Buying my girlfriends engagement ring in next few days

[Lula]

Congratulations!!!!!! Have a good trip to PA. Post pictures when you get back!

 

[stone-cold11]

Congrats.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Thanks! Should be done in a week I presume.

Total cost - $1,920

I went a little over budget. Man I started at 1,200 bucks then as time went on and I learned more and more I determined that it took 1900 to get what I was after.

I am confident that everything will happen as it should. Now I have to figure out how to sneak away to her parents to ask for permission to marry their little girl!

 

[Lorelei]

Congrats Matt!!!!

 

[winelover23]

Matt, I''ve been keeping tabs on your quest and I just wanted to say congrats! Your future fiance is a lucky lady! Can''t wait to see the bling!

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Thanks Winelover! Lorelei, were you happy with the idealscope image of this stone? It seems that everyone else was and I thought it was excellent (from my very limited knowledge).

Where I am doing this presents an excellent opportunity to video tape this on my digi cam. I may do that and post it here after the fact if she says it is OK. You won't be able to hear anything because the waterfall but you will be able to get the jist. Hopefully we get a little more rain so the water keeps flowing or my idea is shot!

 

[vespergirl]

Beautiful stone - can''t wait to see pics!

 

[TripleG]

Way to go arcticcatmatt! You chose a great diamond and a great place to come and ask for help. My FI (Fiance) looked for almost a year off and on to research all the facts about diamonds and was finally able to settle in on Blue Nile as all the BM (Brick and Mortar) stores were horrible places to go to and inflated prices.

I think your lady will also be not only amazed by the diamond but the fact of all the research that went in to it showing how much you care about her and the quality you are giving her. That is what impressed me so much about mine that my FI took the time to figure out all this information on something I wasnt even educated on or had prior interest on. Now after joining this site I am hooked!

Let us know how the proposal goes and definitely please post pictures of the finished product!!

 

[treefrog]

That''s great news Matt! I think you''ll both be thrilled in the long run. Which setting are you going with - the local one or is JA doing one for you?

Treefrog

 

[Luckyeshe]

Congrats, matt! She''s going to love it!! What a lucky lady! Good luck on asking her parents for their blessing!! And I can''t wait to see the actual ring when it''s finished!! Don''t forget to post hand pics after you propose!!

 

[audball]

Hey! Back from vaca....glad to see you went with James Allen!! Please come back with pics of the ring and handshots when she says YES!!!

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Date: 8/18/2009 4:43:20 PM
Author: treefrog
That's great news Matt! I think you'll both be thrilled in the long run. Which setting are you going with - the local one or is JA doing one for you?


Treefrog

Thanks! I went for this setting from JA in white gold
Setting

I asked them to match the side diamonds color to the G that I have selected and I also asked them to set the stone as low as possible in the setting as she likes the low setting diamonds vs. tall setting.

Look at you guys/girls come out of the woodwork haha. I love it! Thanks everyone! I have a great macro on my digi cam. I will be sure to take great quality pictures. I even have access to a microscope camera that I might play with to see what that can do with a ring. It is at work, I will play with it after hours if I can get her to take the ring off her finger for a day after she gets it haha. That will have to wait a little bit I am sure! She has waited almost 4 yrs for it.

I just redid our kitchen as you know and I had to buy a lifetime hunting license last night due to huge NY price increases at the end of the month, she was there and said "I am glad you got a lifetime to save money... but I am afraid that was my engagement ring

".. I said "Don't worry, I am saving, I will be able to buy one soon I hope".. she is used to hearing that and still doesn't think I will ever buy one.

Ring is supposed to be delivered to a fed ex about 1.5-2 hrs south of here in PA on tuesday of next week. I will go tuesday or wednesday to get it on back roads on my motorcycle then hopefully within a few days get her to go hiking with me to the waterfall that I showed earlier that was one of our first dates while getting to know each other. I will plant it in its case in a zip lock bag under a rock by the base of the falls and somehow get her to pick that rock up. I will have to be tricky about it.

