Odd coffee shop experience

[Blenheim]

It''s rather cold here in Michigan -- already in the 40s, which is really making me dread my first Michigan winter -- meaning that my fingers are a little bit shrunken and my ring is spinning more than usual. After walking around outside without a coat, I decided to pick up some hot chocolate to warm up. As I reached out with my left hand to give my money to the cashier, he reached out, planted his finger on the table of my diamond, re-adjusted it so it was centered on my finger, and THEN took my money. Huh!?

I was too shocked to say anything to him at the time, and I''m still confused as to why he thought that was appropriate.

I cleaned my ring off as soon as I could after leaving. Fingerprints on the table, ugh!

 

[diamondfan]

eeeuuww...can you say PERSONAL SPACE? Not very appropriate, probably no harm done BUT STILL...I am so sorry...

 

[JohnQuixote]

It's an old Flemish diamond greeting known as 'coffee-table.'

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

 

[Kaleigh]

Oh don't ya just hate that?? Has to be a big pet peeve of mine. I'm usually pretty good at snatching my hand away in the nick of time. Kinda like when I was pregnant and complete strangers wanted to touch my belly. Yuck!!!!

 

[Blenheim]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:35:49 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
It''s an old Flemish diamond greeting known as ''coffee-table.''

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

LOL. Touching somebody''s engagement ring sounds like a rather odd way of flirting though.

Kaleigh, I haven''t really had problems with people trying to touch my diamond so I really wasn''t expecting it, plus it was natural that his hand would be coming towards mine so he could take my money. It really caught me off guard.

 

[Kaleigh]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:45:48 PM
Author: Blenheim

Date: 9/20/2006 11:35:49 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
It''s an old Flemish diamond greeting known as ''coffee-table.''

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

LOL. Touching somebody''s engagement ring sounds like a rather odd way of flirting though.

Kaleigh, I haven''t really had problems with people trying to touch my diamond so I really wasn''t expecting it, plus it was natural that his hand would be coming towards mine so he could take my money. It really caught me off guard.

No I know, you were caught off guard. I would have been too.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:35:49 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
It''s an old Flemish diamond greeting known as ''coffee-table.''

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

hehe do you always flirt by coyly toying with a woman''s engagement ring?? LMAO!!

 

[decodelighted]

Ya know .. I have a hunch it was OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in action. Some people comb out the fringe on their rugs & readjust crooked pictures ... some folks must "center" other people''s rings??!!!

 

[JohnQuixote]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:51:42 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 9/20/2006 11:35:49 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
It's an old Flemish diamond greeting known as 'coffee-table.'

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

hehe do you always flirt by coyly toying with a woman's engagement ring?? LMAO!!

LOL. Well Cehra I may - but it will be with only one woman...as I slip it on her finger.



(and I'd never tarnish the table!)

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/21/2006 12:10:27 AM
Author: JohnQuixote

Date: 9/20/2006 11:51:42 PM
Author: Cehrabehra

Date: 9/20/2006 11:35:49 PM
Author: JohnQuixote
It''s an old Flemish diamond greeting known as ''coffee-table.''

Not really. Perhaps he was flirting?

hehe do you always flirt by coyly toying with a woman''s engagement ring?? LMAO!!

LOL. Well Cehra I may - but it will be with only one woman...as I slip it on her finger.



(and I''d never tarnish the table!)

awwwwwwwwwww :::snifffs::: smaht guy!

 

[ephemery1]

Ewwww that story almost makes me feel like you were violated in some way, Blen... poor girl!! That would have annoyed me too... though I''m reminded of my East Coast cousin''s reaction after moving to Michigan for a brief time. She often talked about how friendly and laidback and outgoing everyone seemed to be there... it felt very foreign to her. Sounds like this could have been a case of instinctual neighborly(cashierly) kindness? Like he felt some sort of responsibility to "fix" your ring for you? Who knows... I think I would have visibly cleaned it off on my shirt just to make a statement! Though that would have been more of a mean East Coast thing to do, probably.

