Need a anniversary gift for my girlfriend, halp.

My girlfriend and I have been dating since November 2008 and to this date I have yet to get her a nice anniversary gift. I'm such a terrible gift giver that I've forgotten what I've given her these last two years, but this time she has made it clear that she wants something "romantic" that she can "show all her friends," e.g. a necklace. I already bought her something (http://www.amiami.jp/shop/?set=english&vgForm=ProductInfo&sku=COS-8051&template=default/product/e_display.html) but after she told me it should be romantic, I decided I should probably save that for her birthday or something.

So, the internet is probably the worst place to ask, but...

Here are facts about my girlfriend:

• She is a multi-talented dancer (ballet, modern, hip hop, jazz, tap, ballroom)
• Her favorite video game series are Phoenix Wright, Silent Hill, Fatal Frame and Persona
• She likes anime with boobs in it
• She hates diamonds, but is ok with all other precious gems
• She's allergic to earrings that aren't gold (silver might be ok too, not sure)
• She doesn't actually have any non-nerdy female friends, so if it's romantic AND nerdy that would probably be the best

Price range is less than $300. Here's a picture for reference, in case it helps...

Thanks in advance! Assuming your idea is not terrible. Actually, I'm expecting most of them to be terrible, but that's perfectly fine. One man's garbage is another man's treasure, hopefully.

I took someone else's advice and did some origami. She dug the hell out of it because I spent the time to do it. I also got her something along with that in case it didn't work but I don't remember.

$300? Man, having a girlfriend is expensive.

Don't ask me. I'm single. I don't even know why I'm here right now.

Buy something that is Kill Bill related. Girls love Kill Bill.

I don't know what to tell you for a gift but always give some thought to how you present it. My gf always loves her romantic and quirky gifts. My gf hates pink, like black, she's going to school for criminology. One year I had a coworker of hers sneak a pink hello kitty bag onto her office. Inside the bag was a Dexter action figure. My gf kept the bag. Once I found a handcrafted jewelry box that looks medieval, I put her gifts in it then locked chains around the box. I made her figure out the combinations(set your own combination locks...). She keeps the damn chain it's been almost 5 years. So always keep a list of things they love and talk about but try to put effort into the presentation of the gift.

@SethPhotopoulos said:

I took someone else's advice and did some origami. She dug the hell out of it because I spent the time to do it. I also got her something along with that in case it didn't work but I don't remember.

That'd be great except my girlfriend works at a Japanese stationery store so there's no real novelty there. =(

@MooseyMcMan said:

$300? Man, having a girlfriend is expensive.

I could spend a lot less and get away with it, but I just want to get her something that will make her happy. The backup gift I have for her was $80-ish.

Get her a better boyfriend.

Kidding, but jewels and fancy things shouldn't be of much concern if you two have been dating that long. The best gift is a creative gift. Make a Pokemon card of her, or something like that. Also, you should save that money towards a nice dinner for her (not a $300 dinner).

Jewelry, especially rings are hard to pick out. And that is assuming you know the size. Necklaces are abit easier but unless you know she has a favorite style or stone its a toss up. Now if she likes watches, that is an easier purchase.

@AzHP said:

• She likes anime with boobs in it

Wedding ring. Never let her go!

In all seriousness, don't buy her jewelry because it costs a boatload and chances are high that you won't get her something that she really likes. What you could do is give her the gift you already have and then take her to the jewelry store to pick out something that she likes.

edit: You could also try doing something like cooking a meal for her (depending on your skills in the kitchen), or going out to a fancy restaurant followed by the ballet (or something along those lines). An experience can be pretty damn romantic, it doesn't have to be a physical gift (or at least not entirely).

Screw the dumb anime crap. Get her a ring. If you don't feel confident with picking out something so expensive for her, just realize that unless you get her something positively ghastly that she'll love it regardless.

Ahem... to clarify, I didn't mean to trivialize anime or that bond you two share. Anniversaries come once a year, and you didn't immediately strike me as the type who buys rings or fine jewelry for his significant other all that often, so I figured a ring would be the obvious choice.

These attention seeking topics of yours are disturbing.

