antiques to the rescue

A good friend of mine has entered into the realm of wedding proposals, and he will likely be popping the question soon. Unfortunately, this friend of mine does not have the best job, and as such he's not paid very well. So what's a guy to do, if he still wants to impress his soon-to-be (hopefully) fiancee, but he doesn't have the ability to save the traditional three months of income for a classy engagement ring?

Well, I see several possibilities for him. For one, he could try taking on monthly payments, to pay off his purchase in installments. Of course, this is assuming that he can afford the additional payments each month. Instead, I recommended that he check out the antique stores. If your wife-to-be doesn't cringe at the idea of a "used" ring, there are some great deals to be had on stunning and rare designs from centuries past. I was lucky enough to be engaged to a woman who loved the Victorian era, and I purchased a Victorian ring from an antique mall for her. We returned to the same antique dealer several months later for her Victorian wedding dress. The dress was exactly her size, and didn't even require any alteration for it to fit perfectly. It was as if it was meant to be hers. And guess what? We saved a bundle! She continues to receive comments from people who see her ring twelve years later. They find it intriguing and beautiful because it looks nothing like the jewelry you find in shopping malls today.

While some see antiques stores as nothing more than money-pits for bored retirees, I quite enjoy rummaging around dusty furniture and odd knick-knacks. (I just can't stand places that call themselves "antiques stores" when they are actually frilly craft replica stores.) Over the years, we have found many great deals on some very interesting collectibles, including diamond rings, my wife's wedding dress, furniture, unique decorations, formal wear and other clothing, and even vintage toys. Some days I wonder if I should just start buying and selling antiques since they are in such high demand and I am interested in them anyways.