unwanted (expensive) present - what to do?

[jamaisjedors]

Help!

My mum wanted to know what I wanted for my birthday, and I said "a pair of earrings", thinking she would just get some cheap fashionable ones which she has done in the past.

Normally she does really well with the kind of thing I like.

This time she has sent me some gold earrings (I have never worn gold in my life and don't suit it at all (HOC Winter) and she knows that).

I looked them up on the PIA site (they came in a Pia box) and my heart has sunk to see that they are real gold and cost a fortune (£110!).

www.piajewellery.com/embers-glow-earrings-prod12644/#.Up8gGSfZ008

I really don't know what to do. I guess the kind thing is just to hold onto them, and wear them a couple of times, but it seems like such a waste.

On the site it says they don't do returns for earrings for pierced ears...

Also I am not in the UK...

ARGH.. actually wish I had never looked them up - I was doing it to reassure myself that it didn't matter if I didn't wear them - of course it has had the opposite effect.

Appreciate them for the kind gift that they are. Unless you are a model and your looks are your living then I would just get over it and wear them now and again.

Give her a break for making a mistake and give yourself a break for being upset about it.
I suggest you do nothing. Put them away for a while and see how you feel about it when the emotion has passed.

LadyVetinari - thanks for all your comments - you have pretty much got it right about my mum, we are dealing with a very stressful situation of my Dad who has early-onset Alzheimer's and my mum is his full-time carer.

She is definitely struggling to think about anything else right now (as we all are) and I think she wanted to do something really nice for me while she can.

I'm not at all CROSS with her for her choice, just somehow SAD she wanted to make such a nice gesture and that it misfired.

I think the over-riding emotion is GUILT because I really want to love them, and wear them lots as a reminder of how much she loves me (which of course I can do), but I know I will struggle to wear them and so I feel like a hideous person because of that.

And you're right about it being something she would love to receive, she has quite a lot of jewellery in that vein.

I WILL wear them, I might even wear them out tomorrow night just to get over myself a bit (and to tell my mum I have worn them).

And YES, I know there are more important things in life, but this is Style and Beauty!

Jamais - so sorry to hear about your dad, that must be very hard on all of you . I know it's far easier said than done, but please try to ease up on yourself a bit - you clearly appreciate the sentiment behind the gift as you wouldn't feel so bad about not liking it otherwise, and you can't help the fact that it's not to your taste.

Wear them with something that makes you feel good tomorrow night. I always find that make-up is the key to making something work if it's not quite the right colour for me - could you wear a lipstick/stain/gloss that tones with the garnet, along with a subtle antique bronze-ish smokey eye? (I know there's a sort of cool, antique bronzey colour in some of the Winter palettes, so it may help to tie the gold in with your skin tone a bit more.)

Great suggestions once again, thanks! Will give that a try.

Just to say I did the gold eyeshadow, favourite dress and the earrings last night and felt good about it, and texted my mum to tell her, and she was delighted.

Thanks everyone.