RECAP: My Appointments in NYC

[jfus]

So today was the big day where FF and I went into NYC and met with a friend of the family who is a jeweler and Mark at ERD...

well the update is....

We picked a ring from Mark at ERD! and I can''t wait!

This is what I got...

Cushion Brillant
1.27 H Si1

I don''t remember anything else but sparkles! But all I can say is that this stone took my breath away!


the recap of the dismaond search adventure....

The first place we visited was sorta SHADY.. it was a relative of a family friend they had about 5 stones for us to see.. a few around 1 carat and then a 1.51 G, VS1 and 1.54 H Si2
Both the 1.51 and the 1.54 were VERY impressive but there was one thing that was bothering me... they were EGL.. I figured I"d sit on it.. ALso the settings (Tiffany Legacy-ISH... they were already casted.. so they were going to squish the diamond into the setting and make it fit..that ALSO bothered me


A few hours later we were sitting with Mark. He presented 3 stones ALL GIA all within in our budget.. a little smaller then the 1.5''s but the one i picked really SPOKE to me! As soon as he pulled it out I was leaning way over FF to get a good look at it.. while he pulled the other two out.. I was still staring at the one I already marked with my eyes hahah..

So an hour later we told Mark we will get back to him soon and we were on our way down and FF said he would call mark later and give him the go ahead but then realized we didn''t size my finger! So we went back upstairs got my fingy sized and told Mark to move ahead with the order!

I am getting a modified version of the Marla on ERD"s site.. and I can''t wait!!!

 

[DMBsGirl]

oh my gosh! so exciting! did you take any pics at mark''s?

 

[jfus]

You know? I didn''t even think of it!.. we were so blinded by sparkles we forgot to get my ring size let alone pictures..

Maybe I"ll ask FF if Mark can send a few pictures. I know my mom would love to see some haha..

 

[LadyJ76]

Congratulations!! Can''t wait to see some pics!

 

[LadyJ76]

jfus - Question for you.... how long did Mark say it will take to set your stone? I''m curious b/c my bf & I are trying to make a ring and official engagement happen all within a little over two weeks time (while he''s home on military leave) so I''m wondering if it''s feasible if we decide to work with Mark. I imagine he must be a busy guy....

 

[jfus]

Hi LadyJ76

Defintely call/visit Mark.. He told us 3 weeks. HOWEVER...

I am having a modified version of the Marla made.. instead of prongs on top I will have a millgrained bezel.. So I assume he has some sort of casted piece of the marla and then will make some modificated..

Now Mark told me 3 weeks..whether or not my BF gives it to me when it comes is a different story. My bf told Mark he was going to hold onto it for a few years!

Date: 10/24/2007 3:53:07 PM
Author: LadyJ76
jfus - Question for you.... how long did Mark say it will take to set your stone? I''m curious b/c my bf & I are trying to make a ring and official engagement happen all within a little over two weeks time (while he''s home on military leave) so I''m wondering if it''s feasible if we decide to work with Mark. I imagine he must be a busy guy....

 

[LadyJ76]

Your design sounds gorgeous! I HOPE your bf was joking about waiting years

I''d go nuts if I knew it was done, but not on my hand! As my grandmother would say, "You must have the patience of a saint!"

I too am a fan of the Marla but I can''t decide if I would change anything about it. I have a feeling we might have to get something simpler to cut down on wait time though. Thanks for the info! Don''t forget to post pics...it''s gonna be a beauty!

 

[jfus]

My bf is big on making me crazy! But I do a good job with doing it back to him. We are jokester''s...Wait years my tush! We also purchased a house together that is being built and the plan was to get engaged and married around the time it''s done.. so I can''t see it being too long!!! I HOPE!!!

You know.. I never thought I''d like the BEZEL look... but I tried on one of the Ritani Endless loves that had the bezel and I loved how "SAFE" the stone felt on the ring. I have been known to be a little rough on my hands so the idea of no prongs to snag on anything makes me happy..and I really loved the look with a millgrain edge on the bezel!

