now. Please make this known so someone snarky can purchase them!!!

xoxo
N.

P.S. Single, engaged, left-months-away-from-the-altar, grieving-and-single, happy-and-single, and happy-and-taken…I've kept reading through it all. Thanks for that.

*****

Also digging this one from Metier [pictured above]

Still not sick of ring questions..?

Hello esb

I'm recently engaged and looking for a ring. I went through your whole "rings" tag and love your style so I thought I'd ask you: are there any cool opal rings? That aren't itty bitty stacking rings, but also don't look like they arrived this morning from 1985? I don't know if I just have bad luck, but I didn't think it would be this hard to find an opal ring I liked. The only parameters I have are that it be yellow or rose gold and that it be pretty and modern and not tiny or surrounded by 10000 diamonds (or, really, any diamonds at all). And that it not be a weird cluster of opals. 

I didn't think this would be some kind of unicorn hunt. Is it just the nature of the opal to be used in really cheesy settings?

Please don't say "don't get an opal it will break."

(also, if I can piggyback a question for your readers - I liked your Chicago travel guide, but do you or your readers know of anyplace in the Chicago area to look for cool rings, à la Catbird, Erie Basin, etc? not necessarily opals :) )

*****

Does it have to be OPAL? Opals are fugg.

What about moonstone?

*****

Moonstone is awesome. Opals being fug is my problem! I have what must be the ONLY pretty opal ring in the world, and it makes me want another, but I am having NO LUCK. Something about opals just makes them want to be in ugly shapes, settings...

*****

I included this rainbow moonstone (pictured above) in a roundup I just did for Barneys.

In light of recent events, you may or may not want to patronize them.*
_____________________________

*Should we be boycotting Barneys AND Macy's? I honestly don't know how to respond. But I will be spending that $200 gift card the Barneys PR team sent me as a thank you.

Bario-Neal opens a showroom in NYC!!! (Sponsored by, erm, Bario-Neal)

Hello, internet. Hello, world! Helloooooo, New York City....

We are Bario-Neal Jewelry and we are excited to announce the opening of our New York City showroom in lower manhattan. 

Bario-Neal is committed to environmental responsibility, ethical sourcing, and marriage equality. Our work is handmade in Philly with recycled metals and responsibly-sourced gemstones. We are also happy to work with your heirloom stones or recycle your precious metals in our bands. 

The new location offers our custom design services and showcases Bario-Neal’s collections. It’s important for us to be able to work with our customers on a personal level as they search for the right wedding band, engagement ring, or special pair of earrings. With our new space, we look forward to being able to better serve (& get to know) our New York-based customers.

The showroom is only by appointment, but we are having an opening party! Stop by and check it out November 7th from 5-8pm, at 195 Chrystie St., #900A.

Editor's Note: Anna and Page sent me a whole bunch of images to choose from for this post. Rings, earrings, necklaces, bracelets (yes, they make all those things, too!).

But it's the RINGS RINGS RINGS RINGS RINGS RINGS RINGS that blow me away every time -- both Bario-Neal's custom work (custom designs begin at $500, see three examples pictured at top) and the engagement rings + bands from their current collection (rings pictured are priced between $255-4400).

New from Catbird!

Gorg lil (affordable!) rings....

Sleeping Beauty, 14k white gold setting + rosecut white diamonds, $498

Maleficent, 14k rose gold setting + rosecut black and white diamonds, $364

And you might need the lil matching studs to get married in.

14k rose gold setting + 3mm rosecut white diamonds, $376

HELLO SPARKLES!

IT'S BEEN TOO LONG





Antique 18k Five European Cut Diamond Ring from Metier

how do I subtly say BUY ME A RING?

Hi ESB,

I've been reading your blog for the past few weeks as conversations with my boyfriend have started to turn toward marriage. We've been dating for 11 months, live together, are about to embark on renovating my house together. We talk big picture all the time, like about marriage, kids, house money, etc. 

My reason for concern is that we have not talked about the small picture stuff -- like the proposal and engagement ring! I get that guys want the proposal to be a secret and I am concerned that he thinks he should just pick out a ring himself, since he has not mentioned engagement rings once in conversations about other items we're saving for (a juicer, a kayak, etc), not asked me to recommend jewelry I like, nothing. I know how to subtly drop hints about the wedding but don't know how to subtly say BUY ME A RING.

