My Sparkly

Oh Tacori.

The day after Emerson flushed my wedding ring down the toilet, I took a "mommy-moment" trip to the mall to walk around and dream. It was therapeutic to mosey through Bailey Banks and Biddle hunching over the bridal displays, still a little in shock, but conscious enough to understand how completely unlikely it was that there would be a ring in the near future.

With that in mind, I picked out the most beautiful, sparkly ring I could find and asked if I could just feel it on my finger. It happened to be a Tacori ring, a brand synonymous with craftsmanship, precision, and detail that is a work of art all by itself. It took my breath away. It caught the light from across the room. Up close, the detail was indescribable, and when I held it out at arms length, like an abstract painting, took on a different, yet unbelievably beautiful form. I stared at it for a while, gasped over it's enormous price tag, and then handed it back, satisfied to keep it's memory in the "maybe someday" category.

Someday, after we've replaced all the pipes under the house.
Someday, after we finally replace our miraculously-still-working-dinosaur-of-an-air-conditioner.
Someday, after we've moved.
Someday, after missions, and weddings.
Someday, after saving, saving and more saving.

Fast forward a few months. Once again, having escaped for another "mommy-moment", I wandered the mall, making a mental list of all the Christmas presents I still needed. As I passed Bailey Banks and Biddle I saw a going out of business sign. Everything was 50-70% off.
I wandered in, wondering if there was any pearls affordable enough for Christmas gifts. I made the mistake of assuming the bridal jewelry would not have been marked down, or sold to another store.

They would never mark down a Tacori.

As I glanced around the store, and got closer to the pearls, I noticed that the bridal case was still full. There was a sign above one of the cases that said 70% off. I figured I could... you know... just out of curiosity... check the prices of what was left. "Do I know of anyone getting engaged soon?" Hmmm...

And then I saw it. My Tacori. 70% off. I asked the girl if it was true.

"I've never seen that brand on sale!" I said, when she confirmed it was.

"...and you never will." she replied simply.

Touche.

Ever the masochist, I asked to try it on one more time. Then I removed the sparkly and gave it back. It killed me to walk out, and it killed me all the way home as I thought of all the reasons why I shouldn't even think twice about it. But her words echoed in my head...

"...and you never will."

My sweet husband told me to go back and get it, but the reality is that even the 70% off price would buy an air conditioner.

So, after much positive thinking, I've managed to move on. Someday, when I'm old and wrinkly, maybe I'll buy myself a sparkly Tacori. Until then, I am staying away from jewelers, and trying to keep priorities on a 3x5 card in my wallet.