When I was 14, my  first boyfriend gave me a pink plastic ring. I still have it. Women love jewelry. A ring, a necklace, a bracelet, or earrings, it doesn’t have to be big and sparkly (thought that is nice), and it doesn’t have to be expensive, but when you want us to know you mean it, give jewelry.

Once I received a knife as a gift. That fancy German carving knife may have doubled as a crystal ball because it told my  future, though I couldn’t decipher the message at the time. He selected the knife because it liked it. He wanted it. Very little in our relationship, (as I came to realize later) was about me, and if I had admitted that to myself at the time, I wouldn’t have been so surprised when he stabbed me in the heart a few month later. 

A word of caution: Jewelry is not meant for peacemaking. If you messed up, don’t link that mistake to a permanent object. She may say she forgives and forgets, but with a sparkler always there to remind her of the bad stuff, you may one day need to duck as it flies at your head. Flowers say I’m sorry just as well, and when they die, they end up in the trash along with the negative memory.

Jewelry is for celebration and for deep heartfelt emotions (think engagement ring/wedding band). Jewelry is personal and intimate. We wear it against our skin, and each piece offers the opportunity to tell a story. Then, both the story and the sparkle can be passed on. Our jewelry will be part of the legacy left behind after we have gone.

When you want us to know you mean it, and you want the memory, the emotion, and the sentiment to last, give jewelry.