But there is so much to know! How can he do it by himself?!

[Samara83]

i don't know if anyone else is in the same boat, but my SO wants my engagement ring to be a surprise, but he's asked me to compile some notes for him since he's super busy and doesn't have time to research himself. Well, my "notes" turned out to be a 11 page document!! There is just so much information to know! I gave it to him and I think he was a bit overwhelmed and I think he's been afraid to read it lol since it looks more like a book report.

Does anyone else feel they get so wrapped up in the details? I'm not sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing anymore! In short, sometimes I feel like I just want to take control and do it all myself. Bad, I know.

 

[PrincessNatalie]

Re: But there is so much to know! How can he do it by himsel

I started compiling information like this for SO but it ended up as: this is it, this is what I want, a 1 page email. Made things easy for him.

If I were you I would pick 3 of your favorite settings/stones and then let him pick which one as a "surprise"

 

[Maisie]

Re: But there is so much to know! How can he do it by himsel

I would choose a vendor and send them all of your requirements.... then tell him to call them. That way you can rest in the knowledge that they will make sure he buys exactly what you want. Let him choose the setting from a list of favourites, like Princess Natalie said.

I know vendors such as Whiteflash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, Wink Jones and GOG will be good at walking him through this.

 

[IceExplorer]

Re: But there is so much to know! How can he do it by himsel

I would choose a vendor and send them all of your requirements.... then tell him to call them. That way you can rest in the knowledge that they will make sure he buys exactly what you want. Let him choose the setting from a list of favourites, like Princess Natalie said.

I know vendors such as Whiteflash, Brian Gavin Diamonds, Wink Jones and GOG will be good at walking him through this.

This might be the best approach for you. He'll get to surprise you with a stone and setting you want

 

[wakingdreams53]

Re: But there is so much to know! How can he do it by himsel

Step back from the reigns! Some men are really enamored with the concept of a "complete" surprise proposal AND ring.
Obviously you know the proposal is coming, but I think his ability to pick out the "forever" ring for you is important to him, as it shows that he knows you and what you like.
What I did after finding PS:
3 page excel sheet entitled For Future Reference:
Page 1: INFO- 4 C's, what is H&A, Florescence, GRADING, HCA. AKA, a quick tutorial on how to find my ideal diamond using the PS search
Page 2: Diamonds I've already found which "fit" the criteria
Page 3: List of settings I like and a little info about settings (i.e. platinum prongs > white gold prongs, platinum=patina, white gold: plated vs. unplated)

Did he look at it even once? No. Was it, in his mind, the equivalent to your 11 page book report? Yes.

Then, very recently, I sent him an excel sheet with just two sheets with only one thing written on both. The diamond I would love and the setting I'm head-over-heels for. He replied, much to my surprise,
"Its a really exceptional stone, beautiful. I like it too. And that's the setting you'd want?
I love you.
- F"

The setting is custom and all of the works haven't been decided yet, so there's still enough room for surprise. Perhaps you could do/find something similar for your SO -- although you know him better than we do!

Good luck!