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There are so many ways to tell a person how you feel about them without buying them an engagement ring. Most salespeople get dollar signs in their eyes when you tell them that you are shopping for a special gift, be prepared to look at the rings first thing. When you can get them calmed down enough to tell them you're not ready for that yet, let them know that you want something that she/he will remember you for.

I had one customer at the jewelry store where I worked come in on a regular basis for little special gifts. He wasn't ready for an engagement ring, but he wanted something special for their one year anniversary, something that she could cherish. Working with him on many occasions I had a good idea of what she liked, vintage style, nothing too big, but not too small. Since her birthday was in September and her birthstone was sapphire, I showed him a beautiful vintage style necklace that we had just gotten in. It was a delicate looking scroll work design with sapphires and diamonds set in white gold. When he presented it to her at dinner that night she was overjoyed, she stopped in the store to see me the next day.

One of my most treasured pieces of jewelry is a tennis bracelet of amethyst and diamonds that my husband bought me for Christmas nine years ago. We had been going through a bad streak, a truck had leaked fifty gallons of gasoline into our basement and we were displaced from our apartment. We moved in with my husbands family for nine months while our house, which was supposed to take nine weeks, was being built, and we were separated from our children for much of that time due to a lack of space. With little time on our hands, I still cannot figure out when he got away to shop for this piece of jewelry that I hold so dear to my heart.

To this my best advice is to shop from the heart, be it a bracelet, earrings, necklace or a time piece. When you choose something with love and care it will be a treasure forever.

Learn more about this author, Amy Phalen.
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