Why do they have an 'action zone'? Are they for the men that cheat on their wives with their secretaries? Them's some dangerous pants there, yep.
"Subtle engagement rings"... I'm Scandinavian, you will have to go more subtle than that! I get the cultural thing with big, blingy stones... But I can't help but feel that most engagment rings looks so cheap - and not in the price-tag way. Get me some of those nicely designed ones where the stone and the band size works and were you can actually stack with another ring in a nice way! And no, there no engagement on the way. I'm just very much into jewlery design and my Pintrest keeps feeding me rings they think I'm interested in... and when I find things I like it doesn't hurt to subtly hint to Lost what I like, right
For engagement rings I like solitaire rings. One stone set in white gold. Simple, classy looking, and there's no mistaking it is what it is.
The ring is a symbol, so it should be used as such. Price wise don't go overboard. My wedding band was $100 solid titanium. In reality I would have been just as happy with a prize from a Cracker Jack box. A personal symbol of commitment shouldn't be a small fortune, let alone a wedding ring. Think about all the money you will save by keeping it personal, and not letting it spill over into the commercial. Pretty much anything associated with 'Wedding' will jack the price up just because they can. So never be direct about anything you are looking for purchase wise, cause vendors prey on those that have no clue of adding a simple word can do to their bottom line. In a way, it is best to lie or omit. when it comes to looking for what you want in such a venue. In reality it is more important to focus on the relationship, not the BS accessories that will outlast you, and in all probability, your proposed commitment. Use your brain, not your feelings.
and if money is an issue there is nothing wrong with manufactured diamonds which brings the price down, a lot
A Cheerio (or Monster Munch if you want to get ostentatious) would bring cost down even more. And then when they split up she can eat it instead of throwing it in a river/at his face/down the toilet
I got Mrs. A, back when she was Ms. Z, one of these engagement rings. Ostentatious as hell, I know. Spoiler We ate it together, then I let her pick our wedding bands.
That is more or less what I think I'll end up with when it's time. Though even most basic and simple solitaire rings are too big for me - stonewise. I know there's nice, minimalistic rings out there. They just seem less common is all. I mean... the proposal scene in Deadpool is my favourite of all cinematic proposals ever.
course theres no reason you have to have an engagement ring at all if you don't want - a guy i know carved his then girlfreind (now wife) a love spoon as part of a traditional wiccan proposal
This is a 100% petty jealousy... but I get weirdly annoyed by reading about the young, starry eyed people moving to London for an adventure. It's really just because I know I'd never dare going on my own at around 20 without any other plan than "hey, I wanna live in this big, exciting city!" and these people make me feel... coward? Insecure? Just all together like less of a person. Even at 28 with a secure place to live, a lot of saved of money and another person who's always there for me, my moving is terrifying. Stop making me feel bad I've recently joined a Facebook group for Swedes in London. Which is stupid since while I'll live just half an hour from central London... price-wise I won't really be able to join in on any fun Swede-activities or make any new friends...
of course Britain is full of people you can make friends with anyway... look on the bright side - the streets aren't actually paved with gold so by coming with a realistic expectation you are much less likely to wind up disillusioned than the gap year posse. central london is a dump - and very expensive dump at that - speaking as someone whos lived in this green and pleasant land for circa 46 years... look outside the M25 for your adventures
What do you mean the streets aren't paved with gold? Lost lied to me! My goal is to try and become more social when I move. I've always had a hard time making and keeping friends, but I think having a bit of a social group (friends or just acquaintance) would be healthy, especially in a new country where I technically just know one person. Though they don't have to be Swedes, I just thought it might be good having something to bound over...
Sadly all the gold paving was removed due to austerity measures - these days we use shit as a low cost alternative
Speaking as somebody who made the cultural/marriage jump 33 years ago this coming Friday, I'd say don't worry about making friends. You will, if you get 'out there,' and get known. Get immersed in whatever is happening around you. The last thing you really need to do is hang out with your fellow expats all the time. (Nice to know them, but better if you jump in at the deep end.) I can't speak for London, but Scotland (Glasgow area) was very welcoming to me, and still is. I was 37 years old when I made the move, so I've come pretty close now to living half my life in the UK. It's fun! Mind you, I didn't just come here to get married. I came originally because I wanted to see Scotland. I happily fell in love with both my husband and the country itself. Here's hoping you do the same. Just beware of trying to keep one foot in both places. If you make the jump, make the jump. Otherwise you'll be only half here. If you ever get up to Scotland, let me know, and we can meet up, if you want. Oh, BTW ...I didn't have an engagement ring, and we bought a 9K gold wedding band for under £20 (at the time. Probably around £50 now.)We're not big traditionalists and neither of us is fond of ceremony. I still wear it. It's easy to wear, makes the statement that I'm married, and looks kinda crap with my favourite silver jewelry, but hey....