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:54:01 PM
Author: decodelighted
Ya know .. I have a hunch it was OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) in action. Some people comb out the fringe on their rugs & readjust crooked pictures ... some folks must ''center'' other people''s rings??!!!

This is exactly what I was thinking.

 

[bae7]

It''s an old Flemish diamond greeting known as ''coffee-table.''


Cracked me up!

Blenheim - I noticed the uniform on your fiance (in a previous post somewhere - I still haven''t figured out where I''ve been on this website!). Is he in the military?

Deb

 

[sistagrl2004]

You are MUCH nicer than me! I wish a MFer would TOUCH my SIZZLE! I would probably have SNAPPED like that chick on "Bridezilla" ( for those who don''t know a woman at a bridal shop touched her ring while admiring it and the the bride WENT OFF about how you are not supposed to touch someone''s ring when looking at it because it''s tacky and RUDE! . Everyone says she was VERY harsh on the woman... I''m not sure that I would not react in the same way!

 

[wifey2b]

Date: 9/20/2006 11:27:05 PM
Author:Blenheim
It''s rather cold here in Michigan -- already in the 40s, which is really making me dread my first Michigan winter -- meaning that my fingers are a little bit shrunken and my ring is spinning more than usual. After walking around outside without a coat, I decided to pick up some hot chocolate to warm up. As I reached out with my left hand to give my money to the cashier, he reached out, planted his finger on the table of my diamond, re-adjusted it so it was centered on my finger, and THEN took my money. Huh!?

I was too shocked to say anything to him at the time, and I''m still confused as to why he thought that was appropriate.

I cleaned my ring off as soon as I could after leaving. Fingerprints on the table, ugh!

ICK!!!!! Blenheim, you should have just given him THE lecture!!!!! One hand and hip and a little attitude with...excuse bf...but do you know what trouble you cause a girl but being so rude as to touch the table of a gal''s diamond!! Well, hullo, now I have to go home and get my sonic cleaner out and ready again just to clean your grimmy coffee-covered fingerprint off my gorgeous diamond...thanks for making my day...oh and btw - here''s your tip...

Alas..instead we mourn in silence and get totally grossed out...my sympathies

 

[Dee*Jay]

Oh Blen I know exactly what you mean! Total strangers go for my ring pretty freqently and if I can''t get away in time I sigh, and then I make a big show of "huffing" my stone and rubbing it vigerously on whatever I''m wearing.

My closest friend in the office (who is also a jewelry fan) takes my hand in hers and puts her thumb on the table of my diamond ALL THE TIME. And while she''s doing it she says, "Oh, I know you *hate* it when people do this, but I just can''t help myself... " And then she gazes at it with such loving wonder that I can''t be mad at her, LOL.

I think most people with sparkles are like babies with bright colors; they just can''t help themselves. (Not that it makes it *right* but by telling myself this I can stop myself from smacking them in the head!)

 

[Ellen]

Date: 9/21/2006 9:25:52 AM
Author: Dee*Jay
Oh Blen I know exactly what you mean! Total strangers go for my ring pretty freqently and if I can't get away in time I sigh, and then I make a big show of 'huffing' my stone and rubbing it vigerously on whatever I'm wearing.

My closest friend in the office (who is also a jewelry fan) takes my hand in hers and puts her thumb on the table of my diamond ALL THE TIME. And while she's doing it she says, 'Oh, I know you *hate* it when people do this, but I just can't help myself... ' And then she gazes at it with such loving wonder that I can't be mad at her, LOL.

I think most people with sparkles are like babies with bright colors; they just can't help themselves. (Not that it makes it *right* but by telling myself this I can stop myself from smacking them in the head!)

But DeeJay, if she's into jewelry too, doesn't/shouldn't she know better?? Who wants to look at a thumb print?

