Archive for the ‘Rings’ Category

Hey Guys, It’s Monday Miscellany Back Again!

Monday, August 13th, 2012


So.

It’s been a wild and wooly weekend in the world of wedding news. I can’t pick just one story to cover, so lucky you, you get to see several things all in one article.

Over at the HuffPo wedding page, Ira Weissman has written an interesting article on why the diamond engagement ring is a worthless scam. Okay, he doesn’t use those precise words, but he makes it very clear that there are plenty of other options and it might behove more couples to explore them more fully before buying a diamond.

You know me. If you’ve got your heart set on a diamond, then I’m firmly of the opinion that you should have what you want, so long as you can afford it. If, on the other hand, you’re not sure what you want or you don’t want a diamond, this article could be helpful to you in explaining your decision to others… or in making the actual decision.
(more…)

Wow. Bet That’ll Work.

Thursday, June 28th, 2012

Before I get to today’s post, I want to apologize for the lack of posts the past few days. I’ve been down and out with a nasty, potentially fatal virus from the depths of Hades, and it’s really difficult to type a legible sentence that makes any sort of sense whatsoever when one is running a high fever and unable to focus one’s eyes.

At long last I’m better, though, so without more ado, let’s get back to talking wedding stuff, okay? Fabulous!

Or possibly not so fabulous, as in this item currently for sale at The Cheeky:

See? It’s a wedding ring with the words ‘I’m Married’ negative engraved (and how appropriate is that method!) inside. The idea is that if a potential Lothario slips off his wedding band in order to have a little extra-marital hanky-panky, his finger will give him away as the cheating slime-sucker he is. All that in a titanium ring that will set you back just $550.00! Fashion, commitment, and peace of mind all rolled into one!

Except that you know what? It. Won’t. Work.

Either your intended is intending to save it up just for you or (s)he isn’t. Someone who goes in planning to cheat will quickly find ways of getting around a gag like this. Someone who didn’t really plan to cheat but finds themselves irresistibly drawn to another partner down the line and begins a serious affair is most likely going to start it with someone who knows there’s an aggrieved spouse sitting at home. There are people out there who actually prefer to have affairs/one-night stands/random booty calls with people they know to be married. And frankly, even though I have never for a nanosecond even fantasized about cheating on Mr. Twistie, you can bet your bottom dollar I would have walked before agreeing to wear something that assumes I cannot be trusted.

Here’s the thing: whether this is meant seriously or not – and I’m guessing it’s meant to be an expensive joke – the fact is that there are a lot of people out there who want something like this to be a magic bullet against the possibility of being cheated on. But there is no magic bullet. Sexual infidelity does happen in a lot of marriages. Not all, certainly. I don’t have the statistics, but I can tell you flat out there are plenty of couples out there with nothing at all to worry about on that score. But there’s no way to tell in advance and beyond a shadow of a doubt whether you’ll be in one of those lucky couples.

Ultimately all you can do is take a leap of faith, say ‘I do’ sincerely, keep the lines of communication open with your spouse, and hope for the best.

Oh, and don’t ever marry anyone you don’t feel you can trust.

Me and My Gallifreyan

Sunday, June 10th, 2012


(via Fashionably Geek)
I’m too busy having a fangirl squee moment to write anything coherent.

Take the box! Take the box!

Two Wedding-Related Articles That Make Twistie Go Ugh!

Friday, May 25th, 2012


See Priscilla Chan, now married to Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook? See that ring on her finger? Yeah, apparently it’s too small and not diamond enough for The Daily Mail. Oh, and Zuckerberg clearly didn’t spend enough on the ring. You see, from one blurry photograph a jeweler estimated it might have run roughly $25,000, and that simply isn’t enough, you know.

In fact, the Mail seems highly offended by nearly every aspect of the couple’s low-key wedding, from the bride’s off the rack dress, to the sentimental choice of the brand of chocolates they shared on their first date as a wedding dessert.

Me? I firmly consider such decisions on the part of people who didn’t consult me in the matter very much Not My Business. If pressed, though, I think it’s nice that they valued sentiment over pomp and circumstance. I think it says a lot about them as a couple that Zuckerberg designed Chan’s ring, and chose something culturally significant in her background as a Chinese American to symbolize their love. I think it’s their money and they are entitled to spend it (or not spend it) in the way they choose… and I would still say that if they had thrown a massive bash to put Kim Kardashian’s lavish wedding to shame. I think how disappointed I would have been had I been forced to accept a ring at the outer limit of Mr. Twistie’s available budget rather than the ring that means so much to me simply to make people who aren’t us not snark.