At any rate speak to Mark. I have read on here that he has a lot of contacts and has gotten people Ritani settings and basically set the stones once those came in. He is in the diamond district and has access to so much! So maybe if you dont go with a Mark T. Collection setting you can go with something more basic and it can be done really fast!

Did you say you were going up there soon???

 

[surfgirl]

jfus, I read your post and I'm so glad your stone found you! I had the same experience when I saw "my ring" I just knew it. Your pulse started racing, didn't it? And you felt a little sweaty and overly excited, like you'd drank way too much caffeine, right?!? That's the best feeling! SO exciting!! I think the rings/stones find us, not the other way around...So congrats on finding the right guy AND the right stone/ring! Cant wait to see it.

 

[LadyJ76]

jfus - We''re planning on going towards the end of November or early December. As soon as my bf gets his leave dates finalized, I''ll be on the phone to make an appointment with Mark (which reminds me....maybe I should put him on speedial...jk)! I hope I have the same type of experience as you and surfgirl where it "finds you". I wouldn''t mind if I ended up with a simpler setting either. I just thought it would be nice to jazz it up a bit.

Congrats on the house too!

 

[jfus]

Surgirl it was funny.. my stone was on the right side of my bf... I was sitting on his left.. Now BF is 6''4 and I am 5''2 I was leaning all the way over him as soon as Mark pulled out "THE ONE"... bf was kinda nudging me back.. haha. BUt the pulse did race and it''s still racing!!!!

Lady...
All I have to say is DO IT UP. Get your dream setting!!!! The Modified Marla to me is my dream setting..some girls are all about putting all the budget into the stone and then say oh I can upgrade later.. In my mind I said I ''m going to do it now.. I want the stone and the setting NOW lol..I don''t think I will ever want to upgrade.. I know people say "shrinkage" sets in.. but I am pretty sentimental.. I have a hard time throwing out movie tickets stubs from the few movies I have seen with BF! (he hates the movies!) haha... So to give up the stone or setting he will give me.. haha well you get the idea.

I am really excited to see what you decide on doing!

 

[LadyJ76]

jfus - You are SO right. I''m going to stay positive and hope that Mark will be able to work with our time crunch. Thank you for the encouragement!

Unfortunately, we''ll have to wait a bit longer though...my bf was just told today that he probably won''t have leave until mid December ....that makes it 10 months since we''ve seen eachother

(staying positive, staying positive....). Here''s something funny though....you and your bf have the same heights as me and my bf

 

[jfus]

LadyJ that is crazy! I always thought we had a very unique height combo haha..

Well your bf has been gone as long as I have been with my bf! Crazy right? We moved fast but it''s just so right..

I have posted a little before on here that I met BF on an online dating site about a month or so after I had broken off an engagement to the "wrong guy"... I signed up on the site on a whim and obviously it turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me. Oddly enough BF and I grew up a town away from one another and had some mutual friends at one point or another.. Funny right?

Where is your BF stationed? How long have you been together.. Well maybe now you can do a little more research for you DREAM RING...Are you close enough to NYC that maybe you could narrow down a stone without bf?

I think I went into things with a really clear head.. not with too many "restrictions" on what I wanted. The best piece of knowledge I kept remembering was that was to "trust my eyes".. that''s what I did. I have no idea what the table % or depths were on my cushion.. I just know I loved the sparkle it gave off... I think that''s why it was so easy for me to pick one.

Date: 10/26/2007 11:36:00 AM
Author: LadyJ76
jfus - You are SO right. I''m going to stay positive and hope that Mark will be able to work with our time crunch. Thank you for the encouragement!