There will be no problem asking her parents, they are expecting it and like me alot.

Amandas father is a vietnam vet that is not in the best of health and minus one leg. Her biggest fear is to not be able to do the father daughter dance at her wedding, she crys when thinking about it in worries that he will not be around. Needless to say it looks like that worry of hers will be erased with a smile.

Eileen called me 20 mins ago to finalize the order and pay. Lucky amanda did not see the caller id! I snuck into the basement and finished it up. She came down and I had to pretend I was talking to my dad. Eileen laughed and had no problem with it. It was kind of funny. Hopefully Darin doesn't call me after 6 like he is supposed to. I emailed him .

Amanda is on the other couch showing me cheaper rings from JA that she likes (she thinks I can't afford the one she picked out. Little does she know I bought the one she already looked at and tossed out the .4 diamond she picked out and threw in the beautiful .64 ideal!). I am sure she thinks I am still saving up and it will be a few months and even doubting that I will pull the trigger.

Can't wait! I can't thank you all enough for helping educate a n00b in this. I sincerely appreciate it!

 

[coda72]

Just read your story, and I had to comment. It''s great what you''re doing, but please, please don''t hide the ring under a rock! Something could happen to it from the time you hide it to the time you propose.

 

[MatchMadeInCarbon]

ccongrats! here''s my 2 cents (since; I''m weak in the technical rock department- I''m happy to contribute somehow)

I agree with Coda / too risky & I wonder how you''ll get her to pick up the rock (you could do it instead though). Plus the ziplock might make the motions... less-smooth, for lack of a better term.

BUT, it''s your moment (as well as hers) & I read about how special the location is to you two. As I''ve thought of similar situations, where hiding might be necessary, I thought of having a trusted friend/relative waiting at the location in advance to watch over the ring. That person could be close to your ff as well (to share the moment), perhaps her father? Also, if a nice DSLR with telephoto lens or nice camcorder is available, he/she could capture the whole moment too! He/she would have to stay well hidden of course.

good luck & congrats again!

MMIC

 

[arcticcatmatt]

I should have been more specific. I would put it under a small rock when her back is turned This location is an hour north of us. I just thought of the zip lock so water would not get into it right there.. but I hear what you guys are saying.

I am trying to think of a good way to give it. I don't want to just pull it out of my pocket. I want her to discover it. I joked a few times in the past month about her finding it (like it being hidden in the wall). Then we did the kitchen and she thought it would be behind that wall haha.

DSLR camera is out of the reach of us but I have a great 10mp kodak with 10x optical zoom lens (great camera but big of course). Her dad can't be there, slightly extreme hike to get down to the falls and he has one leg. I have set up the camera on a tripod there before to take waterfall pictures. I can do that and she would not suspect a thing.

I finally found a picture of us from our first trip there!! This is where I started to fall for her (I know this isn't diamond related.. sorry forum admin/mods but people are sorta into it

) Oh, and I do NOT wear an earring anymore.. I was in dating mode and thought that is what women wanted haha

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Oh man, we had a close call. Amandas sister emailed me 5 mins ago. Amanda called her and talked to her about me. She said I am acting weird and that I lied about walmart calling and my dad calling (I complained to walmart the other day about something).

Earlier the phone rang and I got it. It said james allen jewelers on the phone caller id! I went into the basement and came back and told her it was walmart then my dad beeped in. I then went and erased the caller ID of james allen from both phones! Good thing! She went thru the phone and saw that walmart did not call. She asked me if I would ever cheat on her and of course I said no way. She then told me about the caller ID and asked me to explain it. I showed her how my dads number was on it but did not tell her that it was from the other day! And I showed her how walmart did not show up on the caller ID when they called the other day (she doesn''t know it but it did not show up because the answering machine got it).

Phew!

