Help! Dinner, flowers, chocolates… how should I celebrate Valentine’s Day?

It really depends on who you are as a couple, the stage of your relationship, the message you want to send and, of course, your budget. Traditional gifts like dinner, flowers and chocolate are a safe bet to show you care, but rarely make a stronger statement than that. Within a day or two, the gifts become memories. More long-lasting gifts like jewelry or lingerie are going out a little more on a limb while sending different messages ranging from “I like you but let’s not read too much into this” all the way up to “You are my universe”. So decide if you want to either check the box on Valentine’s Day by simply buying flowers and making a dinner reservation or if you want to say something special and different.

What about a heart-themed gift? That’s a good bet, right?

Well, heart-shaped candy, a card with a heart or a heart-shaped balloon is sweet but before you give her heart-themed clothing, accessories or jewelry, ask yourself one question: does she already wear hearts? If yes, go ahead and give her more because it fits her style… if not, hearts probably aren’t what she wants.

Everybody has opinions about gift ideas for us ladies, but I’m stuck on what to get HIM for Valentine’s Day!

True! He can be tricky because his expectations might be “It’s my job to plan Valentine’s Day, so you sit back and enjoy” or the exact opposite of “I’m doing a lot of work to make this day special, so you better find a great gift for me too”. Are you worried about scaring him off because it is early in your relationship? Then go with a casual gift that either addresses his hobbies (a video game, tickets to a sporting event, an iTunes gift card) or his vices (make him dinner, bake him dessert, buy him a bottle of his favorite drink, etc). If you’re in a more serious relationship, you might want to step it up with something personal and get him a nice article of clothing, a manly accessory (like cufflinks or a link bracelet) or a nice watch. Every man needs a nice timepiece (no, the clock on his cell phone doesn’t count in his professional world), and every time he looks at his watch, he will think of you. It doesn’t have to be a Rolex… there are plenty of cool watches at great prices that are sporty, contemporary or dressy, depending on his style.

Ok, I’ve decided to get her a piece of jewelry, but how do I know what kind of message I’m sending? I don’t want to send the wrong signal!

Think about what you want to say and then find a gift to match that statement and that level of commitment. For example, silver fashion jewelry is a great way to lightly say “Hey, I get you, and I get your great sense of style”. There are plenty of options for under $100, but even stepping up to a designer brand like David Yurman or John Hardy will show her that you understand how important fashion is to her. On the other hand, gold jewelry generally sends a more serious, committed message (it’s pretty hard to give gold casually). Some gold jewelry – like personalized initial charms – says that you hope to be in her life for a long time to come. Alternatively, you can go with something that screams fun, like a Michele Jelly Bean watch. It’s an anti-dress watch, it comes in only the brightest of colors, and it has zero chance of being misinterpreted as a proposal.

She’s great and I want to get her something nice but we haven’t been dating long and I don’t want to do too much, too soon.

Ok, now this is again where budget comes into play. If you go with jewelry, just keep it to a budget of $50 and no more than a couple of hundred dollars tops. It’s also safe to get her something that falls squarely in the category of cute. Cute is always safe early in the relationship. For example, we’ll recommend a sterling silver Hershey Kiss pendant. They start at $50 and she’ll love it without reading too much into it. Put it this way… how can you go wrong by giving her a kiss?

We’ve been dating for a while now so there’s no way I can give her a piece of jewelry… she’ll see the box and think it is an engagement ring!

A valid concern but not to worry… there are plenty of ways to give jewelry without her getting her hopes up for the big one. Ask your jeweler to put your gift in a box that is much too big or oddly shaped to be a ring box, or put it in a different packaging entirely (like a Best Buy bag) to really fake her out. Another way to go is to present the jewelry in a unique, “un-boxed” way such as by wrapping a bracelet around her wine glass, putting a ring on her dessert place or just ask to close her eyes while you fasten the pendant around her neck.

Someone told me that diamond stud earrings are always a hit… are they an appropriate Valentine’s Day gift?

In some ways, diamonds are kind of like jeans. Some jeans can be worn every day while others are worn on special occasions and cherished for a lifetime. And diamonds, like jeans, never go out of style. So what do diamond studs say? A nice pair of smaller diamond studs, which start at $200 to $300, say that you care about her looking special each and every day. Of course, stepping it up to larger diamond studs like our 2 carat sets guarantees that she will hear your message loud and clear. Here’s our advice… no matter the size, you can’t give diamonds without saying that you really, really care. Diamonds. Are. Serious.

These are just a few of the many questions we have received over the years. What are your tried and true Valentine’s Day gift ideas? Did we miss something? Do you have a question you need help with? Let us know in the comments!

Nearly 3000 people are expected to attend this event which brings together some of the world’s most sought after bridal ring designers including Ritani, Memoire, Scott Kay, Furrer-Jacot, Frederick Goldman, A. JAFFE, and more. These bridal designers will share thousands of choices in platinum, gold, diamond, and custom wedding bands. In addition, the event highlights leading wedding professionals and companies anxious to interact with this younger demographic. A highlight of the event will be the luxury vacation for two to Mexico provided by Platinum Guild. Jordan’s Furniture, The Capital Grille, Men’s Wearhouse, Konditor Meister, and more are also providing incredible prizes geared toward this audience.

