Bay Area Get Together.

[snlee]

Sounds like fun! I would probably take BART to DT. Can we plan for sometime early September? I'll be wearing my wedding ring then!

 

[orangevixen]

i echo the sentiments of cinderella...everyone was so amazingly friendly and down-to-earth

i had no idea if i''d feel out of place since i''m not a regular poster. not suggesting that i thought anyone would be snooty in the least. but still, i wasn''t sure what we''d talk about other than diamonds. it was classic, put a bunch of women w/ a common interest around a table in a non-threatening environment and it was like we were old friends. cym, thanks for putting the list together. can''t wait to keep in touch with you all and get to know you better.

i couldn''t stay long, but i had the best time!!! it was really hard for me to leave but i''m glad i left when i did cause i was gone from work for almost 2 hours, and you guys hadn''t even gotten your food when i left.

mara, thx so much for posting the pics

too bad i missed the hand shot.

ok, so union square? name the date, and i''ll mark my calendar. thx for offering to pick us up kristy and cinderella. let''s do it on a weekend though if possible. the great thing about a weekend day is that we can start in the morning and spend the entire day!

also, for s.bay gals, let''s do a s.row/v.fair. mini gtg soon. i need to go non-diamond shopping, and i can always use new shopping buddies

i promise i will be better about posting now. i''ve been a bit shy, but now i know there''s no need to be. well, off to sleep here soon. it''s been a long but fabulous day and i''m tired from my new job. i get to head up to wine country tomorrow morning so i can go run a 1/2 marathon from napa to sonoma on sunday. yay...wine country. i''m bound to see some good bling up there!

 

[Scintillating]

Aw... It sounds like you ladies had a wonderful time.

(I'm a Beantown gal - am very sad and jealous that I'll never get to meet the famous Mara, or get to see Kristy, Widget, or Art Nouveau's fabulous baubles!

)

Thank you for the fabulous bling shot's Mara! PS wouldn't be the same community without you!

Scintillating...

 

[cymbrie]

ALL I can say is WHAT A BLAST! So AWESOME to have met such a lovely bunch of ladies!!! And all gemcrazy just like me!!! You can''t know the joy it is to be able to say, hey hand over that humongous rock so I can try it on and have someone squeal back with equal fervor oooh oooh let me see yours now!!! Thank you so much all of you for being there! Everyone was so sweet and down to earth no egos or attitudes just a great bunch of gals!!! I can''t wait for the next one....speaking of that I''d better get that contact list out eh?! I got a few handshots too but Mara''s were pretty stunning so when FI downloads mine I''ll see if they''re worth posting!!! Thanks again ladies you guys made my day!!!

 

[orangevixen]

haha, had to check it one more time b4 bed! post them cym, post them!

 

[luckyhonu]

I have to say that I had the best time meeting all the wonderful PS ladies for lunch! I was amazed at how beautiful everyone's rings were and how kind and generous everyone was! I LOVED trying on everyone's rings...it certainly made my day!!!

Oh and of course I was in heaven when I had everyone's rings on my finger! It was REDONKULOUS how much bling I had on 1 hand! My eyes were bugging out from all the bling, thank god I had sunglasses on!

It was so funny how I was waiting in front of Max's, talking on the phone with my friend when I spied Roppongi as a PSer - how did I spot her? Her LASER BEAM 3 stone!!! It was blinding me in the sun! So I hung up on my friend with "I gotta go - I'm following this beam of light!" and approached her.

Thanks, Mara, for having me as a hand model, your pictures are awesome! I would also like to thank Roppongi and KristyDarlng for setting this up! I would love to do this again.

BTW, I have put up the handshot with everyone's rings as my desktop wallpaper, LOL!!!

 

[Mara]

OH and when we were setting up lucky honu for the hand shot, someone said (musta been roppongi?!) ''i keep expecting you to pull a rose bush out of your purse mara''...i couldn''t stop laughing at the thought of me carrying a rosebush around in my purse for diamond pictures. i did think about cutting a flower or two from my garden to bring then thought of all the flower beds at stanford...hehee.

 

[mia15]

A SF get together? Yes, please! (Cheering up visibly).

It sounds like everyone had such a great time. Thanks Mara for all the wonderful photos!

 

[Dancing Fire]

WOW!!! holy smoke

i knew i should of crash the party.

hmmm...nobody had a YG ring?

 

[luckyhonu]

I just looked at the pictures again...

OMG! Soooo sorry everyone, for my winkly sharpei hands!!

