The gentle strums of a guitar accompany the soft croons of a woman’s voice singing of her desire to express her love toward her significant other; however, she states her failure to do so since she “can’t find the right words to say.” A man wakes up early Christmas morning, sneaks downstairs to retrieve a diamond necklace, and returns back to bed to place the necklace around his wife’s neck, who then wakes up and kisses him. The words, “This Christmas, say everything without saying a word. A diamond is forever,” flash across the screen. The scene draws a connection between diamonds and love; that diamonds are a symbol for love, because they last “forever.” But diamonds, love, and the term “forever” are misused when put together. Because “diamonds are forever”, does that mean “love is forever” too? No, the assumed connection is misleading.

But why do diamonds have to be the symbol for love? Why can’t a kiss, tender words, or some other action symbolize love? Some say because kisses, tender words, or some other action are fleeting and last only for the moment. The effect of a single kiss, or “I love you”, or some other action performed once doesn’t carry on for decades, centuries, and generations like a diamond would; like love would. Diamonds are found raw, unpolished, and uncut- untamed, just like love in its first stages of discovery. Diamonds are eventually cleaned, polished, and cut to reflect as much light as possible and become appealing to the human eye- shaped into what the owner wants, just like love after constant exposure over time. Diamonds become scuffed and re-cut over time, but still continue to exist- enduring, just like love after many years of hardship. Diamonds give an idea about love, how love evolves over time and eventually becomes what a person wants it to be, after several re-cuts and re-settings. But diamonds aren’t the definition or the perfect symbol of love; at least they can’t fully symbolize love as lasting forever, because “love”, for one person and anything, certainly isn’t forever. You “love” spaghetti and meatballs today, but after an episode of uncooked meat and salmonella making its way into your system, you’re suddenly green at the sight of the food you once loved. You “love” your significant other today, but after news of their one-night stand with a girl from a party in a downtown motel surfaces and some bitter words are said, you’re certainly not swooning from his kisses and murmuring tender “I love you”s. Your love certainly doesn’t last “forever”, as in your lifetime, for spaghetti or your significant other. Your love only lasted for that single moment.

To say love lasts forever, as in exceeding decades or at least for the duration of your lifetime, coincides with love never ending for a particular person or thing. To say love lasts forever states that your love for a particular person or thing will never change drastically or diminish. You love spaghetti so you eat it once a month, not once every five months or once every year. Your love for spaghetti, which coincides with how much you eat it, doesn’t change drastically nor diminish. However, in society, love changes drastically or diminishes, usually ending as it moves from loving one thing to another thing, one person to another person. It’s safe to say love lasts “forever” in the moment. You love spaghetti for the moment today- you won’t love it every day for the month that follows.

Diamonds, just like love, can be easily given and taken away, all tying in with the notion that diamonds and love last “forever” in the moment. You can easily give a diamond with murmurs of “I love you” or take it away with shouts of “I hate you”. Whether given or taken, diamonds only symbolize love in a materialistic sense. The measurement of your love is only as great as the amount of cash you put down on the jeweler’s counter; a great deal that some may be paying off well into their marriage (or divorce, depending on how “forever” in the moment your love lasts) years. The only thing that lasts “forever”, as in your lifetime, about material love is the amount of time you spend paying off your diamond debt.