We see only what we see and what we are made to see. For the longest time, diamond was synonymous with feminine beauty, glamor and elegance. Massive marketing efforts are driven towards making her pick one and coax him to buy. Yes, the brilliant sparkle of this pricey crystal is like a hundred ballerinas dancing gracefully under a dazzling light show. Yes, the gem that is cut and polished to precision by devoted artisans radiates with delicate finesse and sensitive flair. But there is more than what meets the eyes.

Beyond the blinding luster is an element of nature that is proclaimed as the hardest stone on earth. The crystal did not come about with care and attention but with the force and pressure of the earth from all directions. Like the phoenix, the most coveted jewel exists today because it had survived the worst of the earth.

Diamonds actually have more things in common with men than with women. It would in fact make a compelling symbol of masculine charm. The stone that sits on top of the scratch-and-cut chain exudes with natural confidence, sincerity, dependability and stability – the very attributes that make a man. Just like the equally prized metals that hold the gemstone in place, a man is the rock that supports a house and the people that calls it a home. Indeed, a true man is a priceless treasure in everyone’s heart.

Time is high for human perceptions to change. Diamond jewelry is no longer equated with femininity, neither is it within the exclusive province of female fashion. Men are no longer confined to the role of the generous and thoughtful giver where aside from being the miners, cutters, polishers, setters, jewelers and shotgun bearing blue guards, men’s participation in this lucrative industry is the non-speaking role of a loving father, fiancé or husband who hands over his credit card with a smile.

Before, when men ask about a sparkling ring or earrings at an upscale jewelry store, sales attendants are quick to ask if it’s for the girlfriend or the wife. Why do they always have to presume that it is for somebody else? Worse, why do they always have to presume it is for a lady? Worst still, why do they always say that the diamond is a girl’s best friend and that a man’s best friend is the dog?

Men, too, do love the shining shimmering splendid thing. Though we still have to see a gentleman wearing a solitary three-carat pendant on his neck, it is not uncommon to see men in suits sporting rings, hoop or stud earrings and designer cufflinks encrusted with the lustrous crystal that also finds itself in men’s neckwear in the form of studs in dog tags and adornments in pendants such as the ubiquitous cross and crescent symbols.

So next time you are out of novel ideas for a Father’s Day gift, drop by your favorite jeweler’s shop. Buy him a diamond and show him your everlasting love.

okay so i In summer of ‘08 when I was fourteen I decided I wanted my belly button pierced. A few friends of mine had it done and I thought it looked really hot. I let it go. But then in August once school started (my frist year of highschool – freshman year) I started to want one again. I went on a cruise in October and a lot of the girls had theirs pierced and it looked really hot. I wanted mine done so bad. I started saving up. I had around ninty dollars and went to the mall in November (my mom dropped off me and my twelve year old sister). I went to Piercing Pagodta and bought two gold 14 gauge barbells. One with just regular gold balls on the ends and one with a diamond. I had a sewing needle and a safety pin and ear care cleaning antiseptic from two and a half years ago when I got my ears double pierced. I iced my belly button and tried showing everything through. No luck. Couldn’t even get through the first layer of skin. So I started saving up again. I had about eight-seven dollars by December. Recently I had befriended a senior at my school who was over 18. One day after school, when my mom thought I was doing a project, he took me in his truck and we went to Sally’s Beauty Supplies. I gave him the money and he bought be a piercing gun. The kit came with the gun, one pair of ear rings, gel, a pen, a practice ear, and some other stuff. So I tried using the piercing gun to do my belly button. It was so strong, the spring in the gun. The first time I tried it, the ear ring stabbed me right in the center of my belly button and it hurt so bad. So instead I pierced my cartilage on my left ear. I cleaned it with the stuff in the kit and the ear care stuff I had back from when I got my ears double pierced. It healed up pretty good and I switched the ear ring out after a week. So towards the very end of the month I tried again. This was during Winter Brake. I pierced it. And it looked okay. I was happy with it. But then I fell asleep. When I woke up the back had popped off and it had closed up. I tried pushing it through but had no luck. So I let it heal it and kept putting medication on it. By the next week it had cleared up. So I was going to try again. I iced it but then chickened out. So the next night I pierced it, but I didn’t squeze the trigger all the way so the ear ring didnt go all the way through. I tried again that night but eventualy I gave up. It was swallon and hard. Scarred tissue, maybe? Well, then next night I tried one last time. And I did it. I was so happy. I went to sleep and when I woke up it looked fine. So I kept putting meds on it and tried my best to take care of it. After a few weeks I took out the ear ring and put in a belly button ring. It got infected but I’ve been taking care of it and now it’s okay. BUT it’s not straight. It’s crooked. Which kills me. But now it’s been over a month so I’m not sure what to do. Just keep it? Or should I just take it out and wait until I’m 18 to get it repierced professionaly?