Anybody here....Do you think my in-laws are weird?

How can you be sure that the stones are fake? Have you made a test in order to know whether it's real? If you have not, i think you should not make any judgment yet. My mother-in-law loves to give me and baby the stones as presents too. I am always happy to receive them as i know she hopes the stone will help me and the baby. I have never thought the money value of the stones and i do not care about it is real or not. It is not a matter for me. The most important thing is she concerns about us. I love the presents that she gave us, they are so beautiful. If your husband said it is real, why don't you just believe him instead of having doubt on parents-in-law? I would just accept whatever they gave with blessing. Oh ya, congratulations to you! Happy marriage! Take care and happy mylotting.

Why do you think your bracelet is fake? I'm not an American' but i think you shouldn't suspect your FAMILY.Even if it is a fake one ,it still repersents their love and blessings.

Think of your marriage and not your bracelet/necklace (whatever). Your husband strongly says the stones are real…this means you have taken up the issue with him and maybe he says this in defence of his parents as he understands that you are hurt and maybe insulted too (as per our Indian customs). This might later create a rift between you both. I understand your predicament though…yes we Indians would never gift a gold plated object as a wedding gift to our nearest people…so maybe you are feeling let down and tolerating a lot of barbs from your own family’s side. Its natural and I understand but you will have to stand by your in-laws on this coz as much as I know, gold holds little value in the western world. While we would take nothing short of 22carats on purity, most western gold gift items are 18c or even 14c so there’s very little gold in it. The stones can be real, can be factory-made too, it makes little difference. The gesture is what matters and the fact that they made the long trip to be in for the wedding should matter more. Its two different cultures altogether and you would do better not to compare.

I think its weird because they are rich... and even more so if you are going to give a person a gift of jewelery then it should be real that should be in any culture LOL... wow, it could be a mistake

I think that the gift doesn't really matter and that while it may be fake, it's not really that fact that should matter. They gave you a gift, something that they thought you may like, or something they liked, etc. Here in America, no matter the status monetarily wise, sometimes even the most rich person will buy thriftly.

Cant you only see the emotion, feeling, intention behind the gift, rather than what it is made up of? Who cares for gold or silver or riches, when you find true love and a groom's family who will love you? I am sure if we ask pointed questions about the value of a bracelet, most ppl will give lie about it, because they want to 'save face'. Moreover, being Americans, how are they to know what the sentimental value is for Indians about real versus fake? They are giving out of love, so accept it with gold. If I were in your place, I'd gladly accept cos I'd be glad I found love. Everything else pales in comparison. Like you said, you already have gold. Enjoy!

maybe they did not realize it was gold plated - besides gold is terribly expensive right now. I love silver. I prefer silver to gold, the monetary amount does not matter. I do think it is an odd present, in that I do not think many would give a piece of jewelry unless perhaps it was an heirloom of the families and in that case it is a wonderful gesture of welcoming you to their fold. Your inlaws gave you a wonderful gift - namely, their son, whom you decided to love and accept in sickness and health, richness and poverty. Give the new inlaws a break and think only the best of everyone. I hope you have a long and successful marriage - which will not be so likely if you make it a habit to talk about the inlaws in less than positive ways. Honor your husband by honoring his folks.

One thing some Americans don't know the difference and Jewelers wont tell them ofcourse. And I think its the thought that counts so don't let your culture's own quirky views cloud a very important sentiment :) Then again I know that gold and jewels are important to the Indian culture, so much so that if you don't have any you can't marry that easily when your a woman "Dowry" so don't be so judgmental of them. Its just their effort of trying to meet you half way or the whole way rather its might just be they don't know better :) You can gather more nest eggs in the future...so don't be demanding about gifts, remember its for free... :)

You have not really established if the gift of jewelery from your parents-in-law was genuine or fake. Whatever it is, my suggestion to you is not to focus on this and make that a central issue in your marriage, because that can create a conflict for you with your hubby or your in-laws. Think instead of the positives. Firstly, despite the racial and cultural differences, they have accepted you as a daughter-in-law in granting their son's hand-in-marriage to you. They honored your marriage by flying all the way from US for the ceremony in your country and brought a gift along that is specially for you. That already says a lot about how they view this marriage and the importance they attach to it. So now, you have been married several months already...consider how your in-laws treating you. Are they nice and accommodating to you, and treat you like their daughter? If you have a husband who loves you dearly and in-laws who accept and treat you well, you are already blessed by this marriage, and that is what should matter more to you than anything else. You will wish for these relationships to last a lifetime, so that your married life will be blissful and rewarding. If you focus on these, then that gift (whether real or fake) that you have received at your wedding several months ago will become insignificant, because that gift was just symbolic in acting out the tradition of the marriage.

I would say that this is likely to be a culture issue. I must say that my in-laws haven't ever given me a gift and I have been married almost four years. I would be grateful for any gift given. There could also be a lot of different issues here. It should be noted that here in American sterling silver that is plated with gold is very common. It doesn't mean the gems aren't real, but at the same time, they might not be. It could have been something that they liked and that is why they choose it. Value can come from a lot of things and isn't just a dollar sign.

I am sorry to say,you are over reacting.A gift is a gift.That's all.Why do you confuse it with traditions and culture.You are living in a modern society and such values are getting revised to our needs.So,accept the gift to your full heart.Cheers!

Hello, I would honestly say no matter what the gift is whether it is real or fake as long as your in laws are warm and welcoming and accepting of you and your husband then that would be all that matters. There are many people out there that have to deal with the fact that there in laws could care less about them and dont accept them and that honestly to me would be harder to deal with other then a gift that may or not make sense.