Leon Mege: Cushion Brilliant, 2.01, 1.10 ratio, G, VS2

[Blinginator]

I''ll try to attach my e-ring notes/instructions I sent to Leon when I get to my work laptop tomorrow. Hopefully it''ll help others in their search.

I never even met Leon when he did my e-ring, I only spoke to him over the phone and he was able to create a beautiful ring based mostly on my notes. Only thing he wasn''t able to do was insert an emerald on the inside of the band. Neither he nor I could find a small enough emerald to insert. So it wasn''t necessarily that he couldn''t do it, we just couldn''t find an emerald small enough.

I did finally meet Leon in person and he resized the ring for us gratis. He did mention that he always tries to emphasize that the exact ring size should be given when he makes the ring but I assured him it was, except that my GF''s finger lost some girth . He was still great about it. We talked a little about our wedding bands and he showed us some of his current stock and gave us potential ideas.

 

[Blinginator]

Date: 7/11/2009 6:20:54 AM
Author: tradergirl
Wow, that is lovely! I agree with you btw regarding pricing of those two West Coast vendors - both are overpriced and you'd think they'd 'get it' considering the buyer pool is greatly reduced - but c'est la vie. I love the French cuts.

Not only were they overpriced but I louped their work and I found SS to be pretty subpar--perhaps it was just the display pieces with all the excessive handling. 23rd St had really quality work but much more expensive. I didn't get a chance to loupe Leon's work prior to having him make the ring, I just research nearly every single Leon on this forum and knew that his quality was just as good as 23rd St if not better.

Also, 23rd St is terrible with responding to emails. Ari at SS is great though, very helpful. Just my two cents on them, please don't get offended if you head a different experience with either of those vendors

 

[Blinginator]

I proposed in Brazil on April 23. My GF was flying down there with her family to visit her older sister and brother-in-law. I knew she thought I was planning to propose sometime soon, and she really thought I was going to do it during our trip to NYC in May but I knew she would never think of me popping the question in Brazil.

I totally surprised her by showing up in Brazil, and it was perfect because her whole family was there. I had her sister and brother-in-law, and her parents in on the surprise to help plan for it. As soon as they arrived at the house we were renting, my GF’s sister’s husband led my GF around to the little guest house telling her there were pretty flowers there—she’s a sucker for flowers. The GF was so tired from the plane ride that she didn't expect anything at all. Then my GF’s brother-in-law was like, oh it's too bad that Blinginator couldn't come too. And my GF was like, yeah he was sad he couldn't come. She then walked down these stone steps to find the flowers and then I popped out from behind some bushes with a big diamond ring shaped balloon(a little inside joke with us), a ring box and a bouquet of flowers! I asked her which one she'd prefer, this huge rock (ballon) or the little ring (the cushion).

Balloon: http://www.simplyweddingstuff.com/enri37bigshb.html?utm_source=enri37bigshb&utm_medium=shopping%2Bengine&utm_campaign=gshopping

I had arranged for my GF and her little sister to get manicures the day that they left for Brazil (I thought she would want her nails to look good for photos of the ring!). My GF’s mom had to come up with a reason why they had to get manicures... she said that their Aunt had paid for the appointments because she wanted to do something nice because my GF’s mom let her stay out her house that week. It was really funny because neither my GF nor her little sister really wanted to get a manicure that day! So her mom had to insist that they use the manicures or else they would go to waste!

By the way, the town we stayed at was gorgeous:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campos_do_Jordão

It's very Swiss-esque and we were able to rent a huge 5000 sq ft house with amazing views of the town for only $1000 USD per night, and that came with two caretakers that would cook and clean for you. It turned out really well with amazing food, weather, accommodations, etc.

So on top of picking out the flowers and balloon, her brother-in-law and I got her an engagement cake and some traditional Brazilian wedding treats for after the proposal. I also got her some wedding planning books to read on the flight back, subscribed her to all the bridal magazines and got her an ultrasonic cleaner.
And surprisingly the proposal was all planned only several days before I caught my flight. It all started with an email from LM because once I read that email I immediately thought of proposing in Brazil instead of NYC.

April 16, Thu: Got an email from LM asking to confirm engraving. Immediately thought of the idea of flying to Brazil since I knew my GF was leaving on April 21, Tue. I assumed the engraving would take one day and then LM would ship overnight. I confirm engraving and ask if it will ship by Monday.

April 17, Fri: Email from LM, saying all engravers are out due to Passover. Crap. There goes my Brazil idea. I call my sister to get her thoughts, she said her husband didn’t have a ring when he proposed—he had a substitute and then they went shopping. So the thought of the ring waiting for my GF after her Brazil trip wouldn’t be that bad. I call my GF’s parents, ask permission then ask her mom on her thoughts of a substitute ring; she basically had the same story as my sister and assured me that a proxy ring would be fine. I call my GF’s sister, tell her my idea and she said she’d be glad to take me shopping in Sao Paulo for a proxy ring. I start online shopping at Sundance, my GF’s favorite jewelry store. I found two potential proxy rings; I buy them and ship them overnight. I buy a flight to Sao Paulo departing the afternoon on April 21, Tue.

