SirGuy
Shiny_Rock
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2014
- Messages
- 441
Hey all,
I wanted to share with my fellow PS'ers my engagement ring story.
We started dating several years ago; we actually worked in the same building but didn't work directly with each other. We occasionally passed each other in the halls and chatted briefly. We both knew there was something special there.
We had an unofficial date after a few months of dancing around it. We each came separately to an IHOP late one Saturday evening, after leaving our respective previous get-togethers with others. We hit it right off and ended up staying and talking for about four hours.
I told her I wanted to take her to a proper date, and the next week I took her out two nights in a row. Everything clicked!
Now, I noticed something about her style right off the bat: she liked sparkly things. Little tasteful sequins on a dress, glittered logos on sweatpants, even those little fake gemstones on shoes.
This lovely woman, however, did not have any diamond jewelry. She, unabashedly and laughingly, told me she knew nothing about diamonds.
My first big gift to her was a DBTY necklace, which she loved. At work she is strong and confident, and lamented that sometimes people would assume her aesthetic taste would not be very feminine. The necklace I got her was elegant and almost dainty, and she said it was perfectly matched for her character. So, I was on the right track early! Whew.
Over Valentine's Day weekend this year, we took a detour on a trip out of town to visit a well respected jeweler/gemologist. This fellow was well known to my family, who were long-time customers.
A little aside about that: my mother had only boys for children. She was, and is, also very enthusiastic about diamond jewelry. I knew about the four C's by the time I was five. By my teenage years I would accompany her on shopping trips to Graff and Van Cleef and Arpels, asking questions...and learning.
So, my girlfriend and I met with the jeweler, someone whom I'd gladly recommend to anyone in that area: Tom Tivol in Kansas City, Missouri.
The majority of the time was spent with Mr. Tivol gently explaining the concept and execution of diamond engagement rings to her, and feeling out her tastes.
My lovely parter admittedly knew very little about this type of jewelry. However, after about 40 minutes, when he was showing her different types of settings and stone shapes, I perked up. She expressed a strong preference for three-stone rings, and narrowed the shape down to rounds or princess. The metal was to be white gold or platinum; none of her jewelry was yellow or rose gold.
Here's the catch: when I told her I wanted to make this detour, I told her I wanted to stop by because he was a jeweler my family had used before, and I wanted to meet with him to see his new building. Allegedly I hadn't talked to him personally in some years.
What she did not know was that I had set up the meeting ahead of time to start commissioning an engagement ring to be made.
The rest was up to me. She did not know the meeting was anything other than a casual thing to think about rings "sometime eventually in the future."
Over the next four months, I e-mailed back and forth and talked on the phone with the jeweler to discuss my thought process. My girlfriend, I explained, was an unassuming sort. She had a fondness for France's cultural history in the '20s and '30s. She liked elements of elegance and presence. Not bold or ostentatious, but not flimsy or "precious."
In addition to the e-mail and phone calls, I made several discreet drives (hours away) to meet with Mr. Tivol to look over designs, and eventually the stones themselves.
"Cut is king" is an understanding he and I shared most emphatically. Color was also important to me, so the stones were to be in the colorless range. Clarity was less important but they needed to be eye clean, and have no inclusions that would affect the performance. Weight and size were the last of the four C's, for several reasons. First, I wanted to maximize the effectiveness of my budget, but also aesthetically I knew she wouldn't like stones that were too big. It wasn't her style.
I flirted briefly with some more artistic flourishes, but time and time again I kept returning to my gut instinct: three rounds, in a roughly 81% proportion between side and center, each in four prongs, all in platinum.
Mr. Tivol let me see the AGS reports before showing me the stones. He knew I would need to consider the numbers. All three were cut recently, and the report numbers ended consecutively in -1, -2, and -3.
All had numbers I liked, and were of course all AGS0 stones.
I then looked at the stones and had my breath taken away. Even unmounted on wax paper, the brilliance and fire was startling. I most enthusiastically approved the stones, and he began work on the setting.
The ring was finished earlier this summer. Oh, how hard to keep it a secret!
The reports were mailed a week before the ring. She got to the envelope before me! She called me and said, "Something came for you in the mail. An envelope. It's thick, with no return sender name on it. What's in it?" (Clever fellow to not put his name on the outside in case she saw it!)
She didn't open it and I was able to tuck those away without much suspicion.
I planned for the ring to be delivered some time later when I knew she would be out of town on business. It was my only window for weeks; if I missed signing for the delivery I wouldn't be able to arrange it again. The ring was delivered on a Saturday morning and I got lucky: not 20 minutes I was called into work for an emergency. Whew!
The ring sat quietly while I prepared the proposal event. It was to be a trip out of town for her birthday weekend. Over the weeks leading to it, she found me looking on Pricescope. She caught me! Oh, no!
I covered quickly. "Yes," I said. "It's a site about diamond rings. I want to get an idea of what we might get you some day," I said. She bought my fib.
