Hmm, interesting. I guess I never thought of the etiquette getting the ring. But I bet none of your friends have put as much thought into it as you have, so it may be worth a slight breach in the etiquette.
yes, I would definitely tell her. If you just walk into Tiffany's and buy a ring there's not too much backstory. You definitely put a lot of thought into this and I think she would love to know about it (I know I would!!!)
I got this Wednesday via Next Day Air and created an insurance policy with JMI that same day. So it's currently insured and safely secured in a secret place until the big day.
The ring is absolutely fantastic and better than I would ever have believed it could be. I would post pictures, but the proposal isn't for a couple months. I know that you guys/gals that want to see it, but I will not dare take pictures of it because my GF might find them somehow. However, there is a video of it taken by GOG. It's here: http://vimeo.com/19762380
But more importantly, I want to thank the following people:
Users of Pricescope: When the idea of looking for an engagement ring popped up, my tendency to overly research a topic led me to this forum. Here, I met and conversed with many friendly & helpful people that steered me into the right direction. The suggestion to talk to Jonathan at GOG by ChunkyCushionLover was probably the best advice I could have received.
Jonathan at GOG: Jonathan has been a dream come true during this whole process since May of 2010. His expert knowledge and superior customer service is one of the main reasons why I decided to stay with GOG. He instantly knew what diamond I was talking about when I referred to a particular radiant cut that my girlfriend fell in love with. Jonathan's uncanny patience with my constant barrage of inquiring e-mails truly showed me he had one goal on his mind, to get the diamond I wanted (or replicate it) using the resources available to him. He never once pressured me to make a decision that I wasn't comfortable making. He laid out my options and allowed me to choose the path I wanted to take. Because of this, I took the path of creating a radiant diamond cut from rough which would eventually become the diamond in the ring today. The end result is a custom/modified radiant diamond that is hands down, the best diamond I could have ever hoped to purchase with characteristics that would rival any diamond that Tiffany's would sell (which of course is not the best place to buy, but the general public seems to hold Tiffany's in high regard).
Marie at GOG: When it came to finding the setting for my diamond, Marie at GOG has been nothing but helpful. By giving her an idea of what I was looking for, she did everything she could and even contacted the original manufacturer for the setting in which I was trying to match. In the end, after I chose a similar Timeless Designs setting that GOG carried but Marie took that extra step and offered an option to have them modify it. From there we worked aimlessly with sending multiple e-mails back and forth on the design. In the end, I had a custom designed ring that incorporated everything my girlfriend wanted in a ring with none of the flaws.
Again, I cannot put into words how happy I am with this ring. I promise to come back and post pictures as soon as the deed is done. I still haven't come up with how to ask, but hopefully it will be as thoughtful as the time & effort I put into my future fiance's ER.
Umm.. WWWOOOWWW. That is to.die.for. I love it! I am a tad envious. Your girlfriend is so lucky. Clearly, you put so much time and effort into this ring. This is seriously one of my favorite rings I have ever seen on here. i wanna be your girlfriend
Your ring turned out gorgeous! Who wouldnt love to have that on their finger!!! When you do get pics
you need to post over in the SMTB forum so everyone can admire!
How awesome to have a video and an explanation from Jonathan about the stone and ring! I keep looking at it because it's sooooo
pretty!!! She's a lucky Lady--Good job!
Thank you everyone! Everyone's responses so far makes me confident that she'll love it. In the back of my mind though, I'm always worried that she might not like it. I'm just a worrywart by heart.
I'm counting down the days until the actual proposal. I just have to talk to her father first.
The ring is fantastic! We also used GOG - and loved the experience - and I'm sorry I didn't see this earlier to chime in - but you obviously did not need the input with all the experts who helped you here. Congratulations!
Reviving this thread one last time to give everyone the update. The deed is done! She said yes!
In regards to how I did it, we took a week-long vacation to Cancun with her parents last week. I asked for her father's permission about 2 months ago and it was kept a big secret from both my fiance and her mother. During one of the resort's evening events, they closed all the restaurants and had a dinner show that lasted about 2 hours.
I organized my proposal with the activities staff who informed me that I have big huevos ( ). They said that it's Mexican tradition that the to-be-fiance is serenaded by a myself and a mariachi band. Of course they said I didn't have to sing, but I would be present while they serenade her.
When it was time, I told her that I was going to use the restroom. Shortly after, they called her up to the stage. She was oblivious because she signed up for a raffle earlier that day. They made a short speech about love and then a mariachi band marched towards the stage with me following right behind them. After their song, I walked up to her on stage and rambled on about my love for her (it's really a blur because I was so nervous). I got down on one knee and proposed to her in front of over 500+ people. Probably the scariest thing I've ever done.
As promised, I will post some new pictures at SMTB sometime this week. But again, I just wanted to say thanks to everyone for their support... as well as praise Jonathan and the staff at Good Old Gold for making my proposal a success.