 

[Dee*Jay]

Ellen - I KNOW!!! But she does it anyway. Drives me up the frickin'' wall!!!

 

[Ellen]

Guess it''s a good thing you like her, lol.

 

[sumbride]

That is so weird! Maybe start offering cash with your right hand now?

Had a similar experience yesterday...

I cleaned my ring in my ultrasonic last night before going to dinner at my FBIL and FSIL''s house. During dessert, my little neice-to-be said "Why do you have that ring?" and I explained it to her and then she reached over with her ice cream smeared fingers and touched my diamond! all over! I didn''t pull it away from her but I was immediately disgusted! I kept telling myself "she''s 4, she doesn''t know better. She''s FOUR!" But as soon as her mom took her off to bed, I put my napkin in my water glass and proceeded to wipe it down right there at the table in front of her father. He laughed and said "it''s ok to be like that now because it''s new, but it will get dirty!" Ha, apparently he doesn''t know about my little Ultrasonic obsession! My FI didn''t say a word! I love the kid, but she better keep her grubby mits off my ring if she wants to be a flowergirl!

 

[Blenheim]

Eww, ice cream!? That''s even worse than my "coffee table."

At least she''s only four and probably doesn''t know better.

DeeJay, that''s so weird! J''s not as much of a jewelry fan as I am, but even he knows not to touch the table. In fact, he gets a little upset if anyone touches the table of the garnet in one of his rings. I think that people may be drawn to touch larger stones, for some reason. His gets peoples'' attention mostly for the size, and then they reach out to touch it. By the way, he has a little bit of OCD as to whether my ring is centered, but I don''t mind him entering my personal space PLUS he knows how to adjust it without getting it all dirty. I think he''s just proud of it and wants it looking its best.

Wifey2B, no tip for him!

Bae - he went to a military institute for college, and it was one of the few in the country that don''t require commissioning. While he wanted to go into the armed forces during high school, once there he quickly realized that it just wasn''t a good fit for him. He''s currently working as a civilian electrical engineer.

 

[FireGoddess]

WOW - somebody OCD a little?!?!??!?!

I have never seen or heard of that happening....ever!!! Sometimes I like it when people''s rings are off to the side.

 

[devientdrow]

That is a wierd expierience!!! The only one I ever get is, and this has happened a couple times, I will run into a half drunk aquantaince at a club/party/bar who will ask to see my rings. I show them, then they grab my hand and wave it in their boyfriends faces saying, in a lovely slurred voice, "See why can''t you get me something like this!."

And mine is under 1ct!!!!!!! WTH!!!

 

[firebirdgold]

Umm, maybe he was just trying to be kind? I mean if it was really swiveling then maybe he thought it might fall off? My future grandmother-in-law recently wound tape around the bottom of her rings and it worked on the swivels.

 

[anchor31]

Oh ick! How rude!

After I got engaged, a girl I worked with grabbed my hand when she first saw the ring and squarely put her thumb on my diamond''s table... I was so puzzled as to why she would do that (you can''t look at it when your thumb''s on it, can you?), I actually asked her: "Um, why did you put your thumb on my diamond?" She sort of stammered, so I said it was okay and I was going to clean it, and she said (get this): "You can''t clean it! Your fiancé touched it and proposed with it, you can''t clean it!"

Um, hello? You just put your big fat thumb on it!

My FI also has the strange and infuriating habit of touching it. He adores the ring, bless him, and sometimes he just can''t stop himself from saying how beautiful and sparkly it is and putting his (often dirty) finger on it. The other day he was holding my hand and he put him thumb on one the marquise sides to turn the ring a little "because he wanted to see the diamonds", but I scolded him and said the diamonds can''t sparkle as much if they have fingerprints on them...

He knows how much I love it and baby it...

 

[devientdrow]

Date: 9/21/2006 5:13:00 PM
Author: anchor31
Oh ick! How rude!

