Band Together

"how much, did you say?" i asked.
the gentleman on the other side of the counter repeated himself "$3400."
i looked at N. N looked at me. and we said we would have to think about it and come back.

it was a glorious ring. spectacular even. a single set band with small diamonds circling the entire ring. it glimmered in the bright light. it sparkled. it was brilliant, just as a wedding band should be.

but as much as i loved it, there is no way that either N or i could justify that kind of price tag. so we moved on. away from the well polished counter tops with glimmering diamond jewelry cased within it, away from the plush carpet and the over-eager but understanding salesmen who knows that newlyweds can not always afford the biggest and the best.

so we walked across the mall to Helzberg diamonds. we asked to see a single set band. she pulled one out, the only one, of the case that had small handprints on it from the children who were running around my feet. i placed it next to my engagment ring. it already looked tarnished. how could a brand new ring already look tarnished? it didn't sparkle in the light. the diamonds looked like they had been placed by a clumsy hand. the price tag was right, but everything else about the ring was completely wrong.

N took my hand and said thank you to the lady and something about how we would have to think about it. my heart sank. would we ever find the perfect bands? ones that were beautiful and brilliant and executed with perfection but did not break our bank account?

i know it's not about the rings. the diamonds. the quality of gold. i know it's about fusing our lives together in one perfect circle. one where we wake up next to each other in the morning and join together again in the evening. i know it's about fights and laughter and coming full circle. i know it's about banding together in the best and worst.

in essence, it's about creating an unending cycle of love, not the ring that signifies it.