“The year leading up to a wedding is one filled with numerous choices and decisions for the engaged couple,” said Craig Rottenberg, President at Long’s, “And while many of these decisions do focus on the actual wedding day, a good number of them focus on starting a life together. This event is a great way for couples to find what they need for both before and after walking down the aisle.”

Prizes include a luxury vacation to Los Cabos, Mexico from Platinum Guild, $1,000 shopping spree from Jordan’s Furniture, tuxedo rentals for 10 from Men’s Wearhouse, a private dinner and wine pairing for 10 from The Capital Grille, $500 towards your wedding cake from Konditor Meister, plus cake tastings and so much more. Visitors can also enter to win a set of watches from TAG Heuer, and one lucky couple will win $1000 towards wedding bands at Long’s!

LONG’S JEWELERS IS PROUD TO INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SPONSORS:
Platinum Guild
Jordan’s Furniture
The Capital Grille
Men’s Wearhouse
Konditor Meister
TAG Heuer
Alla Brevé Flute and Guitar Duo
Excelsior Limousines

-MORE-
Long’s Website Event Page: www.longsjewelers.com
View event slideshow on flickr
Visit our Facebook event page

Largest Selection of the Year! Enter to win BIG Prizes!

Don’t miss Long’s Jewelers Annual Wedding Band Weekend taking place March 23 to March 25, 2012 . For this weekend only, Long’s will have the largest collection of gold, platinum, diamond, and custom wedding bands from top designers like Scott Kay, Ritani, Mémoire, A. JAFFE, Penny Preville, Furrer-Jacot, Armadani, and more.

Prizes include:

…Plus see cake designs from Konditor Meister and taste them too! Visitors can also enter to win a Martha Stewart entertaining gift basket and one lucky couple will win $1000 towards wedding bands at Long’s.

Visit our Burlington location March 23-25 at 60A South Ave., Burlington, MA, at exit 32B off Route 128 on the Middlesex Turnpike across from the Burlington Mall.

Our regular store hours will apply which are:
Friday 10am – 8pm | Saturday 10am – 6pm | Sunday 12pm – 5pm

Looking for something special or need more information?
Call (877) 845-6647 x1806, email, or visit.

Amethyst, the gemstone believed by ancient Greeks and Romans to ward off the intoxicating powers of Bacchus, also is said to keep the wearer clear-headed and quick-witted. Throughout history, the gemstone has been associated with many myths, legends, religions, and numerous cultures. English regalia were even decorated with amethysts during the Middle Ages to symbolize royalty. It has been associated with many myths, legends, religions, and numerous cultures. Amethyst is purple quartz, a beautiful blend of violet and red that can found in every corner of the earth. Historically, the finest amethyst were found in Russia and were featured in much royal European jewelry. Today, while Brazil is the primary source of this gemstone, fine material can be found elsewhere, especially in Zambia.

Birthstone jewelry for February or any other month of the year is available at all Long’s Jewelers locations.

This information was sourced from the American Gem Society.

With celebrity engagements come celebrity engagement rings–here are some of our favorites in 2011:

“Gossip Girl” actress Elizabeth Hurley got engaged to Shane Warne this year after he got down on one-knee with this Sapphire beauty. According to UsMagazine.com, Shane proposed with a gorgeous 9-carat center sapphire set in platinum and adorned with a 2-carat trillion cut diamond on each side.

Kate Hudson announced her engagement to Muse front man Matthew Bellamy after Matt Lauer noticed the sparkler in the middle of her Today Show Interview on April 27th. Kate didn’t announce the engagement before the show, and was waiting for someone to notice (How could you not!!) According to UsMagazine.com the platinum-set emerald center stone with tapered baguettes on each side is approximately 9 carats.

Anne Hathaway and longtime boyfriend Adam Schulman announced their engagement this November. According to UsMagazine.com the platinum and diamond ring measures at 6-carats. Looks like the “Princess Diaries” star is finally getting her fairy-tale ending!

Pop Star Britney Spears and former agent Jason Trawick got engaged this December while celebrating Jason’s 40th birthday. According to UsMagazine.com, Trawick didn’t want a giant center stone; he instead wanted to focus on the quality and beauty of a platinum setting. Britney’s gorgeous 3-carat diamond is set in platinum with diamonds throughout the entire ring. Nice Job Jason!

While some said their “I do’s” earlier in the year, some lucky ladies received the surprise over the Holidays. On Christmas, NBA legend Michael Jordan proposed to his girlfriend of three years Yvette Prieto, and Matthew McConaughey and Brazilian model Camila Alves got engaged. While bringing in the New Year, Mario Lopez proposed to his girlfriend Courtney Mazza of three years on a trip to Mexico, LeBron James proposed to his high school sweetheart Savannah Brinson, and “American Idol” finalist James Durbin married his longtime girlfriend Heidi Lowe.

Are there any of your favorite celebrity engagements or celebrity weddings that we missed? Who do you think will get engaged this year?