 

[TripleG]

You guys are so cute! Her ring finger looks ready for that gorgeous ring you picked out. I LOVE that setting. Her fingers do look petite so its going to look perfect on her hand. I concur with the others on the ziploc baggie thing that just made me instantly picture a poor beautiful diamond being swept away by water. I''m sure you will come up with the perfect position for it. That just hit me like the start of a bad story on the news of how someone lost a ring lol (you know youve heard of them, proposing on top of a rock and the diamond falls- ack!).

As for her being curious of whose calling you this will all end up being a funny story by next week. My best friend had a situation where she was on the phone with me crying because her now husband hadnt proposed and didnt want to talk about it (because at the time he had already bought the ring and was planning to propose). So she waited one more week and he finally did it. So Im sure your future FI will be so amazed and love the ring. Safe travels on going to get the ring and remember we want pictures!

 

[JenniJ]

Hi Matt -

I came across your thread today and couldn''t stop reading. Congrats on finally finding the ring! My FI was acting very, very strange the day before and day of his proposal. It was kind of odd because it seemed like he was avoiding me all of a sudden and we were on vacation with his family! So try your best to act normal...

Anyway, just wanted to remind you to insure the ring as soon as you can, maybe even stop in your insurance company on the way home from PA. Just in case something does happen! I freaked out a little a few hours after our proposal when I realized that he had been traveling all over the country with an un-insured e-ring.

Jen

 

[Lorelei]

Date: 8/18/2009 2:02:57 PM
Author: arcticcatmatt
Thanks Winelover! Lorelei, were you happy with the idealscope image of this stone? It seems that everyone else was and I thought it was excellent (from my very limited knowledge).

Where I am doing this presents an excellent opportunity to video tape this on my digi cam. I may do that and post it here after the fact if she says it is OK. You won''t be able to hear anything because the waterfall but you will be able to get the jist. Hopefully we get a little more rain so the water keeps flowing or my idea is shot!

Yes Matt, definitely happy with the IS image, I think I missed commenting because it was on the other page but its a great image!

 

[Lula]

Sweet story, Matt, about your gf thinking that you can''t afford a ring (and the earring doesn''t look so bad, IMO). Your gf is going to be so surprised.

 

[treefrog]

Ah... the plot thickens! It always does. She already busted you looking at diamonds so I''m not quite sure why she is freaking out. It''s natural, I guess when it appears to her something is going on and she isn''t in on it. Fortunately, the phone calls and diamond searching on the internet should be pretty much done at this point. I can see why you didn''t want to wait too long - it''s getting tougher and tougher by the day! Glad the sister is in on it.

As for the proposal, if you look in the Proposal Ideas forum, there''s a thread... I think it''s titled something like "She said yes". The guy set up his camera, put it on the timer, watched the light, and pulled the ring out at just the right moment. You may want to read about his strategy. She wouldn''t ''find'' the ring as you planned but you''d capture the perfect first reaction photo with the waterfall behind you.

Treefrog

 

[siamese3]

I just read this whole thread and it was so sweet, I teared up!! Good luck to you!! I am sure she is going to be over the moon with both your proposal and the beautiful ring you have picked out. I can''t wait to see pics of that gorgeous ring on her finger!!

 

[arcticcatmatt]

Thanks for the replies!

It is getting tougher and tougher every day. I need to figure out a way to go visit her parents without her 30 mins away at night and I need to figure out a way to get the ring without her knowing what I am doing. I think I have that figured that out (going to get a car part!) but the parent one is proving to be tricky. I think I am going to tell her I need to run to the hardware store after work somenight and zip off on my motorcycle.

She was showing me rings and stones last night.. she always says "not to bring it up again but this ring fits your budget and I like it.. also if we do get married some day what do you think about this place?".

She has talked about it for a year non stop. I perked her interest 2 months ago when for once I stopped with her to look at rings for the first time. Now it has increased 10 fold. I told her to lay off and dont'' mention it anymore and that is the only time it will happen. So she is VERY cautious to bring up anything related to it.