After I got engaged, a girl I worked with grabbed my hand when she first saw the ring and squarely put her thumb on my diamond''s table... I was so puzzled as to why she would do that (you can''t look at it when your thumb''s on it, can you?), I actually asked her: ''Um, why did you put your thumb on my diamond?'' She sort of stammered, so I said it was okay and I was going to clean it, and she said (get this): ''You can''t clean it! Your fiancé touched it and proposed with it, you can''t clean it!''

Um, hello? You just put your big fat thumb on it!

My FI also has the strange and infuriating habit of touching it. He adores the ring, bless him, and sometimes he just can''t stop himself from saying how beautiful and sparkly it is and putting his (often dirty) finger on it. The other day he was holding my hand and he put him thumb on one the marquise sides to turn the ring a little ''because he wanted to see the diamonds'', but I scolded him and said the diamonds can''t sparkle as much if they have fingerprints on them...

He knows how much I love it and baby it...

Anchor my hubby does the SAME EXACT THING!!! I always feel all bad cause I just gently kind of tug it away hahahaha I had to finally explain to him that fingers on the diamond is BAD!!

 

[KristyDarling]

Eh, you guys, I honestly think that 99% of people out there just DON''T KNOW anything diamonds, much less the fact that a thumbprint drives diamond-lovers crazy. Heck, before I joined PS I *definitely* didn''t know about the no-thumb-on-table part of diamond etiquette. And God knows I hardly ever cleaned my original e-ring!

If something like what happened to Blenheim happened to me now, yes I''d be a little grossed out and surprised by the physical contact but I just don''t think I''d get that worked up about it. When people grab my hand or touch my ring, I just let it go and chalk it up to open and guileless admiration....which I don''t mind that much.

And my ring gets daily ultrasonic baths anyway.

 

[Cehrabehra]

Date: 9/21/2006 6:46:13 PM
Author: KristyDarling
Eh, you guys, I honestly think that 99% of people out there just DON''T KNOW anything diamonds, much less the fact that a thumbprint drives diamond-lovers crazy. Heck, before I joined PS I *definitely* didn''t know about the no-thumb-on-table part of diamond etiquette. And God knows I hardly ever cleaned my original e-ring!

If something like what happened to Blenheim happened to me now, yes I''d be a little grossed out and surprised by the physical contact but I just don''t think I''d get that worked up about it. When people grab my hand or touch my ring, I just let it go and chalk it up to open and guileless admiration....which I don''t mind that much.

And my ring gets daily ultrasonic baths anyway.

most people don''t know a lot about a lot of things! The strangers who reach into your baby''s mouth to get them to suck their finger - um hello? touch the diamond all you want but get your idunnowheretheyvebeen hands out of my baby''s mouth!!! The "inappropriate" comments about divorce and childrearing and incomes and prices of things and... etc. I mean there are so many things that people do and say that are just nutty, particularly if you have a lot of experience in an area. And some things just differ between people. Years ago when I was engaged I offended the HELL out of this older couple when I asked them how long they''d been together. They were obviously married (though to each other? dunno!) and in love (holding hands etc) and they were very friendly until I asked that, but I''d been getting all kinds of wonderful advice from elderly married folk who came into my restaurant. When I asked them this the woman pursed her lips and the man shook with rage and told me it was none of my business. Ohkay... sure, it''s not, you''re right... but most people wouldn''t really react like that. My husband said they were probably having an affair... and I''m like at 80? could be! A question that can bring joy to a conversation for one person can bring outrage from another. Differences AND ignorance abound...

 

[KristyDarling]

Wow, what a bizarre couple!!! How interesting. I guess it all comes down to "personal space." And every person has such a unique and specific definition of that. So it''s really impossible to know whether you might cross the line with anyone! I guess this is why most people keep to themselves in public. Kinda sad, actually.

 

[Mara]

people touching my table on the ring drives me nuts too! greg knows it and whenever he wants to totally tease me, he grabs my hand and plants a big thumb on the table!! ARGH!