Unfortunately, we''ll have to wait a bit longer though...my bf was just told today that he probably won''t have leave until mid December ....that makes it 10 months since we''ve seen eachother

(staying positive, staying positive....). Here''s something funny though....you and your bf have the same heights as me and my bf

 

[LadyJ76]

You are not going to believe this....I met my bf online too! LOL This is getting wierd. We''ve been together for almost two years and he''s stationed in Kansas (originally from Queens, NYC) but deployed in Iraq right now. I live in Queens now too and work on 47th street 2 loooong blocks away from the diamond district so you can bet I''ve been doing my research! I even take a subway line that''s kind of out of my way just so I can walk through the DD (although most of the stores are closed by the time I get there). I have to go for now...I''m about to go have 3 wisdom teeth removed...what a great way to start the weekend!

 

[jfus]

Hah LadyJ you are cracking me up..

wow frequenting 47th street my head would spinning everyday!!!

I worked in the city for 4 years.. on 57th street and then down in the village but I was commuting from central NJ. I hated it and I am such a Jersey girl! So 2 years ago I found a job in Princeton with a company that just moved there from Midtown.. IT was my dream come true.!!!
So now I have a 20 minute commute instead of a hour and a half commute..

So our trip into the city on Monday made me feel like a tourist again. I remember how I would dart out and cross the street when the light was red.. dodging cars so I could get to where I was going.. No more.. I am a chicken now..Haha..

 

[jfus]

I forgot to add hope you are hanging in there and feeling ok after the teeth coming out!!! just think BLING BLING..and it won''t feel so bad

Date: 10/26/2007 2:29:13 PM
Author: LadyJ76
.I''m about to go have 3 wisdom teeth removed...what a great way to start the weekend!

 

[LadyJ76]

jfus - You have me LOL...well, ouch, trying not to LOL too much because it hurts! Actually, I''m feeling pretty good considering all of the wisdom teeth horror stories I''ve heard. As for crossing the Manhattan streets, have you ever tried crossing Queens Boulevard? There''s a real challenge! My mom stayed with me this weekend while I was recovering and the joke was that I would have a t-shirt made for her that says, "I survived Queens Blvd". She lives upstate where there''s only one streetlight in the whole town so it was an adventure for her.

Anyway....only about 2 more weeks until your ring is ready!!!

 

[Delster]

LadyJ good luck with the wisdom teefs! Miscka and I have been through it recently - there's a couple of threads on here about it - and I promise you'll be just fine!

jfus any chance of a link to where we can see the inspiration for this ring? Your excitement is contagious, it's really sweet!

 

[jfus]

LadyJ I''m glad you back. I was wondering how you were doing this weekend. Mom''s are a good thing!!!

Never crossed Queens Blvd...been out that way and I can only imagine haha.. but the streets in NJ aren''t much better.. That''s why I am always in the car haha..

So any word when the BF will be back? I know you said maybe December? Any more research on the ring either? Yesterday I spent the afternoon with a friend who is also getting engaged soon. I''m trying to convince her to visit Mark. She has her heart set on a 1.5 F VS1 solitare.. but her budget is proving to be tight. I told her to drop the color to G and clarity to VS2 and let Mark do his magic.. We will see..


Delster my ring is inspiried by the Tiffany Legacy... but if you visit engagementringsdirect.com and look under the Mark T. Collection the ring I am getting is like the Marla but with a Bezel around the stone instead of prongs...


1 week down... hopefully 2 more to go

 

[LadyJ76]

Delster - I seem to be surviving without my wisdom teeth just fine...I''ve had a headache and been a little feverish the last few days. Other than that, I feel great...and I love the drugs the doc gave me....best sleep I''ve ever had! Can''t wait to get the stiches out though!

jfus - I should know the exact dates my bf will be home by November 15th but I''m thinking it''s going to be mid-December. I just hope it doesn''t clash with any vacation time Mark might take for the holidays

Sounds like very good advice to your friend. I plan to pretty much trust Mark''s judgement. My main priority is the cut quality...other than that, as long as it faces up white and eyeclean, I''m happy. As for the ring research, I''d really love to get my hands on (or should I say...."get my finger in") a halo-style ring to try on. I love the way they look but have never seen one on myself so I have no idea if The Marla is going to work for me. Sounds like it''s time for another trip down 47th St...