 

[cymbrie]

Ok ladies...contact list is sent...I HOPE I spelled everyone's names and more importantly contact info correctly PLEASE post here if you did NOT get the email. Widget I'm a little concerned I may have misspelled your info please let me know that you got it Thanks again you guys have a GREAT WEEKEND and I look forward to seeing you all again SOON SF? SJ? Anywhere in the bayarea?!

Lucky you DO NOT have sharpei hands LOL!

ETA: I will try to send out pix in the next couple days once FI uploads em for me

ETA: Widget, as I feared your address bounced. Kaleigh mentioned that she had your info, I have asked her to send it to me upon receipt I will forward you the list asap...sorry!

 

[bookworm21]

Thanks Cymbrie for the list! And yes, you spelled my name right.

And LuckyHonu, you do NOT have wrinkly hands. We are our own worst critics. I envy your size two fingers though, I really do.

 

[cymbrie]

Re-sent the contact list. Thanks to Art Nouveau for the correction! Apologies to Widget for botching your info. Thanks again to everyone who attended today y''all really made my week!!! I only wish I had taken the day off like the rest of you I would have LOVED to have window shopped at some of those fabulous stores! So, I know it''s a zoo there but any of you up for the San Mateo quarterly gem show next time it comes to town?

The only other person I knew before today who was crazy enough to go with me was Mom (yes I inherited the disease from her) oh she would have been so thrilled to have seen your sparklies! She got all giddy as I regaled her with tales of 3 and 4+ carat rings! Must to sleep while visions of baubles dance through my head

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Ladies ~

Oh my Goodness!

It sounds like you all had a super great time!

I am living vicariously through these pictures! Thanks for posting, and I can''t wait till the rest of you post yours too! What an incredible luncheon you must of had! I think my food would have gotten cold before I was ready to eat!

I can just imagine Lucky honu trembling with excitement with all of those gorgeous rings

on all at once!

Gee, maybe if you guys have another ... I might be able to make the 12 hour drive? My teenage daughter is peeping in with "I''ll even be the ring model for you ladies!"

"I''ll even try not to drool on all the beautiful sparklies!"

She would like the sunshine hand shot as her wallpaper now!

This girl has got the sickness

! Ever since she was 18 months, we all knew that we would fear for any future man being able to cater to her sparkling needs! Attached is a pic that she photoshoped ... I think it''s supposed to be Kristy''s 3 stone ring! She was 10 in that pic.

Ok, I''ll be sitting shotgun here tomorrow to see any new pics and all about the day!

Take care and have a great weekend!

 

[MissGotRocks]

So glad you ladies had such a good time! Your comments are exactly the way I feel when we have our PS gatherings here on the East Coast. It is amazing to think about a forum of people that you don''t know come to life right before your eyes! How much fun is it to unashamedly look and try on and talk about non stop the one thing that everyone has in common? It is a wonderful kinship and you leave feeling so NORMAL - see there are people like me who are just besotted about diamonds! No where else in my life can I just go on and on about such a thing. Most people I know think I''m a nut about diamonds anyway. Yeah, so????????

Too bad we can''t have an annual convention somewhere in the middle of the country to attend every year! If you knew about it early on, you could book plane fare and hotel rooms and have a two day DiamondFest! Wouldn''t that be sweet?

 

[glaucomflecken]

OH.MY.GOSH. That is the most incredible bling ever! **faints** Wow. I also agree that it is great to see how this forum "comes to life" at get togethers and to think of how many friendships have been made here! Any group shots of you lovely Bay Area girls?

glad everyone had fun!

 

[curlygirl]

I am so jealous! It sounds like you all had an amazing time. Mara, those photos are incredible, as we''ve come to expect from you. Luckyhonu sure was lucky to have all that incredible bling on her teeny fingers! Thanks for sharing the stories and pictures, it''s almost as if the rest of us were there with you!

 

[hlmr]

Everyone''s rings are beautiful!!! Glad you all had a great time!

 

[KristyDarling]

Ms Darlin Joy -- your posts are always so cute! And your daughter is a doll with her little photoshopped ring.

Yup, she''s got the fever bad. (love the bling around her neck!)

Cym, I got the email, thanks. I''m so glad that we now have Bay Area people''s contact info...woohoo! We must set a date for the next GTG! Anyone have suggestions? Weekends are fine but I might have to bring a kid with me.

It''s so true what MGR said about GTGs bringing Pricescope to life. I had a feeling I''d hit it off with you Bay ladies just based on your online personas and I was right! This was my first time meeting people I had chatted with online IRL....and it was beyond fun! Everyone was nice, sweet, and NORMAL (and no freakazoids like the ones you hear about in those online horror stories). I agree that a national get-together sometime would be fun!