Should I be worried that we haven't chatted about the timing of engagement? And more to the point, how do I get the ring I want? Particularly, I don't want a solitaire diamond. 

PS I don't want to sound like a materialistic bitch -- I want a small, cheap wedding, etc. I just figure if I'm going to wear a ring for the rest of my life, I want to get the right one, you know?

Help!

*****

There is no subtle way to say BUY ME A RING.

You can, however, tell your boyfriend "Just so you know… If and when we do get engaged… I don't want a diamond solitaire!" 

And then show him what that is, because men are stupid. And then maaaaaaybe, if he's not stupid, he'll say "Well, what kind of ring would you want?"

Mirage by Beth Hoeckel

Where do the cool girls shop? Part 2.

(Canvas tote with rope handles from A Détacher)

It turns out the ladies over at Erica Weiner read ESB, and when I put a call out for submissions to Where do the cool girls shop? this guide from Erica herself (jewelry maker/vintage shopper EXTRAORDINAIRE) quickly appeared in my inbox.

Erica was too modest to include her own stores in the guide, but, just FYIZ, you can shop her original designs and antique jewelry finds in Nolita + Boerum Hill + of course online.

Without further ado, here is E's (mostly) New York City-based installment of Where do the cool girls shop? (with a little London + Maine thrown in for good measure):

A Détacher—A place that's inspiring to be in, if maybe a little unaffordable.

Stock Vintage—Mostly for menswear, which I love.

Doyle & Doyle—Shout out to this Lower East Side shop where my hubby bought my engagement ring.

(Vintage patterned wedding band from Doyle & Doyle)

Rowan & Rowan—A London antique store with the craziest, oldest, creepiest and most beautiful antique jewelry in the world, all museum-quality.

Beads of Paradise—New agey organic stuff: pictures of Ganesh, flowy pants, overpriced face creams, and jewelry findings.

Goodwill in Camden, ME—Some of my best vintage and old LL Bean stuff comes from here.

Love, Adorned—Obvi.

9th Street Haberdashery—A miniscule shop in the East Village specializing in truly vintage clothes—stuff from the 20s, 30s, 40s. Guarded by a taxidermied dog.

Rachel Comey sample sale—Happens twice a year in a gymnasium on Mulberry and Prince; totally worth the wait/hype. All the girls at our studio have scored like crazy here.

Holler & Squall—The Atlantic Ave strip is filthy with top-notch antique/salvage furniture shops, but Holler & Squall is one of the best. 

Sharktooth—A former employee of the above store recently opened her own antique textile and rugs shop. Also fantastic.

(Erica Weiner's work on display at Malin Landaeus)

Malin Landaeus—I'd call this Williamsburg vintage store an institution at this point. The owner and I met years ago at Artists & Fleas, both hocking our wares, and now she sells our jewelry at her store. So much of my vintage comes from here.

If you're interested in writing a guide to shopping your city/eBay/your fave Goodwill, hit me up!

happy tuesday!

there's a fresh one over on 100 layer cake today, in which i share my thoughts on "starter" engagement rings....

once again i have nailed it SO HARD that nobody has anything to add.





at least that's what i'm telling myself.

Feathers (2012) by Kensuke Koike

Digby & Iona + TAXIDERMY!

Two of my very favorite things.



See more of the photos by Amy Shutt over on style carrot.

Shop Digby & Iona here and here.

Help! I'm in London! And sad.

Dear esb,

I know your internet access is an issue, but I'm still hoping you can help me.  

I'm from the States and traveling alone in London until May 6th, and I learned that my super amazing grandmother passed away today. She loved to travel second only to church and her family (& maybe brigham's ice cream) so I've decided to continue on with my trip. 

Here are my questions:


What are the best places in London for a weary heart? Where can a girl go to feel a sense of peace?


What are the best places in London for great rings?  I need a wedding band for my vintage (1910s) engagement ring and I thought looking here might add a sense of purpose to my trip.

Lots of love, 

K

P.S. I'm staying in Bloomsbury, if that helps. 


P.P.S. Is it weird to ask if any London esb readers want to grab a drink this week? It is. I'm a weirdo.

*****

Sometimes I fantasize about doing away with the blog. Especially when I'm gallivanting around eating oysters and drinking cocktails (and oh yeah working another job. two other jobs.). I start to think: Blah blah blah weddings. Blah blah shoes. Blah blah bridesmaids dresses.