Have you heard from Mark on the progress of your ring at all? Any design pics?

 

[ringster]

congrats jfus! sounds beautiful.

not sure if you are willing to share this info (or if you are even privy to it) but do you know the table/depth, polish, symmetry info on your stone? and the approx. price? i am looking for stones and trying to compare ERD with some local sources.

congrats again!

 

[jfus]

Hi Ringster.. I actually do not remember all the specs..

I THINK...

now this is from memory that the L/W/D was around 6.80 x 6.40 x 3.93 but I could be wrong... I think the stone faced up larger then a 1.27..

but that''s all I really remember.

I''m not sure if there are rules regarding pricing on pricescope but I know my bf gave Mark a budget that he was looking to keep the stone and setting price within. Mark actually came in $500 lower. At one point when I pointed out the stone I was interested in he opened pricescope on his computer to give us a price. So if you are looking for a rough idea on prices I''d look on the price search on pricescope, once you figure out your budget give Mark a call. He was really a pleasure to work with!

GOOD LUCK!

 

[jfus]

HEY LADYJ... I am glad you are feeling all happy and fun

Nov 15th isn''t that far away.. Maybe shoot Mark an email and see if he has any vacay plans?? Although the holiday''s are the high time so I would think he would be around.

As for trying halo settings... GIRL get your booty over onto 47th street. They have "marla" like settings everywhere! I didn''t go into any of those shops.. I actually went to Fortunoff in NJ and tried on a bunch of settings.. and then my friend and I went and tried on some stuff in Bailey Banks and Biddle.. just for FUN...

As for an update. I have no idea. BF is sitting next to me on his laptop.. on his "message boards" but for trucks haha.. and I read your question out loud and he just looked away haha.. Hmmmm I wonder.. but as far as I am concerned 1 week is down.. and less then 2 more to go!

Your guess is good as mine.. maybe I can give you his e-mail and you can find out??? haha

 

[LadyJ76]

jfus - LOL....yea, give me his e-mail and I''ll come up with a scam to get the info out of him somehow!! JK....I don''t think I want to mess with a guy who''s 6''4" anyway!! haha Besides, deep down you know you really want to be surprised instead. Seeing that beauty for the first time is going to take your breath away

Tomorrow''s friday...sounds like a good day for a 47th St lunch break

 

[jfus]

How you feeling LadyJ?? Can I say I am so jealous.. I wish someone would let me loose on 47th street! I just got home from BF''s house we went food shopping for him and I bought a copy of INstyle Weddings.. he didn''t even flinch.. haha.. And he just send me a "bride and groom" on facebook.. not sure if you are familiar with "facebook GIFTS" haha it just cracks me up..

All I see around me is everything weddings!!!! I''m seriously becoming OBSESSED.. I am also exhausted because I have been hitting the gym like a mad woman..I was up two mornings this week at 5am to make a 6am spinning class, and tomorrow at lunch I am going to take a boxing class. I have been a weight watchers lifetime member for almost a year now and I am determined to keep the weight off for that white dress and maybe lose another 8-10lbs haha.

Well you have to let me know how the window shopping goes at Lunch. I just remember seeing a store almost at 47th and 5th.. if walking towards 5th it was on the right side of the street.. it was just about at the end of the street and tehre were a TON of halo''s in the window.. and one similiar to the Marla.. I can picture it now!

Alright girlfriend.. have fun!!!

 

[ringster]

thanks so much jfus ! can''t wait to see your ring when it is completed and you get it!!

