Joanna Gaines, star of HGTV’s “Fixer Upper,” has absolutely no interest in upgrading her engagement ring — a dream for some women who one day hope to receive a nicer diamond than their fiances were originally able to afford.
In fact, Gaines was given the opportunity to do just that when her husband, Chip, presented her with a tray of diamonds on their 12th anniversary; she responded by making it clear she had no interest in changing out her original stone.
READ: See HGTV’s ‘Fixer Upper’ Stars Chip and Joanna Gaines Prove Just How Awesome Marriage Can Be
Joanna and Chip Gaines describe this seemingly benign story in their new book, “The Magnolia Story,” with Joanna writing that, after the couple’s 12th anniversary party, Billy Holder, the jeweler who designed her original ring, surprised her at their home with a tray of prospective diamonds, telling her that Chip wanted her to upgrade.
“So Billy showed me all of these beautiful diamonds and told me I could have my pick. That’s supposed to be every girl’s dream, right?” Joanna wrote, according to an excerpt from the book. “But I looked him in the eye, and I said, ‘I’m sorry, but no. This is the original diamond I picked, and it’s perfect just the way it is.'”
Why would she refuse such a gift, you ask? Because the original ring — though not entirely perfect — is special to her.
“It wasn’t a ‘perfect’ diamond, but it was perfect for me,” she explained. “I felt bad that Billy wasn’t going to make the big sale he was hoping for that day, but I don’t ever want to replace that diamond or that ring. To me, my ring is part of our story.”
What’s perhaps most interesting about this sentiment is that the Gaines have gone from struggling business owners to famous reality TV stars in recent years, yet with fame and money abounding, Joanna Gaines still looks to keep life’s important elements in focus.
There’s certainly nothing inherently wrong with upgrading an engagement ring, but in this case, it’s clear that Joanna Gaines places a prime value on her own story, and on the importance of the original ring her husband gave to her to symbolize and solidify the couple’s love. And in an entertainment world in which so many people lose touch of what really matters, that’s pretty inspiring.
As Faithwire reported, Chip and Joanna Gaines also recently published an “I Am Second” video that takes viewers deep into their love story. While Chip described himself as naturally more wild, Joanna is more of a “wallflower,” though both said they have helped to refine and complete one another, especially when it comes to their Christian faith.
“I have learned so much about order and structure and processes through my wife and God is all of those things to me now,” Chip said. “But at the beginning, God was just chaotic to me — he was wild, he was untamed, he was unruly, and I liked that.”
As for Joanna, she said Chip has helped her discover “this reality of what it’s like to follow Christ,” saying that some parts of the experience will “push you to a place of discomfort.”
(H/T: Huffington Post)
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