And then I get an email like this and I instantly feel a sense of purpose. And a weirdo feeling of kinship with all you lovely weirdos....


HELP, LONDON! HELP OUR SISTER FRIEND!!

And for the love of god somebody take her out for a drink.

audrey marnay by paolo roversi for vogue italia october 1998 via

A Brooklyn travel guide for wedding sh!t?

Hi there,

I've loved the travel guides you've been posting recently. As a new reader, please forgive me if I missed the Brooklyn wedding version. (I promise I did look through the archives.)  

Where besides Catbird should I go to find interesting/artisan/unusual/finely designed/ohpleasegodnotthis rings, and to browse wedding dresses that don't make me feel like the dress is wearing me? The honest truth is I used to live in Brooklyn, but at that time I was 100% never ever ever going to get married, so now that I'm eating my words I need someone to remind me where all those awesome places I saw out of the corner of my eye but insisted on ignoring can be found!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou

*****

Brooklyn is the jewelry-that-I-love capital of the world. Catbird, Scosha, Macha, and Erie Basin are all worth visiting, and if you don't find SEVERAL rings you love, there is something wrong with you.

Brooklyn is not, however, a good place to shop for a wedding dress. I am sorry to say. (Or maybe not that sorry actually. Go to Soho? Or make an appointment at Stone Fox Bride. While you're in the neighborhood, you should probs make an appointment with Anna Sheffield, too.)


Miranda Kerr by Terry Richardson for Harper's Bazaar

Dear ESB: I have a gnarly knuckle rash....

Dear ESB,

I have been married almost a year now, and still continue to be in need of your advice :)

I have developed a nickel allergy and I cannot wear my engagement ring or wedding band without developing a painful rash. My rings are my Grandmother's and this development sucks. I still want to wear some type of wedding band. 

Problem is, from what I read, platinum and titanium are the only 100% nickel free rings. I normally wear yellow or rose gold metals. Also, all the platinum/titanium rings I have found are ugly. Really ugly. 

Any chance you or you readers can help me find a new nickel free that is attractive?

-Gnarly Knuckle

*****

If you search "platinum" on the catbird site, you'll come up with a bunch of options. I'm partial to Satomi Kawakita's eternity band [pictured above]….

Brunch with Anna Sheffield

The ADORABLE Anna Sheffield was in town last weekend, and though I generally avoid meeting internet friends/colleagues IRL.... I couldn't resist making a date for chilaquiles* and seeing all the gorgeous sparkly things in person. 

Michelle Pullman of Rad + In Love was kind enough to tag along and snap some photos for you guys. 

(And I should also mention that they took very good care of us at Franklin & Company -- managed by this dapper groom.)

Are you noting the stacked two-finger rings? Fucking KILLER.

Anna explains how these little guys stack.

I came this close to recommending the amulet ring to our Fussypants bride, and I should have. It is really so lovely in person. *Everything* is so much more lovely (and more delicate) in person.

Sterling silver horse hooves. I mean, COME ON. 

And I fell in love with that egg bangle. I almost tried to wear it out of the restaurant.

How adorable is Anna in her Lindsey Thornburg dress?? Plus her bag coordinates perfectly with her tats. nbd.

(Photos by Michelle Pullman of Rad + In Love)

*Chilaquiles are not pictured. Bonnie + Bri may feel free to shoot me a big fat I TOLD YOU SO.

what if you can only decide on the shoes?

We are eloping. In Austin. You may decide that I can't be helped after you read this.

I can't decide on a ring. I can't decide on a dress. I can't decide on my hair or if I'll carry any flowers. I haven't even thought about setting or an officiant. I can only decide on these shoes (in either color). I'm surprised I can decide on that! The thing with all the other stuff is I don't have a precedent. I don't wear white or dresses much (NY. black. and yes I know I don't have to wear white, and I don't have to wear a dress, but I'd like to give it a shot since we are eloping and I think FH [and our families, if they were privy at this stage] would like us to keep a few things traditional) and I never wear rings. I'm a bracelet girl. I would love help with both because I'm at the point where the internet has swallowed my perception and intuition up and everything looks the same. or bad. and just not me. but I'll take whatever seems most fun to y'all.

