The dichotomy between symbolism and practicality struck me today when I fell in love (yet again) with a piece of jewelry for primarily emotional reasons. My jewelry collection is large but primarily comprised of emotional/sentimental pieces with high cost per wear because they only go with a few outfits (or else they're simple, dainty silver that goes with everything but doesn't add much either, so I forget). Some are gifts, but others I covet for their symbolism, because they remind me of something special or memorable or happy.

This occurs with clothing--specifically dresses--to a lesser extent for me, but it's with jewelry that I find myself consistently attracted to emotional, rather than style quotient, payoff. My skin and ear piercings are sensitive to certain metals (I know copper for sure and suspect nickel), so I also try to stick with sterling silver, which of course costs more than plated or base metals. The end result is that my accessories CPW is unreasonably high from a pure fashion point of view... but when I think about the emotional value behind those pieces, in some ways it also seems like an OK investment.

Do you find yourself buying things for emotional reasons, and -not- regretting the purchase? Or are practicality and wearability the most important factors?