shape
carat
color
clarity

Long time lurker, First time poster

Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
Hello All,

First time posting so be kind. I made a promise that as soon as my girlfriend and I got engaged, I''d share my ring buying experience and proposal so it may possibly help others. This all started about 2 months ago a week before Christmas which was also her birthday. She was in a wedding that same week so things were pretty busy for us. I was planning on getting her an engagement ring but had no clue what i was doing. After a many long nights of research I came across pricescope and was so thrilled, the advice and stories that were shared made me feel like I wasn''t going this alone. I knew she liked cushions and the info I got here really helped a lot in relieving my worries. So back to my story, she''s the kind of person that always figures out what I''m planning and takes the surprise out of things so I knew this wasn''t going to be easy. I planned a trip for us to go to Maui and decided this was where I was going to propose. So the wedding happened to be on her birthday, she was busy all day with wedding stuff and I went out to look at jewelery. I didn''t see her all day until the wedding, I just told her I was in bed all day watching ESPN and gave her a card at the wedding. It was really simple, happy birthday, hey I''m taking you to Hawaii for your birthday and Christmas and valentine''s. Needless to say she wasn''t too happy, by the look on her face I could tell what was running through her mind, this creep didn''t put any thought into my birthday let alone roll so many other days that comes with gifts into this one thing. She was angry, and I thought to myself "perfect".

So my search for the perfect ring began. I looked on-line, at local jewelers but nothing really caught my eye. Then I read that Mark and ERD was the man to go see about cushions. I went on his site, saw his video but was so nervous i thought to myself I could never buy online. I was working with a budget of about $10,000 so it was a big amount for me to spend. To make a long story short, I almost bought a ring at a local jeweler, they were really nice but somehow in that back of my mind it wasn''t the right one. So i continued looking. Weeks after week, i went back and forth about buying online then decided I was running out of time so I needed to commit to something. Our trip was in February so it didn''t leave me too much time. Boy, time flies when you''re stressed out and a deadline is coming up. With a little over 2 1/2 weeks left I finally called ERD. Mark called me back the next day. I told him I had 2 weeks, my budget and what I wanted. He promised he could help and by the deadline. A custom engagement ring in 2 weeks, from CAD to mold to finish product, I was thrilled and nervous and skeptical. But everything was in his hands, I had decided. Mark was the nicest guy to talk to. He knew what he was doing, not pushy and was very attentive. 2 days later I was on 5th Ave going to see Mark. I drove from Boston and saw the stone I knew she would love. One obstacle down, a million more details to go.

My design for the ring is a hybrid of a Harry Winston and Tiffany setting. Actually, Mark helped with the Tiffany setting, he has such a good eye for what would look the best you really gotta trust him. The basket that holds the diamond is fashioned after the HW signature setting which has an H and a W holding the diamond up, in my case Our initials were H and M so we had to find a way to flip the W, then pair it with a setting like the Tiffany Novu. 4 days later I got some CAD drawings. It looked chunky and had a few flaws, I called Mark right away. I was going crazy, only had a week before we left for Hawaii. He reassured me not to worry, it was going to look great and be on time, we made some changes. It was too late for me to go somewhere else, I was set on what I wanted. I said to myself, just trust him! Now I have to just wait, which by far was the hardest part. Day after day, sleepless nights one right after another and 2 days before our trip I got an email "it''s ready and it''s gorgeous, call me." I called and he was going to send it to me and I will receive it next day which is one day before our trip. Which was great, except for the snow storm that crippled the mid-west was just starting to hit us on the east coast. I was beside myself, if I dont get this ring tomorrow, everything falls apart. The ring made it the next day, we flew out the next morning. I even packed T-shirts I bought for us that said "Engaged to Him/Her with arrows pointing to each other". Maui, here we come.

sorry but i wanted to make sure this worked so I''ll post this for now while I try to get some pictures ready, can you guys let me know if i posted this right and if I should go on? It''s a rather long story but I promise good pics and ending if you could bear any more of this. Thanks.
 

wishinpink

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 5, 2008
Messages
587
So far I''ve read your entire story, and it''s here. =) You may be posting in the wrong forum, but keep going! I am wanting to hear the rest!
 

babygirl

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Nov 11, 2008
Messages
120
Keep going... I totally want to hear more!
 

rockin11

Shiny_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2009
Messages
169
more please!
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
Sorry to keep you waiting, just had one of those busy weekends, I''ll condense the rest of the story but still keep it interesting.