Budget under $700, and something around $400 or less would be sooo great. My instinct says on the shorter side is the way to go because I don't want it to feel over the top. I'm not into the ball gown elopements. And I'd probably feel more comfortable in less-than-head-to-toe-white. And I wanna see the shoes! I'm 5'3", 32C-24"-34". I like interesting shapes, architectural details, and a modern clean feel, because it's more flattering to my midget body but I'm not opposed to a little lace, and a touch of gothy feel. I do not do bohemian. I do not do bling. Even subtle bling. I wanted to love this LOVER and this Manivet (with a slightly opened up neckline) before we were eloping, when we were having a tiny wedding, and a normal-ish one respectively. Of course the LOVER is not available in the US and it does not go with the shoes. There is this LOVER which is over budget and while I love it on the model, I'm not sold that it's for me.

Rings. I love Anna Sheffield. My favorite one was this. Then when my dear friend got engaged in November, she had her jeweler uncle make her a replica. What can I say. We have similar taste. So that's out. Other things: I like black. I'm not sold on diamonds (ethics, and said hesitation regarding over-blinginess). I like herkimers but I don't want the setting to look too crafty. I want it to look modern and polished and I haven't seen any that cut it. I also like rutilated quartz. I'm not sure that I want two rings, and so am also open to a stone laden band. I've thought about Mociun, Alex and Chloe, Macha, and everything on Catbird. There was this ring which is so out of character for me but it is also my birth stone. I also like Bario Neal but none of them sing to me. I'm open to stacking and I like the idea of mixing metals because I do that in my other jewelry. Oh budget on the ring(s)... under $2k and I do have my mom's setting from her first marriage (with my dad) to mine for stones if i somehow go blingy.

phew. After reading this it's probably easier to just help me with the dress even though the ring should come first. or neither. jeez.

thaaaaaanks.

eloping-naked-in jeffrey-campbell-shoes

*****

I found your dress.

It's from H&M's Conscious Exclusive collection, which will be in stores April 4.

You're welcome, FUSSYPANTS.


p.s. What about a wedding bracelet? Just throwin it out there. Nobody says you have to have a ring.

Tacky or timeless?

Hello ESB,

I am "pre-engaged" (or whatever the hell you call having a wedding venue and date that is still under-wraps to most) and trying to figure out my ring.

I have just wanted diamond bands for a long time and recently had decided to have the diamonds from this ring of my grandmother's reset. 

I like the idea of having something sentimental, and am a huge fan of not spending our future on a piece of jewelry. Now I'm considering leaving it as is, but I'm struggling with whether it's awesome or a little tacky. It's from the 80's... Does it look like it?

I love the Kathryn Bentley organic oval ring you posted -- is this channeling that or just insulting it?

I would love an honest opinion.

Thanks,
Fucking over thinking things, as usual

*****

First off, you are ENGAGED. You have a wedding venue and you've set a date and you're trying to figure out your ring? YOU ARE ENGAGED.

Re the ring: Yes, it looks like it's from the 80s. Which wouldn't matter if you looooooooved it, but you don't love it or else why would you be writing in with this question.

Get the stones reset.

(Dynasty Cast via Nick Verreos)

what do you do with your wedding rings when you split up?

my husband and I were married september 2011, and the last day of our honeymoon was the first day of our difficulties, which i won't bore you with.

short end of the story is he turned out to be an alcoholic.

so.

currently my rings are sitting on my desk at work (a safe place don't worry!)

do i give them back? keep them forever? throw them in the sea?

also, i was a bad bride who never sent out all the thank you cards, mostly because things were getting worse from the minute we got back from honeymoon (this had a plus side since i didn't feel comfortable doing all the joint bank account stuff we'd planned... and now all my own money is safe etc..) anyway. i haven't sent out thank yous, and i feel embarrassed by this.

should i just chuck the rings and let the thank you cards go??

yours,
apparently ungrateful, soon to be divorced wifey :(

*****

The sea should be reserved for items you want to memorialize. Your grandmother's ashes. Goose's dogtags.

Sell the rings or melt them down or whatever and go out for a kick ass meal.

As for the thank you cards.... I wish I could tell you to just let em go, but those suckers will nag at you forever. Try to muster the strength to write notes to your friends and fam. "Thank you for the terrific chef's knife, which I am now using to cook for myself!" type of thing.

You can do it.

(Whiskey might help.)

Image courtesy of inflated/deflated

THIS BABY doesn't need a matching band

Mid-1700s Diamond Cluster Ring from Erie Basin (obvs)