Fairy Tale Story. Thoughts?

[please_help]

Well, I never thought I''d be writing under the "Proposal Ideas" section but nevertheless, I am happy to see what you guys think of this idea. My girlfriend (soon to be fiance =P) has been nothing short of understanding of my current financial situation. At first she wanted a 1ct engagement ring but due to some hardship she has requested a ring from Niwaka. The Knot ring to be more specific. Unfortunately, the Niwaka branch in New York closed and the branch in Japan does not offer international orders. Now the ring she wants from Niwaka is $1,100 which is A LOT less than what she was originally expecting and she even suggested that I go to a ring designer to get the Knot duplicated. But with my girlfriend lowering her ring standards, I want to be able to at least give her the ring she always wanted from Niwaka. So I am considering flying out to Japan to purchase the ring and fly back to California and was thinking of taking pictures so i can put together a little story book in the adventure I had to go through to get her ring.

I know the idea of flying out to Japan to purchase a ring is a bit over-the-top but I felt like the least I can do for my girlfriend is get the ring she always wanted. I know going to a designer may be cheaper but it will never be as perfect as the original.

Any thoughts or comments would be great. On another note, does anyone know how long it takes on average to receive the ring upon purchasing it?

 

[cinderella0290]

i think your heart is in the right place. she seemed to be worried about finance and it seems like she went through a great effort to find a ring that she loves but will also be affordable. It seems to me that buying a ring from japan and then flying to get there would cost the same as if you got her the original 1ct. she wanted (i may be completely off but it was just something that popped into my head reading this) or getting one duplicated. and i was also wondering how you would explain a random trip to japan to her ?

if the money isn't an issue in the traveling respect then why not buy the ring she wants and take her with you to japan to pick up the ring/propose to her there ? then you can still take pictures and make a book of your adventure together on the road to proposing.

i think the how long the ring will take depends entirely on the ring. that would be something you'd have to ask whoever you purchase the ring from.

just a few thoughts i had while reading this. hope it helps !

 

[ProjectVala]

Sounds like a great idea but have you considered going through a shipping forwarding company? They can often buy the product for you, have it shipped to their Japanese address and then will re-ship it off to you in CA, all for the fraction of the cost of flying there and back yourself (plus you won''t have to explain why your flying to Japan and back. Plus you won''t have to sit there and wait for Niwaka to make the ring for you

I know you said that you wanted to take pictures etc etc but maybe if you get the shipping forwarder to purchase the ring for you you could use the saved money to make the proposal part of the plan even more special like an expensive hotel vacation or big night out on the town or something. This way you get the original ring you want AND the extra money to spend on her. Just a thought

 

[babygirl]

What a romantic idea! I''d second the shipping forwarding company idea and Cinderella0290''s concerns. Unless you work for an airline, wouldn''t the cost of a trip to Japan/hotel there more than double the cost of the ring? You might as well get something a little smaller than one carat for the time being and then upgrade in the future.

That said, it''s a beautiful ring, so if she''s that attached to it, I''d try to get something similar-look into getting something custom made here in the states. I don''t think that flying to Japan to buy a 1500 ring is very practical (especially if tight finances are the reason for a scaled-down ring) and would probably think my bf had lost his mind for doing so

Also, in Googling the company, it looks like they filed for bankruptcy last April. If I were you, I''d look into that and what it potentially might mean for your soon-to-be-fiancee''s ring. If you want to upgrade/work with the jeweler in the future, wouldn''t it be easier to work with someone in the US?

 

[please_help]

thanks for all your feedback! i appreciated every single one of them. Guess I was one-tracked minded when I was planning this out lol.
Turns out, I have a contact in Japan and I''ll be going through her to help me out in purchasing the ring Guess that will save me a trip and money in flying to Japan

Thanks again for all your thoughts! Now I just need to think of another proposal idea lol

 

[Bella_mezzo]

Sounds like a great plan as long as all your legal bases are covered with having a contact help you with the purchase.

Best of luck!

 

[please_help]

It''s coming!

Niwaka finally finished my ring and will be on it''s way from Japan soon. Hopefully I get it by the end of the week!

 

[PumpkinPie]

how exciting - good luck with the proposal!

 

[Bella_mezzo]

good luck! come back with hand shots

 

[dinamit]

The ring is absolutely stunning! I love how it fits with the band too. Whilst I appreciate the beauty of a well cut diamond, for me it was always more about the ring. So I would be perfectly happy to wear the Niwaka set without feeling that I lost out in any way.

Your girlfriend will be thrilled, well done in making her dream come true!