She occasionally made mentions about her preferences, not realizing the ring was already completed and hidden not six feet from her. "I don't think I'd like a colored stone," she said. "And I don't need a big solitaire either!" Noted, I would say to myself, hoping her ring was what she imagined without knowing why.
I surprised her two weeks ago with part of my weekend setup. I scheduled her to take a day off work, and I sent her to get her hair done. I also booked an appointment at her favorite local spa and salon, for a massage, pedicure, and manicure. (The last bit was the critical one!)
After thoroughly relaxing Friday night, I told her about Saturday. We were going to go to her favorite hotel out of town, one where I took her to our first Valentine's Day dinner. It was a magical night the first time and it was a sentimental place for us. I asked her if she had waterproof makeup, which she said she did. (She was concerned we were going to a water park. I didn't tell her we were not!)
After a fun afternoon of touring the city, I took her shopping. A new evening dress and matching shoes were in order. "What a birthday surprise!" she exclaimed. Boy, was it going to be!
After that, we went to the hotel. A novelty suite, which she loved. Spacious and accommodating, and a place I had looked into far earlier to make sure it was perfect for what was coming.
After getting ready, her in an evening dress and me in a suit (with my favorite tie she had picked out for me), I told her I wanted to give her something else.
I got down on one knee and proposed. She started crying, and said yes.
I took out the ring and put her first piece of diamond jewelry on her finger. Dinner was fantastic and she looked beautiful. She told me she had no idea it was coming and had thought it would be the next year when we're going to the Caribbean. She said the proposal was perfect, and loves the ring. The best part was when she said it was completely "her."
Folks, thanks for letting me share this story with you. Here, of course, are the photos!
The ring is a platinum, three-stone diamond ring. The stones are round brilliants. The center is a .64 carat (5.5mm) E VS2. The sides are respectively an E and an F, each .36 carat (4.5mm) and also VS2. Total weight is 1.36 carats. All three are beautifully proportioned and are graded AGS0 for cut. Each is set in four prongs (and I think the prongs are lovely). The ratio of side stones to center is precisely what I expressed with the jeweler.
She's been good-natured and told me knowing all of the technical details of it is akin, to her, of knowing how hot dogs are made. She loves it and said it's perfect for her.
Pricescope is a great place. On some level, we're all in these experiences together. Thanks for letting me share mine, and I hope you enjoy looking at my fiancée's ring as much as I do!
I wanted to share with my fellow PS'ers my engagement ring story.
We started dating several years ago; we actually worked in the same building but didn't work directly with each other. We occasionally passed each other in the halls and chatted briefly. We both knew there was something special there.
We had an unofficial date after a few months of dancing around it. We each came separately to an IHOP late one Saturday evening, after leaving our respective previous get-togethers with others. We hit it right off and ended up staying and talking for about four hours.
I told her I wanted to take her to a proper date, and the next week I took her out two nights in a row. Everything clicked!
Now, I noticed something about her style right off the bat: she liked sparkly things. Little tasteful sequins on a dress, glittered logos on sweatpants, even those little fake gemstones on shoes.
This lovely woman, however, did not have any diamond jewelry. She, unabashedly and laughingly, told me she knew nothing about diamonds.
My first big gift to her was a DBTY necklace, which she loved. At work she is strong and confident, and lamented that sometimes people would assume her aesthetic taste would not be very feminine. The necklace I got her was elegant and almost dainty, and she said it was perfectly matched for her character. So, I was on the right track early! Whew.
Over Valentine's Day weekend this year, we took a detour on a trip out of town to visit a well respected jeweler/gemologist. This fellow was well known to my family, who were long-time customers.
A little aside about that: my mother had only boys for children. She was, and is, also very enthusiastic about diamond jewelry. I knew about the four C's by the time I was five. By my teenage years I would accompany her on shopping trips to Graff and Van Cleef and Arpels, asking questions...and learning.
So, my girlfriend and I met with the jeweler, someone whom I'd gladly recommend to anyone in that area: Tom Tivol in Kansas City, Missouri.
The majority of the time was spent with Mr. Tivol gently explaining the concept and execution of diamond engagement rings to her, and feeling out her tastes.
My lovely parter admittedly knew very little about this type of jewelry. However, after about 40 minutes, when he was showing her different types of settings and stone shapes, I perked up. She expressed a strong preference for three-stone rings, and narrowed the shape down to rounds or princess. The metal was to be white gold or platinum; none of her jewelry was yellow or rose gold.
Here's the catch: when I told her I wanted to make this detour, I told her I wanted to stop by because he was a jeweler my family had used before, and I wanted to meet with him to see his new building. Allegedly I hadn't talked to him personally in some years.
What she did not know was that I had set up the meeting ahead of time to start commissioning an engagement ring to be made.
