My birthstone is a diamond. And I like diamonds a lot, but I don't feel like they're very *me*, really. I can't see running to the grocery store in my jeans and sneakers and a big sparkly thing on my finger, when I generally wear silver and turquoise.

This conversation made me remember this Family Guy clip that may be one of the best encapsulations of the current jewelery-industrial complex I've seen. [link]

I love opals.

I like any black stone too--onyx, anthracite, jet.

Me too. I like all the sparklies - including fakes, but there is something about black stones that really draws me in.

Diamonds are sparkly and hard but pretty much not worth the cost.

They just issued a blizzard warning. Fuck.

And my windshield has a very long, horizontal crack in it. I watched it creep across my field of view while driving home this afternoon.

I like opals, too, and I coveted my mother's small aquamarine ring when I was a kid.

I also wanted a coral ring like Amy got in Little Women.

Diamonds are oooh shiny pretty and mesmerizing, but I like the color.

ita, I am also a garnet freak! I dunno why, rubies just don't ping the same way; just love that deep, deep red.

Hmm, lessee -- favorite gemstone-type rock things: emerald, garnet, amber, moonstones, watermelon tourmaline

smonster, I love, love, love the hammered look on that ring. I adore and admire (and would not toss out of the window if given!) the whole ArtDeco square-cut set in platinum vintage diamond stunners, but it would looked so comical on my hand! I love the organic, hand-crafted feel of that ring and the emerald I linked to earlier. I also like the look of raw gemstones.

Well, I'm hitting the road now--wish me luck for my five mile drive home! If all goes well, it'll probably take about 30-45 minutes.

Ooh, aquamarines are also lovely. My friend worked at a cintage jewelery store when I was in grad school, and she would let me try on some pretty high-ticket items, among which was a really stunning square aquamarine from the 30's in a...you guessed it -- platinum art-deco setting. I know carats from coronaries, but the thing was easily 3X3 inches.

It was goooorrrrgeous. But not as mesmerizing as the really, really large emerald in pretty much the same setting that she also let me try on. It was really, really amazing. Beautiful. And it was expensive -- there were at least 5 numbers in the price, and I was wearing a t-shirt and it was stab-me-in-the-face-I-won't-feel-it beautiful.