April 20, Mon: I receive the proxy rings. I also get an email from LM. Ring is complete! But I leave Tue and they can’t ship it out until Tuesday morning. I call my GF’s mom and ask if I can ship it to FL for her to take it to Brazil since she doesn’t leave until Wed night from FL. Shipping details all worked out—LM ships ring on Tue for arrival on Wed afternoon in FL.

April 21, Tue: I take my GF to the airport in the early morning where she catches a flight out to FL to fly with her family to Brazil the following night. I catch a flight later that day.

April 22, Wed: Arrive in Sao Paulo, go shopping for flowers—guess where the flowers are? At the cemetery! Also go shopping for the e-cake and e-treats. Drive to Campos that night, 2 hours from Sao Paulo. GF and her sister get manicures. GF's mom receives ring.

April 23, Thu: GF and family arrive to Sao Paulo then drive to Campos. GF's mom secretly passes ring box to GF's older sister who passes it along to me hiding in the guest house. The rest of the story is above! The end!

I want to thank fellow PS'er Charmypoo for giving me a second opinion on the cushion. I don't think I would have gone with the cushion without a non-biased second opinion from her. And thanks to the rest of the posters here for being so helpful during this process. Hope my experience comes in handy for the next ring buyer.

 

[whitby_2773]

very beautiful. a dream ring.

 

[Blinginator]

one hand shot...

 

[Blinginator]

two handshot...

 

[Blinginator]

closer #2 shot

 

[vip0802]

i think i just drooled! the ring is absolutely STUNNING and i''m totally in love with those french cut diamonds! you did a fantastic job and congratulations to the both of you on your engagement! i''ve just added the ring to my "favorites" folder!

 

[DMBsGirl]

absolutely gorgeous! congratulations!!!

 

[emilina22]

oh wow your ring is gorgeous!!

 

[DiamanteBlu]

Lovely!

 

[OUpearlgirl]

It''s incredible... What a gorgeous stone and beautiful setting!

 

[bebe]

hey bling, Leon tried to flush set my family''s birthstones inside the shank, but could never find natural stones that small.
Sounds like you had the same issue. We ended up using 4 tiny diamonds to represent my family.

Glad you were able to get it resized. Beautiful ring. I love the French cuts, just love them.

 

[litebrite]

Love Love LOVE the french cuts. I really like the contrast with the cushion. excellent job!

 

[dani13]

So pretty!!! Congrats on your engagement!!!!!

 

[kittybean]

Beautiful, beautiful ring! That cushion is lovely, and I love the French cuts with it. It looks so elegant on her hand!

 

[04diamond<3]

Date: 7/13/2009 1:31:27 AM
Author: Blinginator
two handshot...

Love it!!! That ring is just gorgeous!!! I love it! It looks so perfect!!!

 

[Kelli]

Um. Wow. I thought it was stunning when I saw just the first pics. After seeing the handshots, there are no words.

 

[UCLABelle]

Oh my god. Pure perfection, I just love Leon Mege''s work!!!! And this ring is just another example.

 

[wolftress]

Wow. I love the contrast between the french cuts and the cushion. I love the claw prongs. I love the milgrain. This is absolute perfection!!! And your fiancee has beautiful hands! Congratulations

 

[dragonfly411]

another beautiful cushion! I love the setting too!

 

[PinkTower]

Bling,
The ring is lovely. You did a very good job, and you sure know how to keep a secret!
A couple questions, if you do not mind:

Do you happen to know the width of the band?

And,

Could you give the size of the french cuts?

Thanks for sharing your ring.

 

[jill_s]

What a great proposal story and beautiful ring! How thoughtful of you!

 

[Stone Hunter]

Picture #3 that''s my favorite!!! LOVE LOVE cushions. TFS!

 

[Luckyeshe]

What an awesome proposal!! So glad everything worked out for you to be able to do it with her engagement ring!!

You did an awesome job on the ring

and the fabulous surprise!!

 

[Carey]

Congratulations! This is quite possibly my absolute favorite ring on PS! You did good! And I found Leon to be reasonable when I requested a quote, too! Hopefully, someday I''ll get a Leon, too! Enjoy

 

[Blinginator]

Date: 7/16/2009 2:24:11 PM
Author: Pink Tower
Bling,
The ring is lovely. You did a very good job, and you sure know how to keep a secret!
A couple questions, if you do not mind:
Do you happen to know the width of the band?
And,
Could you give the size of the french cuts?
Thanks for sharing your ring.

The band is 2mm and I''m not sure of the size of the French cuts but the ct weight was roughly 0.4ct.

I have a PDF of my notes I sent to Leon but I can''t attach them because it''s over 100kb.

 

[Lilac]

That ring is stunning and looks so beautiful on her hand!!!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Beautiful! Congrats.

 

[ChemGeek]

Holy crap! This makes me want a cushion cut now!! yummmmy!!! Love the double-claw prongs too!!