[preswine]

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The Motivation
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In the spring of 2006 I decided to start looking into buying an engagement ring for my, then, girlfriend, Rachel Rohrs. She likes dark tones and isn't much of a traditionalist, so I started looking into dark precious materials. I couldn't find much in the way of dark precious metals, but when it came to gems there were a number of possibilities. Black diamonds were the first I considered, but the more I studied diamonds, the more it seemed there was nothing unique or precious about them at all. On the contrary, it seemed that diamonds fetch such high prices merely because the general public has been conditioned to accept such high prices.

As I continued my search for dark gems I found the, so called, "black" pearls. These appealed to me for a number of reasons. First of all, I discovered that pearls have many nuances. These nuances not only made pearls interesting to read about (and I had no intention of spending several thousand dollars without reading extensively about the product I was buying), but they impressed me with the idea that every pearl is unique and precious in its own right which gave me an opportunity to select a very personal gem for my beloved. Second of all, pearls are relatively inexpensive, which meant that for the same price as a vulgar diamond, I could get something truly sui generis. Last of all, I intend for my marriage to be, at least in part, a symbolic demonstration of the relationship between god and mankind. This relationship is exemplified by the fact that god has, out of love, sacrificed himself to makeup for our shortcomings. One of my favorite descriptions of this sacrifice is the following, "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. " (Matt 13:45,46). I was, therefore, very pleased by the possibility of further emphasizing this symbolism by seeking a precious pearl engagement ring for my beloved.