Reason I told her to lay off is because my rule is it has to be a surprise. This time next week, I will still be listening to "look at this, look at that".. then I will finally get to say "look at this".

I called my homeowners today. They do NOT cover the diamond if it falls out. He told me that I bought it at a crappy place if they will not cover the loss of the center diamond if it falls out. If it falls out, it is bad craftsman ship of the ring (according to him and my coworkers that are into jewelery). Why doesn''t JA cover the center stone if it falls out. I am worried.

 

[Lula]

What???? Your homeowner's insurance told you bought it at a crappy place??? I would tell that agent where to put it and I'd take my business elsewhere. It's not his job to judge where you buy your jewelry, unless there's some reason for him to suspect fraud. That's outrageous. Even jewelry from high-end stores, like Tiffany's carries with it some risk for a stone falling out.

 

[arcticcatmatt]

^ He said "where did you buy it?". I said "James Allen".. He said "Oh, some cheap place. Every place I have delt with covers it. My 1/2 carat fell out 2 weeks ago, nowhere to be found, one of the prongs came loose. I took it back to Kay Jewelers and they fixed it free with a new free diamond. It was covered under their plan".. then told me about how I needed to shop at kay jewelers.

I want to know why a guy was wearing a 1/2 carat diamond.

 

[cara]

It is NOT *only* bad workmanship that causes a stone to fall out. Sure sometimes the reason is bad workmanship but sometimes it is wear and tear on the ring over time and without maintenance to correct it, and sometimes it is a sudden blow to a ring. Or sometimes it is a combination of factors - you slam a door on the ring and it gets loose and out of round. Instead of getting it tweaked back into shape right away you keep wearing it and one day the stone is gone - is that really bad workmanship? Of course some ring designs will be more susceptible to damage or stones falling out so it is a tradeoff. Some people like 4-prong heads even though 6-prongs is safer. Not everyone wants to wear a bezel-set stone in a beefy band. Pave is generally delicate and will simply not take the same level of abuse as a plain band even when the pave is of the highest quality. But their are many women that will deal with replacing a small pave stone once in a blue moon because they like the look.

Those places like Kay's that offer workmanship/lost stone guarantees have huge strings on their programs - like you must take the ring in for inspection every 6 months FOREVER and if you miss one check then the "warranty" is void. The programs are a headache mostly, because they give people a false sense of security. Regardless of whether or not your vendor offers one, you ALSO need insurance in case you flat out lose the ring, it is stolen, etc. Should the vendor really be responsible if you go lose the ring or get robbed? You need those things covered, unless you want to self-insure. Find a different company. I have Chubb for jewelry coverage, but it is a more expensive policy because it is cash-out rather than replacement in the case of a loss. Maybe someone can recommend a different company if you just want a basic insurance.

Oh, btw, beautiful ring and nice work on the stone! Your girl will hopefully be thrilled! Don't make her wait too long.

 

[Lula]

Groan

That explains it. He has a Kay''s warranty on his jewelry! Sheesh.

Ignore his stupid comments. If you want a rider on your insurance for your ring, he should be able to figure out how to sell you one -- though I have my doubts, given that he buys his diamonds at the maul!

 

[arcticcatmatt]

I agree.. and I am confident that thanks to you all I know more about diamonds than him.

 

[audball]

Date: 8/19/2009 9:37:08 PM
Author: arcticcatmatt
I agree.. and I am confident that thanks to you all I know more about diamonds than him.

That''s what we like to hear

 

[Luckyeshe]

Matt! You two are such a cute couple!! I''m so happy for you in regards to your purchase and your future together! Very sweet story about how you started to fall for her and the moment you realized it! As for getting insurance on your diamond, you need to get it independently appraised and then shop around for jewelry insurance. I can''t remember which one my ring is under since my FI took care of it. My ring is covered for lost, theft, damage, and flood and our deductable is only $250. If anything happens my ring is covered for the appraisal value which is a lot more than actual cost! Good luck on your proposal!!!