[QUOTE=Eureka]
Lunar Saltlick,
I have a suspicion that at some point before you bought the ring, you and your wife did talk about money, and possibly jewelry, in enough depth that you(plural) knew you(pl.) were on the same page and that a ring worth a couple months salary was not desirable. Maybe not. Perhaps it just didn’t take the form of a formal “Discussion about the Engagement Ring”. But I’m betting that when you gave her a nice ring in a fancy box, you knew she’d appreciate the effort that went into the box.
Either way, I don’t think you are really as far off from my position as you think you are, but I’ve already invested more typing in this issue than I should have. So I probably won’t type much more on this topic.
[/QUOTE]
A number of times in this thread I’ve used terms such as mature, intelligent and marriageable, and suggested that they apply to me and to my wife. Inherent in this suggestion is that we’ve talked values, money, life, future, etc. We know each other well. In that sense, yes, I knew I would not be paying an outrageous sum for a ring, just as I knew she wouldn’t fly me, herself and our friends to Paris for my thirtieth birthday. However, we never spoke about rings at all. She really wasn’t expecting one. And yes, I knew the box would ultimately be more important, because I made it myself.
In the end, I look at a ring as a gift, and I don’t usually discuss the price of gifts, and my wife and I trust each other not to be foolish with our own money. We can’t be foolish with our joint money, as I’ve mentioned, because that money does need clearance from the other when it is used.
I too am weary of this thread. I wanna discuss comics, beer-making and low angle jack planes.