31 years and 2 days ago, my boyfriend gave me a new bicycle for Valentine's Day. We had a wonderful time riding around that day, although starting and stopping was hard for me because I am only 5' 1", and it was a man's bicycle! (But it was top of the line for the times, and it cost over $100). Later that evening, he proposed in a roundabout way (it started out sounding like he was going to break up with me, but ended in a proposal), and after I accepted, we decided I didn't need an engagement ring because he had given me the bicycle. (I'm still not sure quite how that works, but I didn't want to press the issue.) I found his high school ring and started wearing that until he told me that felt "childish" to him.
Anyway we picked out matching wedding rings with a cross on them representing our faith in Christ. He lost his in the lake a week later, so of course, we hired divers (to no avail) and immediately replaced his ring with another one.
For our tenth anniversary, he surprised me with a diamond ring with ten diamonds (totatling 1/2 carat, I think) - one for each year - at the extreme cost of $1200! I was too nervous to wear it at first, but deeply loved it because not only had he chosen it for me, he had actually designed it, so it was one of a kind!
Time went on...I lost my wedding ring and 3 years later he replaced it with an identical one...then one very sad day, I lost the anniversary ring too (about 15 years later). Our insurance company accepted my claim and gave me a check for $5000(!), which I used to pay for finishing my college degree at long last (interrupted after our first year of marriage to allow him to go to grad school).
He promised to replace the ring, even though it was virtually irreplaceable, and shortly I found one that I liked, so I called and asked if I could buy it - he said, "If you like it, buy it." It was only about $300, but has diamond chips and emeralds (my birthstone). That was 6 years ago.
Recently I was up late watching TV (channel-surfing) and saw a ring I really liked, and I suggested he buy it for me for Valentine's Day. He sat down with me to find it on the computer later, but he didn't like it that much. After looking at rings and talking about them, I told him, "That's okay, it's silly for me to want another ring - I have two very special rings already."
Yesterday, the day after Valentine's, he brought home an orchid plant, cooked dinner for me, and then presented me with a ring box, containing a diamond and Tanzanite ring - very simple, but with some similarities to the anniversary ring. He said I could exchange it if I want, but that he thought it was the most beautiful ring at the jewelry store. What do you think?