 

[LadyJ76]

Hi jfus! Congrats on the weight loss! Stay positive and keep up that motivation. I''m working on that these days too since my bf hasn''t seen me in about 10 months. I want his jaw to hit the floor the moment he sets his eyes on me

I can''t handle that spin class stuff though...it''s a killer! More power to ya!

It''s never too early to start planning the wedding you know so do spoil yourself with a bridal mag every now and then. Don''t forget to watch Bridezillas and Platinum Weddings too! I noticed that they tend to do Bridezilla marathons on Sundays. However, your bf may be cool with a wedding mag here and there, but several hours of wedding tv may make him twitch a little...hee hee

Oh! I did take a trip halfway down 47th on friday, but I still have yet to find the right style of halo to try on. They all seem to be the ones that are "flat" and sit right on your finger and most of them are princess or round with a round halo (I like the round with a squarish halo). I think I''m just going to wait to see what my options are when we get around to seeing Mark.

Happy Monday!

 

[jfus]

LadyJ! How are the chompers feeling? I Hope better..

I''ve been a gym rat.. and my body is paying.. no pain no gain or weight loss right?? haha.. white dress white dress white dress haha.. I keep telling myself that.

So it''s been 2 weeks since we placed the order with Mark.. He said 3 weeks. BF has made no mention of anything and anytime I bring it up he COMPLETELY IGNORES ME!!! So I have to try and be patient.

Oh we have done a few episodes of Bridezillas on a Sunday.. BF gets really made when I scream "bridezillas" like they do on the show haha.. but it''s become a joke now.

Hmmm about those settings... What do you mean completely flat?? Like not going up to the stone or sorta raised up?????

Have you seen this thread?

https://www.pricescope.com/community/threads/round-stone-in-cushion-y-square-halo.42681/


Make sure you bring pictures to Mark because his place is just an office.. he did not have any settings to show me.

I think you need to re-visit 47th street hehe

 

[LadyJ76]

Hi jfus! The chompers are doing well...I think. I have another appointment with the surgeon tomorrow b/c I think he may have missed a piece of one of the teeth

I REALLY hope I don''t need to have it removed...just when I thought it was all over....

I actually hadn''t seen that thread you posted so thanks for sharing. What I meant by "flat" was where the halo is flush with the top of the stone and there isn''t much of a head so the whole thing seems to sit flat on the finger. Not sure if that makes any sense. I feel like "Goldie Locks" where I can''t seem to find one that''s "just right"

Thanks for the advice on bringing pics to Mark...I didn''t realize he wouldn''t have any settings. I have a feeling we may have to buy the diamond from him and have it set elsewhere. We really want to be engaged in the first week my bf is here so we can spend the rest of the time celebrating with friends & family before he goes back to Iraq.

Guess what......YOU''RE ALMOST IN THE THIRD WEEK!!!!!! I really hope he proposes soon after. I''m so excited for you! And I know the rest of PS would love love love to see your ring too!

 

[jfus]

LadyJ I really hope no more chomper surgeries!!! I''ll keep my fingers crossed for you!

Yes almost 3 weeks.. and BF is tormenting me now.. we are suppose to get our parents together to meet possibly next weekend for dinner.. It''s still up in the air.. but he hasn''t said much about what is going on.. he just proceeded to torment me wtih things like.. ERD is out of business or Mark hasn''t called me back.. or the website is gone.. This is very much how most of our relationship goes though.. we like to give each other a hard time lol.. But not about the RING!!! haha..

So as far as settings go.. yes Mark is just in an office. Not a store.. Even if you get the stone from him that is good! But maybe he can direct you to someone with a setting that is already made.. I''m still lost about your halos... lol.. Bezeled halos obviously need custom work..but a pronged one may be best for you.. Show me some pictures!!!!

On another note.. work is slowly winding down before the holidays. I keep finding myself more and more on these boards and on the knot.com. I have even started to design some sort of Monogram for me and BF

he is well aware of this though! I am a graphic designer so by nature I always like to "design things" haha..

Let me know when you''ll need one