Choosing the Perfect Ring

The wedding rings and engagement rings you choose will be one of the most enduring pieces of your wedding day. Your ring is not only a important element of becoming married, but its also a longlasting symbol of your love and commitment. Therefore, you'll want to choose rings that are timeless and high quality. Ultimately, you'll also want to be an educated consumer who knows what you're getting for your dollar.




Style:


Follow your instincts with the look and design of your ring, while asking yourself if it will be a design you'll be comfortable wearing every day for the rest of your life. The traditional plain gold band will be in style for years to come. If that's too plain for you, consider a beaded edge or an engraved style. For a slighty flashier look, what about a ring of channel-set diamonds? Ultimately, choose a ring that you feel is expressive of your style and personality. I've heard of a couple that chose to have rings custom-made that resembled bicycle gears, reflecting their mutual love of bike-riding. There's really no wrong answer as to what style of ring you should choose.




Gold, Silver or Platinum?


Many couples choose the metal for their bands by matching it to their engagement ring. However, don't feel bound to this. A bride can choose to wear her engagement ring on her right hand, and wedding ring on the left. Also, each of you can wear a similar style in different metals. Consider which metals each of you wear regularly - is most of her jewelry silver? Is his watch gold?




Primary ring metal choices include:

• Yellow gold:
  
  
  the most traditional of ring metals; for many gold is a symbol of the warmth and love of a marriage. Look at the mark inside the band to see what quality the gold is - usually 14k, 18k, or 24k. While 24k is the most pure, it is also the softest. If you work with your hands, you may want to choose 14k or 18k to prevent scratches.
  
  


• White Gold:
  
  
  A hot trend because it coordinates with both silver and platinum jewelry, yet is cheaper than platinum.
  
  


• Platinum:
  
  
  This very stylish metal is also the hardest metal, making it for many a symbol of enduring love. Also, because its not mixed with the lesser metals that gold rings are, platinum is safe for those with alloys. However, you'll pay more for platinum than for gold.

Precious Gems


When considering precious gems for a ring, remember that you will likely wear this ring every day for the rest of your life. Therefore, while softer stones can be beautiful, they aren't the best choices for an engagement or wedding ring. The Mohs scale registers a stone's ability to resist abrasion; 10 (diamonds) is the strongest and 1 (talc) is the weakest. Anything less than a Mohs scale 7 is not recommended for an engagement ring. If you are a person who does a lot of activity with their hands (how long does a manicure last on you?) then I would advise limiting your selection to rubies, sapphires and diamonds.




To help you out, here's a list of common stones, and their hardness level:


Diamonds 10


Rubies 9


Sapphire 9


Emerald 8


Topaz 8


Aquamarine 7.5 to 8


Amethyst 7


Garnet 6.5 to 7.5


Opal 6




You should also know that a general rule of thumb is the darker the color, the more expensive the stone.

Give Love Wings

There was once a lonely girl who longed so much for love. One day while she was walking in the woods she found two starving songbirds. She took them home and put them in a small cage. She cared them with love and the birds grew strong. Every morning they greeted her with a wonderful song. The girl felt great love for the birds.


　　


　　One day the girl left the door of the cage open. The larger and stronger of the two birds flew from the cage. The girl was so frightened that he would fly away. As he flew close，she grasped him wildly. Her heart felt glad at her success in capturing him. Suddenly she felt the bird go limp. She opened her hand and stared in horror at the dead bird. Her desperate love had killed him.


　　


　　She noticed the other bird moving back and forth on the edge of the cage. She could feel his great need for freedom. He needed to soar into the clear，blue sky. She lifted him from the cage and tossed him softly into the air. The bird circled once， twice，three times.


　　


　　The girl watched delightedly at the bird's enjoyment. Her heart was no longer concerned with her loss. She wanted the bird to be happy. Suddenly the bird flew closer and landed softly on her shoulder. It sang the sweetest melody that she had ever heard.


　　


　　The fastest way to lose love is to hold on it too tight ；the best way to keep love is to give it wings!

Tell Mommy You Love Her

John had been on the road visiting clients for more than three weeks. He couldn't wait to get back to Ohio to see his wife and children. It was coming up on Mother's Day, and he usually tried to make it "back home", but this year he was just too tired. He was in a small town just outside of Little Rock when he drove by a flower shop. He said to himself, "I know what I will do; I'll send Mom some roses."

