Breakup advice

You have no obligation to give it back to him. That being said…do not give in to his attempts at getting it back! Even if he threatens to take you to court, as long as you have proof it was a gift, or probable cause, the judge would rule in your favor (at least i have seen that in small claims court on TV)
Just be polite, but firm. Tell him it was a gift, and you have no obligation or intention to give it back. Tell him how much it means to you..hopefully he will understand the sentimental value it holds.

Reiterating what has already been said. You could just as easily said that you no longer have either item. They could be long gone for that matter. Sounds like he’s just being bitter, or some similar emotion. I’ve never asked for gifts back from people I’ve had a falling out with. It meant something at the time, or was just for fun. It’s no longer ‘mine’, so I have no right to take it back. If I was asked and we were no longer on speaking terms, personally, I’d just ignore the request.

Sounds to me like he’s being a giant cheap-ass and is going to try getting them from you so he can give them to whoever he’s dating now. Tell him to take a long walk of a short bridge. He gave them to you, they are yours.

The question is WHY does he want the jewlery back? In my short experience, jewlery doesn’t have a great re-sale value.

I’m not too sure I have an opinion on the subject, but personally, no one has asked for anything back from me (although usually I was the giver not the give-ee)and I have only ever asked for one item back. One of my exes ooh’ed and aahh’ed over my Windstone collection. (I found out later he wasn’t totally serious) So, because he liked it, I got him a Little Rock Dragon. Well after he broke up with me, over the phone, while I was out of town, that was the one thing I wanted back. He was reluctant to give it up, but he eventually did. I didn’t/don’t have one in my own collection, but I sold it for exactly what I paid for it (to someone here!) and was done with the whole charade. If I hadn’t been broke when I finally got the dragon back, I probably would have just given it away. But I did need the money and I didn’t want something so beautiful in the hands of someone so low and slimy. I’m certain that whomever has that LRD now appreciates it more than he could.

Edit: I hope my reply doesn’t sound too cold. In my opinion, unless the break up is mutual, or unless you end on good terms, all bets are off. That person is another stranger with a familiar face. He owes you nothing and you owe him nothing. If you CHOOSE to give the jewlery back, that’s your decision. He’s asked once (?) now its on you. If you tell him no, then he should back off.

Christmas morning I took it over to his apartment, he opened it and said, “Too cheap to buy a REAL present, huh? At least you got the colors right.” We broke up shortly after that.

oh.my.gosh. WHAT.a.donkey’s behind! And um, news flash for him-paints, canvases and CUSTOM FRAMES *are* expensive. Hobby Lobby wants $150 to frame this square Dave McKean print I have and its not huge. (wow, I wonder what happened to that print..) I can’t imagine what a big huge canvas would cost to frame. I hope you were the one doing the breaking up, Skeeter.

I know this because I was dating a guy for about 4 years, our last Christmas together I had spent about two months painting a giant portrait of Yoda for him. When I was done I was so proud! I took it to Michael’s and had it custom framed in a big, beautiful gold and white frame. I wrapped it up and couldn’t wait to give it to him! Christmas morning I took it over to his apartment, he opened it and said, “Too cheap to buy a REAL present, huh? At least you got the colors right.” We broke up shortly after that and I’m 95% sure my painting ended up on eBay. Something that was meaningful to me was junk to him, but it was a gift, he wouldn’t give it back.

*blinkblink* I’d have taken it back right then and dumped him. What a jerk.

That being said, a gift IS a gift. If you don’t want to give it back, don’t.

I just have to agree with what everyone here said. You have no reason to feel like you have to give it back. As someone said earlier, if you’re not on speaking terms the best thing to do would probably be to simply ignore his request. Don’t even tempt him into being even more of an a** by telling him no.

I gave a gift back once, from a boyfriend I had recently broken up from. It could possibly be because he gave it to me a week before we broke up, or it could be because while I was sleeping on the couch of our apartment, still quite upset about the breakup and trying to find a new place to live, he came home a day after the event with a new girlfriend.