Hmmmm...Terry maybe that is why the wifey left! She wanted frequent baubles and you wanted estate pieces every 12 years or so! Yes, "investments" make more sense, but women don't always make sense, now do we? We want strong, stable, and logical men when it comes to buying houses, cars, stocks and bonds. We want men that act more like silly, giddy, infatuated teenagers where WE are concerned!!! [smiley=love_7.gif]
I actually understand Jerry's post and MrsWeCVO's both perfectly! And anyone who knows me knows I was pulling the Dawg's leg...wait let me rephrase that before UK Dave gets a hold of it...I was teasing the Dawg! It's not the size of the diamond or the amount of money that is spent, it is the thought and the effort put into the purchase that makes it sentimental!!! That's why the Cherry with a Parrothead tag means more to her than all the diamonds in the world!
Some people think engagement rings seem vain, but having a dad that did exactly what Jerry did and bought my mom a very high quality engagement ring and matching band IN PLATINUM when he didn't have that much money makes it even more special to her. She is a jewelry fanatic so his has bought her baubles along the way too. They've been married 40+ years. He also knew when to buy her "things" instead of jewelry like a bigscreen TV, a new truck, a cruise, etc. The whole thing is figuring out what the person wants at that point in their life and filling that need.
Engagement rings aren't meant to be "practical." They are meant to say, "D@mn, this guy sure went to a lot of trouble to buy this. Wow! I must be special!" And when there's a story to it like Jerry's or Dad's or the Dawg's, it just makes the ring more valuable -- literally and figuratively!
But then again....HARLEYS are not necessarily practical either! If we wanted practical, we'd go buy a jap bike that is half the price and more reliable!

Kind of like us buying the best of the best "custom vehicle" from the MoCo and then we spend more $$$$$ to customize it!!!