Birthday Presents

  Yesterday someone asked me what my favourite or most memorable birthday present was. I was stumped. I honestly couldn't remember any. I know I got some, but I just couldn't think of one. I can remember the nutcracker that I got for Christmas one year. (We did the Nutcracker Suite in orchestra that year.) I remember the blender that an ex-boyfriend gave me for Valentine's Day. (I still have it.) I remember some of the things that we got as wedding presents. I just couldn't think of any birthday presents aside of the ones I was given last year. (A lovely collection of scented soaps and a book on how to crochet along with a brand-new crochet hook.)
  I thought about it the rest of the day. Then I remembered another custom from my days as a single woman. Since I spent most of my birthdays alone, I would buy myself a birthday present. Now it was starting to come back to me.
  At that time in my life I liked jewelry.(I still do.) I'm fond of semiprecious stones in interesting cuts or unusual settings. One of the things I would do on my birthday is go to a jewelry store and look at the rings. If I found one that caught my eye, I would buy it as my birthday present to myself.
  I have them sitting in front of me now. There are six of them. The two more ornate ones are the ones that are precious stones. One is a ruby flanked by four tiny diamonds. The setting has a filigree look to it. If I had my way I would have removed the diamonds. I don't like diamonds, but for some reason jewelers seem to like to put them in with other stones as an accent. The other one is an ice sapphire. It's called that because it is a light blue. This ring is actually part of a wedding set. The jewelry store was having trouble selling it as a wedding set though because the engagement ring part of the set really can't be worn alone. I love the ornate style of the rings. They looked antique. I got the set in white gold and the ice sapphire looked at home in that setting.
  Most of the rings are more simple. The blue topaz is the simplest. It's an oval stone with two wide bands on either side of the stone to hold it in. The band has two white gold accents. I have an alexandrite, a stone I love because it changes colour in different kinds of light. The ring I have is a triangle cut. The band has a couple of diamond chips in it and a little wave pattern in the band to accent the stone. I have a tanzanite ring. Tanzanite is a lavender coloured stone. The ring I have has four small stones set in a plain gold band. It's a very striking ring. The last of the rings is a an opal. The opal is cut in a heart shape. I normally don't buy things that are heart shaped. It just seems a little...well....too girly for me. The band has two tiny diamond chips in it and the band has two has heart outlines to the left of the stone to accent the stone. It is a white opal with what looks like flecks of pink and green in it.
  A few years ago I found a lovely tanzanite necklace made by the same jeweler who made my wedding ring. I couldn't resist. She is such a talented artist. Once I bought it I realized that it does look a little like a cross. I was nervous about wearing it because of that. It could also be seen as a flower with four petals. That's the way I chose to see it.
  These days I don't really need or want anything for my birthday. (except cake, I must have cake.) I'm finding more pleasure in spending time with people I care about and who care about me. If they are able to spend a little of their time with me, that is the best present of all.