Fuck I remember spending hundreds of dollars on a girlfriend only to realize after it was a waste of money... good times. Anyway the key thing I saw that you noted was:

She hates diamonds, but is ok with all other precious gems

I was in a similar situation before. Just go to the mall one afternoon, walk around a bunch of jewelry stores and find a necklace with a cool stone that really pops out at you and you know she'll like. It might take you a couple hours but it will be worth it.

Shrugs. I got my girl a leather jacket. She got me a car starter. <3

You can give her a pearl necklace.  Interpret that as you will

@Dante87 said:

@AzHP said:

• She likes anime with boobs in it

Wedding ring. Never let her go!

In all seriousness, don't buy her jewelry because it costs a boatload and chances are high that you won't get her something that she really likes. What you could do is give her the gift you already have and then take her to the jewelry store to pick out something that she likes.

edit: You could also try doing something like cooking a meal for her (depending on your skills in the kitchen), or going out to a fancy restaurant followed by the ballet (or something along those lines). An experience can be pretty damn romantic, it doesn't have to be a physical gift (or at least not entirely).

Seriously marry that chick.

Honestly though, whenever people ask gift giving advice all I can say is that you know your gf best, and so anything we pick out can't possibly be as good and personal as whatever you eventually think of.

You can give her a pearl necklace.  Interpret that as you will

Offer her a devil's threeway with the dude of her choice...no homo though.

buy her a pandera bracelet. if she doesn't have one already then buy her a the bracelet also. they are like little beads that are in different shapes of animals, logos, and other such things. they are different prices also. 
 
every girl likes them. i got one for my mother every year, birthday and christmas.

Buy her something you want.

http://www.zazzle.com/dancing_necklace-177747755374303146

http://www.squidoo.com/dance-necklace

http://dancextrastore.com/browseproducts/COUPLE-DANCING-NECKLACEWITH-AMETHYST-GEMSTONE.HTML (This one is cool)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Phoenix-Wright-Cell-Strap-figure-set-4-Ace-Attorney-/370542208598?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5646096656#ht_665wt_956

http://www.amazon.com/Roderick-Tenorio-Sterling-Silver-Earrings/dp/B002OMI478

http://www.amazon.com/Crystal-Balerina-Pendant-Necklace-Fashion/dp/B0033JS3GS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1317092710&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/ESCP-C3777-Ballerina-Swarovski-Earrings/dp/B004EBFO02/ref=sr_1_37?ie=UTF8&qid=1317092742&sr=8-37

http://www.sears.com/amberdesire-sterling-silver-amber-earrings-cognac-amber-ballet/p-SPM5806886302P

http://www.strumhollow.com/ballet_sterling_silver_earrings.htm

Hopefully this stuff is cool. I don't have a girlfriend or anything so :P

Led Zeppelin box set.

Jokes.

@iam3green said:

buy her a pandera bracelet. if she doesn't have one already then buy her a the bracelet also. they are like little beads that are in different shapes of animals, logos, and other such things. they are different prices also. every girl likes them. i got one for my mother every year, birthday and christmas.

I was thinking a Pandora bracelet as well, I think I saw a ballet shoes charm that you can put on it maybe. Get some other jewelry, put it in a nice japanese jewelry box.

A Dick in a Box.

Get her a $300 gift coupon a plastic surgeon, that's romantic right?

@AzHP: Your mistake was getting on board for all this 'anniversary' of dating malarky. What were you thinking?

Dildo?

@AzHP: I would suggest going with either a necklace or ring, generally they are more romantic gifts than anything else and it's harder for them to age or get worn out. Etsy is a great place to look for anime gifts, and they are generally cheap on their as they are usually done on a per-order basis instead of mass produced.

Also while the gift in general should be nice, it's most important about how the gift is given and the time spent around being given the gift. So get a nice gift but plan a nice day/date with the two of you and make that nice and romantic. Regardless of how nice and romantic the gift in and of itself is, the memory of the day will eventually overwhelm how romantic the gift is.

I'm a romantic so sue me.

@Crash_Happy said:

@AzHP: Your mistake was getting on board for all this 'anniversary' of dating malarky. What were you thinking?

