The tradition of giving a beautiful stone to the female that you want to mate with for the rest of your natural life goes all the way back to the sixth day of creation (In the animal kingdom anyway). I’m referring to penguins. For those that didn’t see the Disney movie, The Pebble and the Penguin, or for those that did but didn’t realize that it is a true phenomenon of the natural world that a boy penguin gives his girl a beautiful stone thus promising a lifetime partnership once she accepts it. Another phenomenon of the natural world that truly exists: Some animals, completely monogamous, mate for life. Along with wolves, geese, and ravens to name a few, the penguin is one of those animals.
Put care and thought into this diamond selection and acquisition. It is representative of the most important lifetime commitment that you will make. You will buy other diamonds. Once you learn what you need to know to make the best selection possible, once you practice by peering into the tiny depths of this transparent piece of crystallized carbon (is it any coincidence that the element that makes this precious stone is also the building block of life; as in carbon based life form?) you will be addicted to the process. You will buy more. Here is the perfect analogy that anyone with them will instantly understand: Tattoos. You may be someone who unlike me and most people that I know, is adverse to marking their skin indelibly for life, and therefore have no tattoos. However, do you know anyone with just one tattoo?
If this is not the first diamond that you have ever purchased, it is still hopefully the first and last diamond engagement ring. Make it special and make it count. With some knowledge and some practice you will quickly get the “feel” for selecting a diamond. Hold one that doesn’t appeal to you and you will instantly say “Nah.” Find one that grabs your attention and you will look at it deeply. You will get to know it, almost personally. Diamonds are so individualistic that they will seem to take on a personality. Tiny pieces of crystallized carbon should have the same reputation for uniqueness as tiny crystallized pieces of water, a.k.a. snowflakes.
Isn’t this mating habit of the penguin fascinating? I thought so when I first heard of it and held one of these special “penguin engagement stones.” Do you know what I thought was most amazing even before I ever made the connection between Penguin bachelors and their human counterparts? The penguin stone was beautiful. It was smooth, had color and a pattern, and was NOT just the first rock it waddled up to. You could tell that this animal put time and thought and care into the selection. No matter what your budget is, and I will get into how to determine that in another article, it is this careful and thoughtful selection process that will give this stone it’s real and quintesential sentimental value. So put your heart into it.