I guess I should underline that we won't be living in London. The town is about 30 minutes from central London by train, but it's not a part of the capital in any way. It's popular enough with commuters, though. I wouldn't be able to live in London, myself. I'm scared of big cities and wouldn't really feel safe. This town is rather small and I think that the reason it feels more "homely" to me. It's the getting out there that doesn't come natural to me... so I'll have to push myself. I could be fully happy just having my home life with Lost and then do whatever I'll end up for work, but it feels like I should at least make an effort to get to know people. After finishing school I don't know how to natural make friends (unless you have really good co-workers, I guess) so the thing with getting to know Swedes was mostly because it felt like you've got at least half a reason to meet new people in a "natural" way. They always seem to be meeting up for some reason or another - though I guess part of it is because they're adventurous youth. I know I'm still young, but not in any way adventurous. I've always wanted to go up to Scotland - I might take you up on the offer Lost goes there for work sometimes, both with his old job and the current, but I'd like to take a mini-vacation at some point in my life. It seems to be beautiful up there and would be fun to have been there at least once. When it comes to rings. I want to go traditional. I don't want an expensive ring - and I don't want a big one - but I do want an actual engagement ring and a wedding ring to go with it when the day comes. I never dreamed of a big, fancy wedding (still don't) but jewelries are special to me and I guess that's why I want to go traditional in that regard. Or I'm just more of a traditionalist than I thought.
If you've got any hobbies or interests, that might be a way to meet people. Or look for a writer's group in your area. That can be fun. (Or not.) It took me a while to find a group with writers who were kinda doing what I was ...writing novels. I didn't have a lot in common with the memoir-writers or the poets I met up with in my first group, although they were very nice. But really didn't provide the writing camaradarie I was looking for. But if you do click with other writers, that can be a lot of fun. I struck gold with my second group. Just try to go places where you're likely to be able to get to know people and them get to know you. Pubs and restaurants are fine, but aren't conducive to conversations with new people. You are from Sweden with a good command of English. You will probably find your feet quite quickly. I'd caution you not to depend on Lost to provide all your social life for you, although he will probably try, at least at first. But it can become a bit needy and clingy if it's the only outlet you've got. Don't be afraid to venture forth on your own. Just do it in small steps. Another good way to meet people is to volunteer to help with things. Anything from offering to work at a food bank, or helping with some local wildlife project ...anything at all that strikes your fancy. Actively look, and you'll probably find a few things to try. Volunteering is good because it's not just a 'social' activity. There is a shared purpose in a volunteering situation, so if you don't feel like making small talk a lot, you won't have to. If there is a local festival (book festival?) you can always offer to join up and help out. Ditto a local museum, or leisure centre, etc. A learning situation is also good. Free local classes—anything from language learning, handcrafts, cooking, gardening, martial arts ...whatever.
In my last relationship I lost all my friends simply because they were his first and for most and when the relationship ended they picked sides, so I've learned not to base my entire social life on my partner. I just want to become more social in my "new" life. I know that moving won't change who I am just like that... but I think it's a good excuse to try and become more of who I want to be. More social, confident and it would be nice to find at least one close friend or friend group. I've been looking a bit at a workout group that I might at least try out when I get a stable enough income. It would be a way to both meet new people and get more confident, while getting in shape which sounds like a good bonus. Or at least that's the idea. I spend too much time planning at the moment. I's what I do when I get nervous.
I've now just seen that it's on sale for under 30 euro! That annoys me, but shouldn't as I bought it weeks ago now. ETA: Having calculated the new price with postage it actually works out to about a euro cheaper, so now I'm not bothered.
It's a pretty ugly history of colonialism, slavery and genocide going back even before the modern blood diamond issues. Things have greatly improved in the last twenty years, but the Kimberly Process (the means by which dealers certify their diamonds are non-conflict) is so flawed by corruption within diamond producing nations that human rights groups claim there's no way of estimating what percentage of "conflict-free" diamonds are still blood diamonds. Some groups say it's pretty high, but even if the number is low, that's still people dying over diamonds. Besides which, diamonds are kept artificially valuable far beyond their actual rarity through means of market manipulation, so theoretically, even the purchase of legitimately conflict-free diamonds still contributes to the existence of a blood diamond market, especially through the increased sales of uncertified diamonds over the internet. Sucks, right? It's a lot like the way that the popularity of artificial and antique furs still perpetuates a smaller, but nonetheless real and thriving fur trade, only with human lives instead of baby seals and farmed minks.