To attempt to guess the price tag of the bride’s ring is crass beyond expression. To then attempt to shame the couple for holding the celebration they prefer is hideously offensive. Nobody was harmed in the creation of this wedding. In fact, the few details that have come out have frankly impressed me. Not because of the price tags or lack thereof, I hasten to add, but because it’s clear that they made their decisions based on a combination of sentiment and their personal preferences. They wrote their own vows, he designed her ring, they served food from two of their favorite restaurants, and their beloved dog walked the bride to the altar.

Just because a couple has money doesn’t obligate them to spend it on a wedding that will then make the Daily Mail chastise them for not sending the money to feed starving children or blast them for being so hypocritical as to want a party for a significant life change. Because you know what? Whatever they did, some media outlet or other was going to poke fun at them or shake an angry fist at them. When you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t… do what feels right and most authentic to you.

But while the Mail was pointing fingers and laughing at a couple for not wasting money on a celebration they didn’t want, the Telegraph ran a story on a terrifying and hideous new wedding accessory that would have The Manolo crying AAAIIIYYYYY! and begging for a cold compress for his feverish brow as he retires to his tastefully decorated chamber: bridal UGGs.

Yes, UGG has released a line of bridal footwear which is simply their usual comfort over style footwear only embellished with sequins and honking rhinestones. Oh, and a rather frightening pair of furry flip flops that I was concerned might eat my feet through the computer monitor. Don’t believe me? Check this out:

UGG. The most appropriately-named shoe company in the world.

The Wedding Ring That Fell to Earth

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012


(Image via Imagur where you can see the entire process of how this ring was made)

No, this is not the One Ring to Rule Them All. It’s the wedding ring of Reddit user laporkenstein. What’s so special about it? How about the fact that he made it himself from a meteorite.

The meteorite cost him about $200 online, and then he got started forging. No, there is no matching ring. The lady had already fallen in love with something else, and neither insisted their rings had to be an exact match.

According to laporkenstein, he and his wife are now happily married for three years with a small daughter.

May this ring – and the marriage it represents – never be unmade.

But this does raise a question I’m curious about: how do you all feel about mismatched wedding rings? Love? Hate? Don’t care? Tell me what you think.

For my part, I think rings are a truly individual choice. I’m very much down with either choice, so long as both parties are happy with it.

Perfect For ‘The Kiss’

Thursday, March 15th, 2012

Kiddies, I hurt my dominant index finger last night in a bizarre restaurant accident. Typing is tough today.

And so instead of something profound, I leave you with this awesome Klimtesque wedding band by Alex Sepkus:

Not To Coin a Phrase Or Anything

Tuesday, March 13th, 2012


When it comes to choosing wedding rings, there are a lot of decisions to be made: what material, who will and won’t wear one, to sparkle or not to sparkle… and the list goes on.

But one groom took the question even further: he decided to make them himself.

David Curtis and Jessica Stonex fell in love while working with the homeless through their church. They’d known one another from childhood, but finding they shared values and priorities sealed the deal.

One of those values? Deliberate simplicity. So when they decided to marry, they didn’t want to go out and buy fancy gold rings or involve diamonds. But they did want rings to symbolize their union. What to do? David remembered a story he’d heard about a friends’ grandfather who hammered his wife’s wedding ring from a silver coin. David and Jessica knew they’d found their answer.

David set out to find real silver coins, which meant they had to be minted before 1964, the year alloys started being added. The pure silver would be more malleable and thus better for jewelry making by hand.

A Ben Franklin fifty cent piece was perfect for Jessica’s finger, and David found a silver dollar would suit his hand nicely.

Then came the painstaking work of hammering them out into rings.

“You can’t hit it too hard,” he said. “You have to be slow and steady, and make small taps. It’s kind of a metaphor for marriage.”

In the end, though, David and Jessica have a pair of unique rings that reflect not only their beliefs (the words ‘Liberty’ and ‘In God We Trust’ can be read inside the bands), but their unique bond as well.

As Jessica says:

“Every time I look at my ring, I think, ‘Man, my husband spent 20 hours making this ring to bless me with.’ ”

What more can you say after that?