The proposal was planned for Maui, we had friends in Honolulu so we went to see them first. A married couple and one that just got engaged. We went to dinner and the next day we went shopping. I told her I felt a lot of pressure so we should go check out some rings and maybe think about getting married. That didn''t go over too well. She said she''s rather not get a ring if it''s because I felt pressured. Boy, I was really trying to get myself in the dog house, but it was all part of my master plan. Anyways, that didn''t stop us from going to Tiffany and Harry Winston to look at rings. I told the sales people, we just started and got a pretty nasty stare from my GF. Hey, I was in trouble anyways might as well throw her off my tracks. So I had a pretty good idea what she wanted and was confident she would love what ERD had made me. A couple of days later we were finally headed to Maui for the surprise of her life.

I had told her I reserved a small bungalow at Huelo Point Flower Farm in Maui. A small one room studio but with a killer view and private hot tub, but I had secretly upgraded to the main house which had an even better view and was huge. It had 4 bedrooms, full kitchen, multiple bathrooms, pool and like 4 different decks one of which had a real nice hot tub with direct ocean front view and right in our back yard was a famous "wishing tree". You can read the story if you search online. So that was the place I was gonna propose, right under the wishing tree. The owners were in on it as well so when we arrived they gave us a quick tour and told her we had a surprise for her. We were staying in the main house, when the doors were opened the view went straight through the doors, living room and sliders to the deck right into the ocean. It was gorgeous. As we went to back patio, we were high up on a cliff that looked out to an endless ocean, the view was awesome. Just then a rainbow appeared and the owners were so excited, they just made an excuse and left. I excused my self and went to the bathroom and put the ring in my pocket. When I got back, she was taking pictures and so I grabbed the camera, set it on video and told her we should make a wish together. I set the camera up and we made a wish. Just then she saw some whales and turned around, I got down on one knee and when she turned, she couldn''t believe what I was doing. I told her how much I loved her and that I would take care of her and make her happy. She just kept saying "what are you doing?" She was definitely surprised and in shock. I asked "will you marry me", she grabbed the ring with a kung-fu death grip and I said "baby, you gotta answer me before I can let go", we shared a laugh and she said "yes". The ring looked perfect on her finger. The fire form the ring was amazing she was breathless and still in shock. It was great seeing her so happy and worth every trip to the dog house I made. We told friends and family the next day and spent the rest of our trip in engagement bliss. I hope this story was worth waiting for. I will post pictures as soon as I get a chance, maybe tonight. Just one last thing, once you see the pics, can you recommend a band? thanks.
 

Blackpaw

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 26, 2008
Messages
2,469
beautiful proposal tman, cant wait to see the finished ring, and will be happy to suggest bands to go with
21.gif
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
Here are some pictures of the place and the ring, let me know what you think. This is where we stayed and where I proposed. Kinda faint but if you look there's a rainbow.

rainbow at huelo.jpg
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
It;s a cushion cut from ERD

HandM ring in Hawaii.jpg
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
just a couple more, hope you like it so far

meisflowerandring.jpg
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
flower shot

ringandflower.jpg
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
My initial on this side of the ring, i make her wear it close to her heart

hsideofring.jpg
 

tman415

Rough_Rock
Joined
Jan 23, 2009
Messages
17
her initial on the other side of the ring. The letters are subtle so it was nice. I was initially afraid that it would look cheesy but her friends didnt even notice till she pointed it out to them. They loved that i actually put some thought into the ring. She's gonna kill me cause you could see hairs on her finger, but it was a surprise. By the way, if anyone knows which topic this post would be better suited for, please tell me how to move it. Thanks.

Msidering.jpg
 

jcarlylew

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Jun 27, 2008
Messages
3,899
that is sooo thoughtful! and super unique!!!

love it! what a wonderful story and ring to share!!
 

ImpatientOne

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Messages
1,394
What a beautiful engagement story!!! Gorgeous ring, too!
 

BlueSki231

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Apr 21, 2008
Messages
855
oh WOW the H and M are soooo cool!! what a beautiful ring!!
 

AprilBaby

Super_Ideal_Rock
Premium
Joined
Jul 17, 2008
Messages
13,234
That is the coolest unique ring I ever saw! I LOVE the initials! And your timing was PERFECT!
 
Status
Not open for further replies. Please create a new topic or request for this thread to be opened.
Be a part of the community Get 3 HCA Results
Top