Valentine Jewels | How to Indulge in the Harsh Hallmark Holiday
Let's face it—Valentine's Day is the definition of a Hallmark holiday. Here at Tamarind, we believe in celebrating your sweetheart everyday. One day for love ain't enough. But give us any excuse to add to our jewelry box and we're game! We're even willing to look past our pitiful personal Valentines history to indulge in the holidays upsides. While the chocolates are often substandard, the florals cliche (can a girl get something besides candy colored carnations and long stemmed roses?), and the restaurants packed to the gils—jewelry never fails.
The saddest Valentines Day of my existence was saved by a necklace. No joke. It was my first official Valentine's date. The first time I had a boyfriend during the holiday. No more roses from gal pals to keep our girl gang spirits up on the cruelest holiday of teenagehood. I got my own bouquet at school from my boyfriend. My charming high school sweetheart made reservations for a Valentine dinner in Malibu with all the fixings. Fresh Lobster, a heart shaped tart, and a star lit ocean view. Classic romance at its finest. My underage, unexperienced palate was pretty psyched to taste lobster for the first time. My boyfriend got bonus points for the high class locale. It was every gals dream Valentines Day. Before the key lime pie arrived, he gave me a box with a gold triple heart totem necklace dotted with minuscule diamonds inside. It was the nicest gems I owned. My first diamonds ever. I held up my hair as he fastened the clasp around my neck. I rubbed it between my fingers. He saved his lunch money for months to foot the bill, necklace and all. I felt like I was floating toward cloud nine, until my stomach betrayed me. I'm not certain if it was the shellfish or cruel coincidence, but before the bill came, I ran to the restroom. I set up camp in the handicap stale while my body betrayed me, puking the most expensive meal I'd ever consumed into the porcelain throne while my new necklace dangled daintily round my neck. y boyfriend sent strangers in to check on me, to make sure I was alright. And he waited patiently for an hour until I was stable enough to handle the car ride home. I felt super ill and terribly embarrassed, but he took me back to his house and became my bedside nurse without a hint of resentment. That night, that necklace became more than a Valentines gift, it became a simple of how selfless love should be.
Fast forward two years to my first adulthood single Valentines day. Back when I fully embraced the hallmark holiday as "Singles Awareness Day" and wore my independence with pride. Destiny's Child "Independent Woman" was my anthem. They taught me to "buy my own diamonds and buy my own rings"— "cause I depend on me." I splurged on a delicate gold necklace with a white sapphire to show myself some love—cause self love is the key to sanity ladies! I took the night to indulge in some serious self care with a solo screening of The Notebook complete with 75% dark chocolate and tear tinged tissues. Until my underage little brother called me wasted and sick for a safe ride home. Funny how my most memorable Valentines days all involve puke. I picked him up and nursed him back to health. With my Valentines caretaker karma restored, I finished my sappy romcom without shedding a single tear clasping my necklace between my fingers.
More often than not, Valentine's day turns out to be more of a headache than a fairytale. But we're wiling to embrace the chatchskis and crowds and occasional vomit for some shiny new gems. Whether your pro-valentines festivities or anti-hallmark holidays, we can all agree that diamonds—and all jewelry in general—are a girls best friend. Whether you chose to celebrate by hinting to your honey or practicing some serious self-care through self-indulgence—we've got you covered. Peek our top picks for a mid-winter pick me up.
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