Well, the day of maximum commercially sponsored extortion approaches. Wait, that might be Christmas but you know the one, in the middle of February somewhat based on a supposed Catholic saint but today used by companies everywhere to extract cash from the, er, less-fair sex, even in parts and provinces where St. Valentine himself was never heard of.
I’m something of a V-day refusenik but still I understand the hardship that many less resilient members of my sex are made to endure as they are compelled to navigate the head-splitting maze of female-friend friendly gift choices. Fortunately, however, YAMU is here to help.
Now all men, or at least any who have any sense, understand that female friendly gift choices fall into four broad categories. Chocolate (reliable, sometimes inexpensive, and you might enjoy this too ), flowers (choosing these can be a pain, they seem pretty overpriced for random photosynthesis based growth and you can’t even eat tem), soft toys/cutesy things (the line between cute and kitsch is fine to the point of being dangerous), clothes (don’t even think about it, chance of failure just too high).
Now these are your basic gift staples however there is another category one that stands above all the rest and ultimately serves as the most potent in your arsenal of gifts – Gold. Pure, hard, shiny preferably studded with stones and melded into an aesthetically pleasing form. At $1700 an ounce, however, you part with this only to remedy the worst possible grievances and to reap the greatest possible rewards. For most it’s not really a viable Valentine’s Day gift choice but there is an oft-overlooked substitute – silver.
It’s not as cheap as it used to be but it’s a damn sight more reasonable than gold and you see, or at least I have come to see, women really aren’t as discerning as they are made out to be. If it’s shiny, stone-studded, precious looking and comes in a nice box the chances are they’ll be thrilled.
To smooth out difficult moments in a relationship, a deal clincher at certain crucial points, the perfect end to a Valentine’s repast – silver is an excellent choice. As an added advantage this country has a rather ancient and excellent tradition of silver-work and Colombo is well endowed with silver-smiths. If you’re looking for something more traditional and intricate at a reasonable price head directly to Hewage’s but if you want something more modern, has been saving my relationships since I was 16. For redemption, salvation and even those moments when you just want to show someone how much you care their simple, modern, inexpensive but high-quality (ie. it lasts) jewelery is a great choice.
There’s a wide selection of chains from about Rs. 4000, earings set with moonstones from Rs. 1500, anklets for Rs. 2000, and a host of pendants embedded with semi-precious stones. There are sleek contemporary hearts and crescent moons as well as modern takes on more ornate Kandyan jewelery. Even if you’re intimidated by all the choice and have been burned by previous’oh it doesn’t suit me’ incidents, remember that if it’s shiny and got stones, it’s reasonably likely to be a hit
In all seriousness, silver is a great gift. It will last. While flowers and chocolates are more standard, in this bhudistic land these things convey transcience more than anything else. Stones and metal however are more enduring – a fact that most women are likely to appreciate. Also, of course, jewelery is a very ancient part this culture – Lanka had always been a land of stone- so if you must give in to the pressures of some absurd and dubious cooked up ‘celebration’ at least go with a traditional gift.
Images taken from the Ridhi Facebook page.
