Saturday, February 28, 2009

Jewelry or Flowers? A Valentine's Day Dilemma

By Art Barron

Imagine yourself in a mall, searching for that perfect Valentine gift. Out of the corner of your eye, you see the beautiful arrangements of colorful flowers beckoning you. Just as you approach it, a flash on the other side distracts you, and the teasing twinkling from the jewelry store seems to be drawing you in! So you're stuck. Do you get flowers, or jewelry?

Either or both can be good choices, but there are things that you might want to consider when choosing between the two. Consider the following:

Your budget. Both options may be acceptable to you but it's your budget that can settle the issue. While extravagant flower arrangements can be quite costly, majority of them are still more wallet-friendly than jewelry. If you can't spend that much for this occasion, gifting flowers is your best option.

With so many days in you calendar marked for more special occasions like your partner's birthday or your anniversary, or that day when you decide to propose or be proposed to, jewelry will be the more appropriate memento for the event. But to keep the romantic feeling in the air, but still have extra budget for that special dinner or that bottle of wine later, best to give flowers for Valentine's Day.

Worth the price. Jewelry would outlast flowers in duration, no doubt about that. Flowers are beautiful, but they remain for only a week or less. They simply wilt and are thrown away.

Jewelry, on the other hand, lasts long and is a good investment. Your girl can even show it off anytime, anywhere.

Your relationship level. When you give a gift, it means that you consider that person special. After all, you wouldn't just give gifts to anybody. Your decision should be based on where you both are in your relationship. If you and your loved one have just started dating, or are still in the process of getting to know each other, flowers would be more appropriate to show appreciation for the time you've spent together. Flowers are generally neutral; you can give flowers, but this doesn't make anyone feel obliged to give something back.

Since jewelry is a symbol of solidarity and strength, these are more appropriate to mark a very special occasion, especially for couples who have been together for some time, such as the aptly named "journey chain", which basically represent the couple's journey together by adding pendants during anniversaries and specific milestones. Jewelry brings memories that are lasting, and it symbolizes the relationship's strength.

Your expertise. You can also refer to how much you know about each of these options when deciding what to get your girl. If you don't know enough about jewelry and you are reasonably scared that you'd make a costly mistake, then go for the flowers. If you don't know a lot about flowers but are an expert on jewelry, then perhaps you should go with what you are good at.

If you know nothing about jewelry and you don't want to purchase something you're not sure is worth your money, then flowers it is. However, if you're reasonably sure about your purchase, by all means, head to the nearest jewelry store.

On the other hand, some people are born naturalist; they prefer living things than man-made objects. If your girlfriend is a nature-lover who couldn't care less about the difference between a diamond and cubic zirconium, then flowers are what she would likely appreciate more. This is also true if she has an introspective and poetic nature.

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