 

[mrssalvo]

Date: 7/15/2006 12:06:32 AM
Author: KristyDarling

13. Seeing all the elegant solitaires made me miss mine bad.

I love, love all the recaps from you gals. hubby is in cal. all the time. maybe next time you get together I can see if I can tag along with him and meet up with you all.


Kristy, do you really really miss it? as you know, i''m trying to decide on what''s seeming to be a hopeless search for a new setting. I think three stone, solitare, pave, no pave etc..I too wonder if i''d miss a solitaire, especially since i''ve been ringless so long. I love your ring to pieces though and it''s on my all time fav''s. rambling now, but curious if you could share why you miss it, it might help me in my decision

 

[roppongi]

I am wide open on any future GTGs in San Francsco or San Jose. Perhaps our next one could be on Union Street and we can start at Diannes and go from there. There are several wonderful jewelry places to go and of course to eat. BTW, I am open to meeting any one any day downtown Union Square for a day of shopping or just lunch. It is quite empowering to meet other women who are all so focused on their careers, husbands, children, and of course their desire to shop. I have other friends, but seriously, they aren''t like the ladies I met yesterday afternoon.

Last night after we put the kids to bed we caught up on our day. It''s a good thing that I let him go first because once I got started, I didn''t stop. I showed him the pictures that Mara took and he was absolutely amazed at all the bling on LH''s finger. He said something like, "I had no idea that there were women out there as crazy as you are about diamonds." Then he said, "What does that say? He was pointing to Mara''s signature, "The Freaks Come Out At Night." He said, "It looks like the freaks came out during the day." He just laughed and said, "how much is this going to cost me?"

This morning I ran down here to read more posts and he came in laughing at me. He said, "This is an addiction for you, isn''t it." I told him what I wanted and what I was gunning for. He mentioned a few key things like our kids education at private school, saving for college, the mountain cabin we are trying to build etc....and capped it off by saying, "have I ever said no to you?"

So, it''s all in motion I just have to figure out what I want to do. Perhaps I''ll see something in Vegas that will inspire me.

 

[roppongi]

Regarding our next get together for the ladies who are coming up from the South Bay, take Cal Trans up and get off at 4th and Townsend and a few of us with SUVs can pick up and drive to the Marina. My car holds 7 (I always have an extra kid or two with me).

 

[Mara]

i think the part that i loved the best about meeting all these wonderful women was that it''s just SO freeing to know that there are these other women out there who think just like you in terms of loving the baubles. it doesn''t seem silly or foolish to be giggling, squealing, passing around jewelry, trying things on...and then clustering around the jewelry counter pointing and squealing. it''s not like real life friends or family who just stare blankly at you as you talk about the internet forum or your new upgrade etc. it''s amazing how happy and free you can feel with like souls in the same room together. plus everyone is just so fascinating with all these different personalities, all ages, all stages of life. the fact that we can all come together with this one thing in common was great. and then of course there are the personalities you just instantly click with, like roppongi and her exuberant attitude...within 30 minutes she was giving pearberry tips on how to get the husband to agree to an upgrade!! too funny.

 

[KristyDarling]

Date: 7/15/2006 11:33:11 AM
Author: mrssalvo

Date: 7/15/2006 12:06:32 AM

Author: KristyDarling
13. Seeing all the elegant solitaires made me miss mine bad.

I love, love all the recaps from you gals. hubby is in cal. all the time. maybe next time you get together I can see if I can tag along with him and meet up with you all.
Kristy, do you really really miss it? as you know, i''m trying to decide on what''s seeming to be a hopeless search for a new setting. I think three stone, solitare, pave, no pave etc..I too wonder if i''d miss a solitaire, especially since i''ve been ringless so long. I love your ring to pieces though and it''s on my all time fav''s. rambling now, but curious if you could share why you miss it, it might help me in my decision

MrsS -- ABSOLUTELY you should come with your hubby to Cal (San Francisco?) the next time he''s out here. I''m sure we could whip up a little GTG in your honor.

So you''re grappling with the setting....I know how you feel. After seeing everyone''s beautiful solitaires yesterday including Mara''s blingy one, I felt kinda wistful. Don''t get me wrong, I adore my Leon, but I do miss having that "single beacon of light" look. When you have total spreadage like with my Leon ring, it''s certainly striking and has an impact of its own. When people see it they''re awed by just the amount of diamond involved. Most people comment on how beautiful my ring is, but rarely do they single out the stone on its own merit. I think it''s because the bigger impression made is the sheer amount of diamond present. However, with solitaires, there''s a central focal point, just one major source of light, the stone REALLY pops a lot more. If I were you I''d be seriously considering the Ritani that Mara''s friend has. It''s a solitaire, but the shank is so delicately thin and with the tiny diamonds in the shank it has some very subtle, additional sparkle that would be a change from your current setting. And your stone would look monstrous in it! IMO, you''d be getting the best of both worlds with that ring: keep the solitaire look, but with a more delicate, blingy band. I know it''s sacrilege to say, but if I were to ever take this stone of its Leon setting [gasp!] it would be in something like Mara''s setting or her friend''s Ritani. Just my 2 cents. HTH!

