JEWELRY Left rings are for status; right rings for style

On the one hand is commitment and on the other hand, self-expression.
SCRIPPS HOWARD
Liisa Morrison has owned one valuable ring in her lifetime, and it now sits somewhere on the bottom of Prince William Sound.
When the University of Alaska Anchorage administrative assistant and avid outdoorswoman was kayaking with her husband about eight years ago, she slipped the sapphire wedding ring into a pocket because it hurt while she paddled. Later, when she went to put it back on, it was gone.
Morrison said she has always liked to wear rings and has bought them for herself for nearly 20 years. But since the wedding ring disappeared, she feels even more attached to that opposite appendage, the right hand, where she buys fun and flamboyant rings that express her personality best.
If Morrison is indicative of the larger female population, a current advertising promotion in the jewelry industry -- "Women of the world, raise your right hand" -- should be a huge success.
"It's not about us telling the consumer what they should be doing," said Diane Warga-Arias, a spokeswoman for A Diamond Is Forever, which represents diamond companies and diamond marketing in the United States. "You'll only be successful if you listen to the consumer, and the industry is finally doing that. The industry has finally discovered that we have two hands. The left hand is reserved for love and commitment, and the right hand is about self-expression."
According to Jewelers of America, diamonds account for 47 percent of fine jewelry purchases in a market that has been sluggish if not flat for the past two years. The diamond market has taken hits from bad publicity over "conflict" diamonds that are harvested by slave laborers and profit terrorist organizations. Reputable diamond sellers now ensure their stones are conflict-free, and the Bush administration has made efforts with such programs as the Kimberley Process, which certifies "clean" diamonds.
Morrison said she doesn't particularly like diamonds and leans instead toward silver and platinum rings with unique designs. But she heartily agrees with the right-hand ring concept.
Personal choice
"I always buy my own because I think it's a very personal choice," she said. "Besides, not all men have good taste in rings."
Morrison's co-worker, Diane Kozak, loves her right-hand rings and said it's about time the industry realized women can -- and do -- buy their own jewelry.
"When I buy rings, I only buy them for my right hand and not at all for my left hand," she said. "I save my left hand for my wedding set, just the ring and band. The rings that I wear on my right hand are much more modern or funky, and the wedding set is a little more reserved. It's kind of a chance to be a little different on one side."
So, what's so new about a "me ring" when women have been wearing rings on their right hands for ages? For starters, it will be a ring that the woman selects herself.
Also, said David Weinrod, a New York City representative of the jeweler Kwiat, the rings are designed to certain specifications.
"You'll see the rings have a north-south orientation of the diamonds," he said, holding a sparkling ring up to the light. Its diamonds were arranged in an up-and-down fashion, as opposed to the traditional left-right layout of engagement and anniversary rings.
Elizabeth Walker, who shopped for a ring of her own for months, left the open house with a vivid Kwiat-designed right-hand ring.
"I've never been given any diamonds or bought any on my own, and I wanted something that was stylish and fashionable," said Walker, 36. "I just really liked the concept of the right-hand ring, even before it became a national campaign. I liked the idea of purchasing something for myself and having the validation that I've worked long enough and deserve it."
Walker describes her style as classic, and she wanted a diamond ring. Still, she said, a right-hand ring should not be limited to diamonds.
Anything goes
"The whole idea is to choose something you love regardless of what it is made of," she said. "I think of something that has some kind of a stone in it, whether it's colored or diamonds. The point though, is it should be whatever makes you feel good about yourself."
George Walton, owner of the Gold and Diamond Co. affirms that a true "me ring" needn't sport diamonds. He tells his customers that if they really want a ring to represent who they are, ignore what the advertisers say.
"You have to remember it was a diamond company that put the campaign on the market, and obviously they want to sell diamonds," Walton said. "But . . . it doesn't have to be a diamond to be a right-hand ring or a self-purchase."