I don't give a damn about anniversaries, but unfortunately Lindsey's bought into the whole "special days," she even wants to celebrate Valentine's day. >_>

@Fizzy: Holy cow, that stuff is really awesome! Thanks so much...I'm going to have to spend some time looking at these....

I'm a terrible gift giver too, so I started going on short trips with my gf.

You could give her a nice pe...

@IBurningStar said:

@the_OFFICIAL_jAPanese_teaBAG said:

You can give her a pearl necklace. Interpret that as you will

Fuck, that's what I was going to say.

Oh.

Use a good chunk for a fancy dinner, use the rest for a necklace for something. The people working at the jewelry shop will be able to help find something nice in your price range.

Give her AIDS. Then find a cure for AIDS.

You'll have her unconditional love forever.

Have someone with a key to your place wrap you in a giant box with a bow, then when your girlfriend finds you tied up inside and crying, tell her you were robbed. It may not exactly be a gift, but it guarantees the sex.

Well 3 years is a long time. So go with a promise ring. For 300 bucks you could get a relativly nice one. I got my girlfriend one for her birthday not to long ago, it was a a split ring with a nice little diamond and it was white gold because like your girlfriend, she is allergic to anything but gold. It cost me close to 300 and she loved it. It is romantic, she can show it off to her friends, she will ALWAYS wear it and think of you for it, and it shows her that you intend to be with her for awhile. Promise rings can literally be any kind of promise, so you could tell her a certain thing you promise, IE to stay loyal to her or to marry her someday when you give it to her.

Good luck duder, let us know what you end up doing.

A new iron with a note "Take the hint!"

This thread confuses, amuses and down right creeps me out.

YOU KNOW HER THE BEST, YOU PICK HER A GIFT.

@AzHP said:

I'm such a terrible gift giver that I've forgotten what I've given her these last two years, but this time she has made it clear that she wants something "romantic" that she can "show all her friends," e.g. a necklace.

Ugh. Don't get me wrong -- I'm sure she's swell -- but ugh.

You guys just can't help yourselves from defaulting to sexual comments whenever a woman is mentioned, can you?

Give her the gift that keeps on giving.

Take her to a jewelry store, let her pick out something she really likes in that price range and pay for it. Done.
 
Oh and a nice dinner.

If you don't know what to give her by now...
 
I'd dump your punk ass.

@AzHP said:

[...] Here's a picture for reference, in case it helps... [...]

Dude I know you're looking for advice in here, but let me just say: You two are a super cute couple. Seriously.

Edit: Did I just write that? I must be getting soft. And old.

"She likes anime with boobs in it" Why?

Nice dinner and jewely within price range of her choice sounds good.

Get down on your hands and knees as if you're going to do something really romantic and cute, but then uppercut her in the Jaw. 
 
Women like things like this because it's spontaneous, and then she can show all of her friends her black eye.

It's obvious you guys are convention goers, you could register for one you're both interested and surprise her with dinner after.

As far as less-expensive, sweet stuff if she likes anything even remotely bit-arty you could get some post its and make her a sprite poster (I made my wife a pretty awesome Ms. Pac-Man out of post-its when we were dating. We went on to have a Mr. and Ms. Pac-Man cake at our wedding. Definitely hold on to nerdy girls, they are the best!)

Depending on what your first date was like you can take her out on a fancier version of whatever you guys did then. My wife and I just did that for our third date-iversary and it was a lot of fun.

Don't stress to much about not quite knowing what to get her yet. The stuff I rigidly planned out for any special occasion with my SO almost always ends up being less fun and meaningful than the stuff that just suddenly popped into my head epiphanically or the stuff that just seemed like silly frivolous fun. Looking back it's the unexpected moments that create the best memories, so just have fun and show her that you care for her.

@UncleClassy said:

Give her AIDS. Then find a cure for AIDS.

You'll have her unconditional love forever.

It would be more efficient to find the cure first no?

a box of trojans

@Vinny_Says: That takes all of the suspense out of it.

buy her a pandera bracelet. if she doesn't have one already then buy her a the bracelet also. they are like little beads that are in different shapes of animals, logos, and other such things. they are different prices also.   every girl likes them. i got one for my mother every year, birthday and christmas.