Hello there, lovies of The Good Life! I’m so excited to be guest posting for Stasha. I blog over at Snap, Crackle, Pop, where it started with pop culture and became Etsy- and jewelry-focused when I opened my shop, Jac & Elsie.

I don’t much believe in destiny, but it was pretty clear I started to make choices that shouted “I LOVE JEWELRY!!!” when I was 8 or 9. It’s funny how our eventual adult personalities can be hinted at when we’re so very young, isn’t it?

When I was in second grade, I saw that my friends were all sporting birthstone rings — tiny, slim gold bands with little chips of emerald, ruby or sapphire. Well, I wanted one, too! So I marched home and asked my mom for one.

“But, honey,” she told me, “Mommies don’t buy little girls diamonds. Men buy them for women when they’re all grown up.”

You see, I’m an April baby, blessed (and cursed, apparently) with having a diamond birthstone. Sure, it’s nice, but you’ll never find a birthstone ring for a kid with an actual diamond in it. That’s just glass, darlin’.

After that conversation with my mom, I remember my thought-process very clearly, and it was the second grade version of, “Awwwww, shit no, I ain’t waiting for no guy to buy me a diamond ring.”

When I was in junior high or high school, that De Beers Jewellery right-hand ring campaign started, which made statements like, “Your left hand says we. Your right hand says me. Your left hand rocks the cradle. Your right hand rules the world. Women of the world, raise your right hand!”

I adored the ads, and it cemented what I already knew: One day, I’d buy myself a diamond ring.

When I got to college, I told myself I’d get one after graduation, and I did. Granted, it wasn’t until a few years after graduation because if I’m spending more than $40 on something, I think on it for a loooong time. I wanted to make sure I loved this baby for years to come.

My right hand ring is simple. It’s totally not blingy, and it’s perfect for everyday wear, which was the point: I wanted to wear this thing all the time, even in jeans and a T-shirt. I didn’t want some huge pronged thing that was going to catch on clothing. I wanted simple, and I wanted diamonds.

And I wanted to buy it all by myself.

Why not visit my guest post too? I tell an epic story on how Stasha B Photography came about. Click HERE.