The Unwanted Christmas Jewellery Gift Conundrum
It is a cliché, the unwanted Christmas gift – the sweater or tie from granny or an auntie whose tastes are lodged solidly in the 1960s. We smile, say how lovely the thing is, wear it at the Christmas dinner table and then make the ugly thing disappear in the back of a wardrobe or chest of drawers.
I half-think that our grannies and aunties know precisely what they’re doing. They’re trolling us, forcing us to wear their bad taste jokes.
That’s OK, that’s Christmas!
But what about the expensive, thoughtfully chosen piece of diamond jewellery that quite clearly was not cheap to buy? The gift from a loved one that makes you throw up a little in your mouth at the expression of his bad taste?
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What can one do about THAT gift? He’s going to expect that you wear the thing, at least some of the time. But you know that it will make you a little bit sad – each and every time you reluctantly pull it from its place at the bottom of your jewellery box. You can’t get away with it. If you don’t wear it, eventually, he will say, ‘darling, why don’t you wear that lovely necklace/ring/bracelet/pair of earrings I gave you last Christmas.’ And you’ll have to plaster on a smile and get the dratted thing out and give it some air!
Of course, usually, the unwanted Christmas jewellery gift is not quite that bad. Most designers make jewellery that is good looking. Still, however pretty it is, it just isn’t right for you for one reason or another. The end result is the same, disappointment for him and for you!
How To Handle The Unwanted Christmas Jewellery Gift?
I am a man; I am the bloke who might give the dreaded hated jewellery gift. So, what do I know?
I did what any sensible man does. I researched the problem. After all, at All Diamond, we sell a lot of jewellery of the diamond kind over the holiday season. We know that most of it will be gifted to somebody the buyer loves.
I looked at Quora, that essential resource for problem-solving of all kinds. I discovered that the question of the unwanted jewellery gift was quite often asked in one form or another.
The answer that Quora user Riki Jones gave rang some bells.
She pointed out that there are just two ways the recipient can handle the problem:
“Let’s look at your options:
1) Tell your husband that you’re not a fan of your new bracelet.
2) Suck it up and pretend you love it.”
She pointed out that the giver would be hurt if he found out that his gift was unloved. And she’s right, and I’d be gutted if I felt that I’d given a gift that was not loved and worm with pleasure.
Her recommendation was that women should put on a happy face. This is what she said:
“There is only one real option… suck it up and wear the damn bracelet. Really, what will it hurt? I get it, it’s not your taste - but think about how happy it will make your husband each time he sees you wearing it. :)”
Except…
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I think she’s wrong, and I understand where she’s coming from. But those of us who gift a gift have a responsibility too! We are a part of the process, and we have an obligation to get it right, or at least to provide a way out that gives both of us an even better outcome.
And NO, I am not suggesting that we should just give gift tokens and let our loved ones go wild in the January or New Year sales. I think that’s just lazy.
My Suggestions To Make Sure That Christmas Jewellery Gifts Get a Genuine Smile And Will Be Loved!
I thought about the issue and asked my colleagues what they thought, both men and women. Here’s what we came up with. In my opinion, this beats what Riki came up with; perhaps I should post it as a comment or answer on Quora!
1) Research the hell out of the purchase. I don’t just mean spending ages poring over jewellery retailers’ web pages – but yes, that should be done too. What I mean is that you need to look at what she wears, what she chooses, what she likes. If she drops hints about the jewellery she likes, perhaps she pointed out examples from a TV show or magazine photo – take note! Women know that Christmas is coming. She might not write notes for Santa now she’s all grown up, but she probably has a good idea of what she’d love to see under the Christmas tree, and she might well let you know – somehow!
2) When you give the gift, make it clear that while you’ll be overjoyed if you hit the bullseye the first time, that you are thrilled to shop for an exchange – together! When you say that to her, make sure that you mean it!
of course, not all jewellers will make exchanges, even over the holiday season. We think that’s a bad mistake. Avoid those places. They don’t have your best interests at heart! Many jewellers are more enlightened these days.
Here at All Diamond, we offer a return and exchange period of 30 days for most of the year. We think that’s just good customer service.
We go a step further during the gift-buying season and offer 60 days from when the jewellery is delivered to return and exchange it. When you choose your Christmas jewellery gift, you know that you can exchange the items you buy you can relax. If the item you selected is not perfect, then between you, you can make it so.
There’s no need for you or her to be disappointed; it’s about attitude. If you know going in that you can exchange the item, and she knows that you are OK with the idea, you can have a great Christmas. Whatever you buy will not get hidden under all the jewellery that she loves. Your gift will be at the top because she has exactly what she wanted – and you gave it to her!
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Diamond Jewellery Gifts From All Diamond
When you choose diamond jewellery from our collections, you are choosing British designed and handcrafted jewellery. Along with our return policy, we offer a lifetime workmanship guarantee and even ways to conveniently spread payments. This year we are even running Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales events with sitewide discounts so you can buy your Christmas gifts and save real money.
We want you and your loved ones to have a very merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year. Now you can ensure the New Year is filled with memories accompanied with exactly the right Christmas diamond jewellery gift!
Check out our Christmas Jewellery Gift collections, be inspired!
