This story originally appeared at American Web Media by Robert Winthrop.
Jewelry store salespeople are familiar with hundreds if not thousands of dollars in purchases from customers. A single piece of jewelry priced in the thousands of dollars can equal a big commission payday for some salespeople. One young couple in love walked into a jewelry store looking for an engagement ring that would suit their needs and budget. Because the couple’s love for each other was more important than a diamond engagement ring worth thousands of dollars, Ariel and her fiancé Quinn McRae didn’t care if the ring they wanted cost only $130.
But when Ariel told the jewelry salesperson this was the ring she wanted, the person behind the counter shot back with rude words that Ariel could only describe as “ring shaming.”
Ariel would not stand for it. She loved Quinn and didn’t care if they could only afford a $130 engagement ring. She knew their love was worth more than that. And that’s what counted.
Ariel responded to the rude salesperson and then shared her story on Facebook.
“My husband doesn’t have a lot, neither of us do. We scrape and scrape to pay bills and put food in our belies, but after almost two years of dating we decided that we couldn’t wait anymore, so we didn’t.
“I wasn’t even thinking about rings, I just wanted to marry my best friend, but he wouldn’t have it. He scraped up just enough money to buy me two matching rings from Pandora. Sterling silver and CZ to be exact. That’s what sits on my ring finger, and I am so in love with them.
“While we were purchasing my rings, however, another lady that was working there came over to help the lady selling them to us. She said: ‘Y’all can you believe that some men get these as engagement rings? How pathetic.’
“When she said that I watched my now husband’s face fall. He already felt bad because he couldn’t afford the pear-shaped set that so obviously had my heart and covered my Pinterest page. He already felt like a failure, asking me again and again, ‘Are you sure you’ll be happy with these? Are you sure this is okay?’
“He was so upset at the idea of not making me happy enough and of me not wanting to marry him because my rings didn’t cost enough money or weren’t flashy enough.”
“Old Ariel would have ripped that woman a new one. Mature Ariel said, ‘It isn’t the ring that matters, it is the love that goes into buying one that does.’ We bought the rings and left…
“My husband was so afraid of me not wanting him because he couldn’t afford a piece of jewelry. He was afraid that the love I have for him would pale because he couldn’t afford the wedding set I wanted. The world has made it this way, and it is so sad.”
Ariel could have exploded at the Pandora saleswoman. Instead, she taught her a lesson about love.
Do you agree that love is more important than the price of the ring?