 

[Julian]

WHOA! That totally made my day!!!!!

That would have been worth a trip to Calif. How much fun!!!!!!!!!!

I can''t believe you guys didn''t have any security detail following you around for the event - similar to the bodyguards who follow around the stars borrowing millions in diamonds.

GORGEOUS!

Everyone''s ring holds its own -- and is stunning in its own way. Mara, your ring is TO DIE FOR. And HUGE!

So much personality in the rings! KristyDarling''s set is MONDO. Whew! I''d love a monster rock like that!
Man, I''m dying for a reset!

 

[KristyDarling]

LOL, Julian....that's funny because I covet YOUR monster rock too! Ah, good old-fashioned diamond greed.

Mara, I know what you mean. I felt like everyone clicked so naturally and easily. Getting to "know" each other online first is a great warm-up for meeting IRL, especially when there's some pure unadulterated diamond **** involved! It felt so good not to hold back on my diamond enthusiasm, as I normally would do around everyone else in my world. I loved being able to stare open-mouthed and gawk freely at people's rings, instead of stealing furtive, embarassed glances. It was no-holds-barred squealing and shrieking around that table at Max's and at the jewelry shop. I'm sure everyone thought we were obnoxious. At first I was so nervous to meet everyone -- I admit to feeling intimidated by meeting the famed Mara, but she was soooo warm and giggly in person. It was really great to put (real) names, faces, and personalities to all my online friends.

Gosh, it's a total love-fest around here!!!

 

[widget]

I''m home!!! What an incredible adventure...SOOOOO worth the long trek south!!

LOL...nothing like having to log on to PS to see what I MISSED!!! Where''d that bypass panther ring come from...I never saw that..LOL

It was great great fun...such nice ladies...and the bling!!!! Ohmygod!

Random thoughts: when will I ever again get to see a Leon mege, a Mark Morrell, Beaudry, WF, Tiff, SC....what else?...all in one place?

EVERYTHING looks so much better and delicate IRL...

Special fun: visiting that incredible jewelry store...thanks, Art Nouveau!
....giggling about famous PS posters and threads, watching people watch us (I think the wait staff thought we were insane)

Regrets: Not circulating more. I missed really meeting the ladies at the other end of that l-o-n-g table, and not having done more "homework" before I came. I should have read everyone''s old posts/ threads so that I "knew" them better before I got there...

Crazy, I know. to take a motel room for the night...but I just couldn''t face the Fri nite traffic heading back home. I stopped by the Oakville Grocery on the way out of the mall, picked up a salad, went to my motel, and COLLAPSED!

Thanks everybody! It was the best!

widget

 

[Snooper]

O......M.....G...... Glad you ladies had fun! Awesome hand shots!!!

 

[cymbrie]

Hi again, just sent off my pix from yesterday''s G2G sorry, can''t post here I think Mara''s hand shots were better anyway.

Wallermama your''s bounced

do you have an alternate addy I can send them to? If so email me and let me know. I think the rest of you should have received them YAY!

 

[msdarlinjoy]

Date: 7/15/2006 11:07:43 AM
Author: KristyDarling

Ms Darlin Joy -- your posts are always so cute! And your daughter is a doll with her little photoshopped ring.

Yup, she''s got the fever bad. (love the bling around her neck!)

Hi KristyDarling ~

Yes, she has had the "fever" for quite some time! And this site "cough" is just increasing her taste in baubles!

The bling around her neck is one of my vintage 3 strand aurora borealis necklaces ... she loves anything that is antique, sparklie and big. The star broach was encrusted with pink aurora borealis stones.

She already has a jewelry box that is starting to fill up! Her favorite ring is a WG 3 stone oval bubble gum pink tourmaline ring with 14 lil'' teeny diamonds. Her second is a YG cladaugh ring with a teeny diamond chip

in the center.

She was just explaining to Grandma yesterday that a 3ct ideal cut diamond with nice color and clarity would not run her 1 million dollars, only about $25-30K! And thinks she should get one!

Glad you ladies had a wonderful and gratifying time!