A Message for Men on Jewelry Gift Giving - To Surprise or Not Surprise?

Jewelry Gift-Giving Tips for Men-  To Surprise or Not Surprise?

As a personal jeweler I am hired to help select special occasion jewelry.  Equally as often, I am hired to re-set stones from jewelry men have given to their girlfriends/wives - Sight-Un-Seen - AKA The Big Surprise.

Whether you are eight or eighty, there is nothing worse than a disappointing gift – especially an expensive one like fine jewelry. So, how can you to avoid this? Like everything else with relationships – communication is key.

Many of my clients own jewelry that was a gift from a loved one but they never really enjoyed wearing it. I often hear while conducting jewelry box evaluations that women love jewelry and don't want to discourage men from giving them beautiful gifts. But nothing is worse than receiving a costly piece of jewelry from a boyfriend, fiancé, or husband, and thinking "Am I really going to have to wear this?" 

Contrary to the "Hallmark Moment" of surprise, isn't the point of a gift to give something the recipient will love? What a waste for a beautiful piece of jewelry to sit in a box under the guise of "I'll wear it on special occasions" or "I love it but I don't want to lose it". Trust me, regardless of shape and size; if your honey loves her bling she's going to wear it - as often as possible!

If given the opportunity, most women would prefer to select their own jewelry. As an active participant in picking out my own jewels, I can assure you - there are ways you can pick something special together and still get the big OMG and hug plus-plus when the little box gets opened :)

So, 

TIP #1

• Tell your wife/girlfriend that you want her to be apart of the process.
• ask her if there is anything she wants
• suggest she look "around" and send you photos of things she likes 
• direct her to websites that have a "wish list" function.

If you are not prepared to eliminate the surprise all together, here are additional tips to consider the next time you want to buy your special lady a piece of fine jewelry. 

TIP #2

• Meet with a jeweler that you trust - or visit their website - and select a few things within your budget. Gift-wrap an empty jewelry box containing pictures of each piece. Tell her she can fill this box with any one of the items.

TIP #3

• Meet with a jeweler along with you wife/girlfriend - or look at a chosen website together - and ask her to select several things at various price-points. When you’re ready, surprise her with one of the items. Hopefully over time you will buy them all!