Since the 1949 musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, women have been told that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. In 1953, the idea was pushed at women again in the Marilyn Monroe film version of the same title. The idea is that diamonds will always stay constant even when the men waver or the beauty fades, but this undermines the entire relationship behind the rock and the whole reason it was given in the first place.

Diamonds and jewelry are given to signify a connection between  two people. When a man proposes, the ring he presents his girlfriend represents their intent to be married, but the diamond specifically represents their purity and faithfulness to each other. The diamond is cherished by the woman and she looks at it every day as it sits on her finger. The diamond is her best friend as it reminds her of all the work her fiancé did to buy the ring for her. However, the rock doesn’t hold her when she is sick or take her out to dinner or say “I do” in front of a crowd of witnesses. The diamond is just an expensive reminder of one of the best people in her life.

This is why diamonds are not this girl’s best friend. How can a hardened piece of carbon see the world with you? How can a translucent stone bake cookies with you? How can a small gem have a deep, meaningful conversation? How can a banded jewel walk through life with you?

What happens when the diamond fails the girl? The engagement is called off and she is left with the crushing reminder of what could have been. The diamond has no more value to her because the very thing it stood for is gone. Her best friend is useless. It doesn’t wipe her tears or watch her favorite movie or give her a box of chocolates. It sits there on the ring and mocks her lost joy. Diamonds are not this girl’s best friend.

My best friend will always be the person who treasures my smile, who flips my mood around, who dances in the rain, who sings at the top of their lungs, who isn’t afraid to say what’s on their mind, who lights up with their passion, who sets down their phone to eat dinner, who laughs at my ridiculous puns, who treats toddlers like they are little adults, who makes absurd food combinations because they can, who stands up for what they believe in, who knows the name of my car, and who exudes joy like there is no tomorrow.

So even though “Time rolls on//And youth is gone//And you can’t straighten up when you bend,” diamonds are not a girl’s best friend. We must cherish the people in our lives while they are there and not wait for them to leave. We must live in the now of what life has to offer. Our best friends will always be the people right alongside of us through life.