Diamonds are forever

you are welcome 1

If you do have opal jewellery never use a jewellery cleaner on it as this will damage the stone. Same with peals! Thanks for the Nonu. Tasted great x

J52 , thanks for that info. I had heard that were supposed to unlucky unless October born , which I am.
Thinking about it though it makes sense what you say about them being porous !
for U

Opals were considered unlucky because they are very porous stones. If they often get wet the lustre will crust and the opal will split. If given as engagement rings and worn daily this could happen, casting a slur on the relationship!
I am a real magpie and love all jewellery and enjoy collecting interesting pieces from all eras. Fortunately, with two DGDs I have someone to pass it all on to. X

Good for you Caz, enjoy. I always understood opals were not unlucky if they were your birthstone or if they were given as a gift. For our 40th anniversary we went to Birmingham (jewelry or gold quarter not sure what it is called) and OH bought me a twisted ring with two rubies and a few small diamonds. This is my favourite ring as it is perfect for my introverted extroverted personality - not too expensive but VERY showy!

When I got engaged to my first husband, we bought a small second hand diamond solitaire ring which I loved. During our marriage, I lost the stone, and later my husband had it replaced as a surprise for me on an anniversary. After our divorce I went to sell the ring and was told by the jeweller that it was not a diamond, only an imitation! My husband always was a tight "B!!" I have a 25 year insurance policy due to mature next week end and I intend to buy the biggest, most glorious solitaire diamond ring that I can. I have waited a long time for this. Diamonds. I love them.

chris that is great , you have beaten me by a year!

I have to smile at the comments about opals being unlucky. In 1968 I chose a 3 stone opal and diamond second hand engagement ring. It wasn't expensive but very pretty. I have been married now for 44 years and consider that I have been extremely lucky in my life so they certainly haven't been unlucky for me (and, they're not even my birthstone, which Nonu said was OK).

My mother has so many diamond and sapphire rings (my beloved step father indulged her) that I once felt that the only appropriate birthday or Christmas present was to pay for her was to have extra fingers grafted on.

The very first diamond I ever had was a small one in the middle of a gold oval on a necklace, I was 16, it was from Collingwoods and a present from my step father. I still have it, although the chain does need mending. It used to sit exactly in that "salt cellar?" bit of ones throat.

I have my granny's engagement ring, dated May 1904. It's a row of five small diamonds, very sparkly in the right light.

We got engaged in the 60s too. I had a ring with 6 modest diamonds around a modest centre. A friend got engaged a short time later, and sported one identical to mine but about half as big again. Ho hum.

No diamonds in this house! I've never had one, or never wanted one, I don't see the point. I thought I had one when we got engaged in the '60s (we were very hard up but I loved my little ring). I showed a friend, who had just got engaged herself and had a huge diamond ring. She said 'oh it's just a diamond chipping'. Story of my life

I refused to have a diamond because of the dreadful conditions of the diamond miners. So - no engagement ring. Wedding ring was my grandmother's. Recycling rules!

1965 we got engaged. No money. Ring is a small sapphire between two minute diamonds. DH did buy me a second hand solitaire much later and complete diamond eternity. I bought myself another solitaire and gave the other to dd. DGD when she comes always says the white ring is pretty. But the Art Deco diamond and sapphire ring I inherited from my mother is very pretty

I love diamonds! If I was rich I'd be bedecked! But I'm not, so have an engagement ring, an eternity ring and a pair of earrings. Hey ho!

Lord knows, phoenix, I told you I had a mother too!

In her will it says it is in memory of their deep friendship. In giving it to her she misses out her daughter [me], 2 daughters in law, 4 granddaughters, 1 granddaughter-in-law [sort of] and 4 great grand daughters.

It might have something to do with the diamond ring that my great aunt left me [when I was 15] which she thought should have been hers but it was hardly my fault. May be my great aunt saw how she treated me!

My engagement ring is from the Art Deco period. The emerald and three diamonds are set in platinum it's very unusual and I love it. It was second hand in 1972, no purchase tax on pre used jewellery in those days so a great bargain. OH put a deposit on it and paid £5 weekly. One pay day he went to the jewellers as usual with the weeks payment and they told him he could take it as long as he promised to continue the payments. Unbelievable now trust like that just doesn't exist. Later on he bought me an opal dress ring from the same shop (not my birthstone). I gave this to my DGD on the day of her birth October 2008.

I have never been a fan of solitaire diamond rings.

My diamonds certainly weren't 'forever'. My exH couldn't get them off me quick enough when I told him I was divorcing him.
They were all birthday/Christmas presents

However, he forgot about one emerald and diamond ring and my Cartier watch and another gold cocktail watch!

Kitty opals are unlucky only if they are not your birthstone- October .
They are mine as I am October born !
Incidentally I think diamonds are absolutely gorgeous , the way they twinkle and sparkle , I do not think it is a coincidence that rich people pick them.
Lets face it , the queen has a hefty collection and wears them as much as is possible !

kitty I must ask, WHY ?????

I love diamonds. My engagement ring is one largish diamond with 8 smaller ones around it making a flower shape and, when it's clean, the diamonds sparkle.

I have three other diamond rings - one was left to me by MiL and was her engagement ring, which is quite a big diamond with 3 graduated sapphires on either side. My great aunt left me a victorian claw set ring with 3 quite big diamonds. As I don't like eternity rings or rubies, DH had a lovely solitaire ring designed for our 40th wedding anniversary and I wear that all the time on my right hand - that also sparkles when it's clean.

I also love opals and my mother had a beautiful, antique, opal and diamond engagement ring which had been my granny's. Mum sold it because it brought bad luck . She bought a diamond solitaire in its place but [stop me if you've heard this before!!] she is leaving it to my brother's ex-fiance from 30 years ago . Bitter - moi, never!

I have never understood the attraction of diamonds on their own. their place is to enhance the setting of beautifully coloured gems.

Had we had all the money in the world my engagement ring would have been a big beautiful emerald in a diamond setting. As we didn't, it is a Victorian ring, bought in an antique shop, three large sapphires each separated by two small diamonds.

I worked near Hatton Gardens and I do remember that all the jewellers windows were full of engagements rings with one solitaire diamond, so small you needed a magnifying glass to see it. They didn't compare with my antique three big sapphires, but cost exactly the same.

Well, thank you very much!

I now have an earworm!