He went into the small shop and saw a young man talking to the clerk. "How many roses can I get for six dollars, ma'am?" the boy asked. The clerk was trying to explain that roses were expensive. Maybe the young man would be happy with carnations1.

"No. I have to have roses," he said. "My Mom was sick so much last year and I didn't get to spend much time with her. I want to get something special. It has to be red roses, because that's her favorite." He was emphatic2.

The clerk looked up at John and was just shaking her head. Something inside of John was touched by the boy's voice. He wanted to get those roses so badly. John had been blessed in his business, and he looked at the clerk and silently mouthed that he would pay for the boy's roses.

The clerk looked at the young man and said, "Okay, I will give you a dozen red roses for your six dollars." The young man almost jumped into the air. He took the flowers and ran from the store. It was worth the extra thirty-five dollars just to see that kind of excitement.

John ordered his own flowers and had the clerk be sure that delivery would include a note telling his mother how much he loved her. As he drove away from the shop, he was feeling very good. He caught a light about two blocks3 from the shop. As he waited at the light, he saw the young boy walking down the sidewalk. He watched him cross the street and enter a park through two huge gates. Suddenly, he realized it wasn't a park. It was a cemetery4. He could see the young man turn in there by the gate and walk along the fence.

The light changed, and John slowly crossed the intersection5. He pulled over6 and on an impulse坰7 got out and began to follow the boy down the fence line. John was on the sidewalk, thirty or forty steps behind the boy, who walked inside the cemetery fence. The young man stopped by a small monument and went to his knees. He carefully laid the roses on the grave and began to sob. John felt like an intruder8 but he couldn't leave. He stared at the little boy's heaving9 body and listened to his muted10 crying.

As he cried, he heard the young man speak, "Mommy, oh Mommy, why didn't I tell you how much I love you? Why didn't I tell you one more time? Jesus, please, find my Mommy. Tell my Mommy I love her."

John turned, tears in his eyes, and walked back to his car. He drove quickly to the florist11 and told her he would take the flowers personally. He wanted to be sure and tell his mother one more time just how much he loved her.

Do not wait...

Don't wait for a smile to be nice...　　　　


　　　　　　


Don't wait to be loved, to love.




　　　　　　


Don't wait to be lonely, to recognize the value of a friend.




　　　　　　　　　　


Don't wait for the best job, to begin to work.　　　


　　　　　　


Don't wait to have a lot, to share a bit.　　　


　　　　　　


Don't wait for the fall, to remember the advice.




　　　　　　　　　　


Don't wait for pain, to believe in prayer.　


　　　　　　


Don't wait to have time, to be able to serve.　　　　


　　　　　　


Don't wait for anybody else pain, to ask for apologies...　


　　　　　　　　　


... neither separation to make it up.




　　　　


Don't wait...


Because you don't know how long it will take.

Remember: Friendship is like wine, it gets better as it grows older.。

Love and Time

Once upon a time, there was an island where all the feelings lived: Happiness, Sadness, Knowledge, and all of the others, including Love. One day it was announced to the feelings that the island would sink, so all constructed boats and left. Except for Love.Love was the only one who stayed. Love wanted to hold out until the last possible moment.When the island had almost sunk, Love decided to ask for help.Richness was passing by Love in a grand boat. Love said,"Richness, can you take me with you?"Richness answered, "No, I can't. There is a lot of gold and silver in my boat. There is no place here for you."Love decided to ask Vanity who was also passing by in a beautiful vessel. "Vanity, please help me!""I can't help you, Love. You are all wet and might damage my boat," Vanity answered.Sadness was close by so Love asked, "Sadness, let me go with you.""Oh . . . Love, I am so sad that I need to be by myself!"Happiness passed by Love, too, but she was so happy that she did not even hear when Love called her. Suddenly, there was a voice, "Come, Love, I will take you." It was an elder. So blessed and overjoyed, Love even forgot to ask the elder where they were going. When they arrived at dry land, the elder went her own way. Realizing how much was owed the elder, Love asked Knowledge, another elder, "Who Helped me?""It was Time," Knowledge answered."Time?" asked Love. "But why did Time help me?"Knowledge smiled with deep wisdom and answered, "Because only Time is capable of understanding how valuable Love is."