She is his uncharted sky. She is his sunrise. She is his nearest star. The Lady is for him the one burning island in the sea of earth’s blackened, empty, night. There are many reasons why a Gentleman will buy a diamond for a Lady. True love is, perhaps, the most sacred of them.
Perhaps true love is what happens when the Gentleman and Lady are in some faraway land, where gentlemen in white suits drive sports cars with their roofs down along an open seaside road. Sunlight sparkles off of the azure coloured water, like so many diamonds. If you are lucky, you catch a glimpse of the couple as they pass under the bridge where you stand admiring the view of the sea. The Gentleman and the Lady whisk underneath you in the two-seater red sports car. There is room for no one else in this love affair. They wave at you, as they pass underneath, care free. The love of his life is seated beside him, who, laughing, wearing a white dress and dark sunglasses, fondles affectionately the diamond necklace catching the afternoon sun around her neck, her red kerchief trailing in the wind behind her. You cannot help but notice their happiness.
You wonder whether you will ever see them again. It would have to be in a place such as Monaco or Casa Blanca or Madrid. It would be, perhaps, in the evening, in a wood panelled restaurant, tables cool to the touch, fans turning slowly overhead, a welcome relief from the heat of the day. You might notice the Lady’s diamond neckless reflected in the brass railing of the bar. He is dressed in his white dinner jacket and black pants. She is dressed in her black evening gown, the diamond neckless set off by the curve of her neckline. Seated at a table beside her, he leans into her slightly and whispers into her ear. She smiles. You can see the wonder in her eyes. She knows that this is the day when he will ask her a question as old as love itself. She watches him slip his hand into the interior pocket of his dinner jacket and retrieve a small red velvet box. He shows her the box, smiling, without a word, and then opens it to reveal a solitary diamond engagement ring. Her hands go to her face with an unfeigned surprise and delight, graced with humility. She loves him but asks for nothing. Everyone in the room seems to know what he is about to say. Everyone seems to know how she is about to reply.
Or perhaps the moment of declaring an eternal love is found when they retreat deep into a pastoral landscape. They arrive by a two-horse pulled sleigh. The bells announce their passing. They arrive to the peace of the countryside. A few of the neighbours wave as they pass. The clouds of the breath of the horses hanging in the air. The evening sun is sinking slowly; long shadows falling across the snow. Fire wood is piled neatly outside the door of the farmhouse. The air is chill, but he feels the warmth of anticipation of what he is about to ask. Standing at the door they pause to look at each other. Pristine snow falls silently. Snowflakes have decorated her dark brown hair, and somehow, she is more beautiful still. He will remember this moment forever. They open the door to a welcoming fire. The only sound is the gentle hiss of the fireplace. He has planned this moment for a long time. The diamond ring is securely in the interior pocket of his dark blue tweed jacket. The cold air focusses his mind. She is radiant, cheeks red with the coldness of the air, white snowflakes punctuate her red sweater. She stands in front of the fire, placing her arms around him, her eyes bright with the firelight, waiting for their future to begin.
Love is, assuredly, as unique as are the individuals who profess it. Each Gentleman and Lady believe their love to be both rare and eternal. And perhaps that is what makes the diamond such a perfect symbol of love. The rarity and eternity of the diamond perfectly reflects the rarity and eternity of true love.
Perhaps true love means not only the Gentleman’s standing in the rain, but also his confidence that the Lady would understand it.
Perhaps true love requires more, however. Perhaps more than red sports cars or horse drawn sleighs, true love means that the Gentleman would travel great distances to be near his Lady. Perhaps it means that he would walk a long way in the pouring rain to stand underneath her window, hoping to catch a glimpse of her, hoping that she comes to the window to find him waiting for her. Or, thinking that she will either find him a true romantic, or a fool, the Gentleman worries whether to give his presence away. Perhaps true love means not only the Gentleman’s standing in the rain, but also his confidence that the Lady would understand it. Romeo’s Juliet would realize instantly that he is deeply in love with her. Rosaline would find him absurd.
We don’t often speak much of Rosaline. It is even hard, really, to remember her name from the play. Yet she was the young lady whom Romeo felt that he was in love with before he ever laid eyes upon Juliet. There may have never had been a “Romeo and Juliet,” had Romeo dallied with Rosaline. It was, if you recall, Friar Laurence who aided Romeo to clear his head and understand the difference between the true flame of love and the smouldering embers of youthful desire.
Whatever true love means, we need remember that diamonds have come to symbolize love for a long time because diamonds share its qualities of purity, permanence, rarity and beauty.
Whatever true love means, we need remember that diamonds have come to symbolize love for a long time because diamonds share its qualities of purity, permanence, rarity and beauty. It was, after all, Romeo himself who drew the comparison between Juliet and the stone:
“It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night
Like a rich jewel in an Ethiop’s ear” [Act I, Scene V]
It is not an easy affair this business of love. There are complexities, there are hesitations and uncertainties. These exist, it could be argued, in even the very best of relationships. One could ask, for example, whether the stone somehow reflects a doubt within the Gentleman’s heart? Is she truly his Juliet, or is she really Rosaline wearing a mask? In many ways the purchase of the ring is an exercise in evaluating how the Gentleman really feels.
In some important ways one might even suggest a correspondence between the stone and the relationship. The young lady, and even all of their friends and family, have an expectation of what this relationship truly is, and look to find their expectations reflected in the choice of diamond. We could argue that all of this serves to explain why everyone gathers round to see the diamond when they are informed of an engagement. They are not just looking at the diamond, in this view, but they are looking to get a glimpse, a reflection, an understanding, of the relationship itself. The diamond is in a sense the reification of the relationship. It is the material ambassador of the relationship to the world.
At Ethica diamonds, we know not only our ethically sourced diamonds, but we also know a thing or two about the complexities of the process of choosing the perfect diamond. We understand that love is, at times, a complicated thing. We know that gentlemen have, at times, a need of a hearing ear. It is an important purchase not only because of the financial investment, but also because of what the diamond represents in terms of the relationship itself.
We are here to listen, in the spirit of Friar Laurence.
Red Scarf Equestrian is pleased to announce their representation of Ethica Diamonds in Canada. Ours is a relationship based upon a mutual love of things beautiful, ethical and true.