The rest was up to me. She did not know the meeting was anything other than a casual thing to think about rings "sometime eventually in the future."
Over the next four months, I e-mailed back and forth and talked on the phone with the jeweler to discuss my thought process. My girlfriend, I explained, was an unassuming sort. She had a fondness for France's cultural history in the '20s and '30s. She liked elements of elegance and presence. Not bold or ostentatious, but not flimsy or "precious."
In addition to the e-mail and phone calls, I made several discreet drives (hours away) to meet with Mr. Tivol to look over designs, and eventually the stones themselves.
"Cut is king" is an understanding he and I shared most emphatically. Color was also important to me, so the stones were to be in the colorless range. Clarity was less important but they needed to be eye clean, and have no inclusions that would affect the performance. Weight and size were the last of the four C's, for several reasons. First, I wanted to maximize the effectiveness of my budget, but also aesthetically I knew she wouldn't like stones that were too big. It wasn't her style.
I flirted briefly with some more artistic flourishes, but time and time again I kept returning to my gut instinct: three rounds, in a roughly 81% proportion between side and center, each in four prongs, all in platinum.
Mr. Tivol let me see the AGS reports before showing me the stones. He knew I would need to consider the numbers. All three were cut recently, and the report numbers ended consecutively in -1, -2, and -3.
All had numbers I liked, and were of course all AGS0 stones.
I then looked at the stones and had my breath taken away. Even unmounted on wax paper, the brilliance and fire was startling. I most enthusiastically approved the stones, and he began work on the setting.
The ring was finished earlier this summer. Oh, how hard to keep it a secret!
The reports were mailed a week before the ring. She got to the envelope before me! She called me and said, "Something came for you in the mail. An envelope. It's thick, with no return sender name on it. What's in it?" (Clever fellow to not put his name on the outside in case she saw it!)
She didn't open it and I was able to tuck those away without much suspicion.
I planned for the ring to be delivered some time later when I knew she would be out of town on business. It was my only window for weeks; if I missed signing for the delivery I wouldn't be able to arrange it again. The ring was delivered on a Saturday morning and I got lucky: not 20 minutes I was called into work for an emergency. Whew!
The ring sat quietly while I prepared the proposal event. It was to be a trip out of town for her birthday weekend. Over the weeks leading to it, she found me looking on Pricescope. She caught me! Oh, no!
I covered quickly. "Yes," I said. "It's a site about diamond rings. I want to get an idea of what we might get you some day," I said. She bought my fib.
She occasionally made mentions about her preferences, not realizing the ring was already completed and hidden not six feet from her. "I don't think I'd like a colored stone," she said. "And I don't need a big solitaire either!" Noted, I would say to myself, hoping her ring was what she imagined without knowing why.
I surprised her two weeks ago with part of my weekend setup. I scheduled her to take a day off work, and I sent her to get her hair done. I also booked an appointment at her favorite local spa and salon, for a massage, pedicure, and manicure. (The last bit was the critical one!)
After thoroughly relaxing Friday night, I told her about Saturday. We were going to go to her favorite hotel out of town, one where I took her to our first Valentine's Day dinner. It was a magical night the first time and it was a sentimental place for us. I asked her if she had waterproof makeup, which she said she did. (She was concerned we were going to a water park. I didn't tell her we were not!)
After a fun afternoon of touring the city, I took her shopping. A new evening dress and matching shoes were in order. "What a birthday surprise!" she exclaimed. Boy, was it going to be!
After that, we went to the hotel. A novelty suite, which she loved. Spacious and accommodating, and a place I had looked into far earlier to make sure it was perfect for what was coming.
After getting ready, her in an evening dress and me in a suit (with my favorite tie she had picked out for me), I told her I wanted to give her something else.
I got down on one knee and proposed. She started crying, and said yes.
I took out the ring and put her first piece of diamond jewelry on her finger. Dinner was fantastic and she looked beautiful. She told me she had no idea it was coming and had thought it would be the next year when we're going to the Caribbean. She said the proposal was perfect, and loves the ring. The best part was when she said it was completely "her."
Folks, thanks for letting me share this story with you. Here, of course, are the photos!
The ring is a platinum, three-stone diamond ring. The stones are round brilliants. The center is a .64 carat (5.5mm) E VS2. The sides are respectively an E and an F, each .36 carat (4.5mm) and also VS2. Total weight is 1.36 carats. All three are beautifully proportioned and are graded AGS0 for cut. Each is set in four prongs (and I think the prongs are lovely). The ratio of side stones to center is precisely what I expressed with the jeweler.
She's been good-natured and told me knowing all of the technical details of it is akin, to her, of knowing how hot dogs are made. She loves it and said it's perfect for her.
Pricescope is a great place. On some level, we're all in these experiences together. Thanks for letting me share mine, and I hope you enjoy looking at my fiancée's ring as much as I do!
+ a beautiful 3 stone ring!.. 
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