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She said Yes in Kauai!

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Scotty

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Feb 8, 2007
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After reading all the great advice here on Pricescope, I proposed to my girlfriend in Kauai last week and she said yes!

My journey to the perfect ring for my girlfriend started at B&M stores here in Seattle. The B&M stores were a great way to narrow down the types of rings she liked, but I didn’t find them a great way to shop for diamonds due to lack of objective information beyond very basic 4Cs.

I’ve seen many questions here on PS about whether a man should surprise a woman with a marriage proposal. Although we had talked about the possibility of marriage and each of us had said we wanted to spend our lives together, I still wanted to surprise her with a proposal. However, I really had no idea about the type of ring she would like. We casually browsed through the ring collections at some local stores, which helped narrow down the focus. Learning more about all the different types and styles of rings, I eventually decided I wanted her to have something that would be perfect for her. All that said, I eventually told her that I wanted her to look at a few rings I thought were nice.

We liked many of these rings, but none were quite right. Luckily, we happened upon Mark Patterson. As soon as we saw his rings online, we knew we found the perfect ring. We just needed to see them in person.

Meanwhile, I had narrowed my choice of diamond vendors to Good old Gold and Whiteflash. Both provided great information online and I was satisfied based on information here that both would provide a great diamond at a fair price. In the end, I decided on Good Old Gold both because they had the diamond I was looking for and because I liked the somewhat more personal service they can provide as a smaller store.

I would echo all of the very positive comments on PS about Good Old Gold. Everyone there was extremely helpful over the phone. There was never any pressure to buy. Price information is transparent. There is a wealth of detailed information about each diamond for sale. I rarely have what I would consider a “perfect” buying experience with any business, but I give Good old Gold my “perfect” rating!

Meanwhile, we found a local B&M store that sells Mark Patterson rings. We were very excited to go to this store and try on the rings. The sales staff there was very helpful in showing us the rings and measuring her finger for size. At this point I was ready to buy the ring from the local store and the diamond from GOG.

Enter the Internet Diamond Tax. When I told the saleswoman at our B&M about my intention to buy a diamond elsewhere, she nicely asked if she could tell me about some of their diamonds. I was open to this but told her I was fairly set on buying the diamond elsewhere. We discussed a few options and she told me she’d call me in a couple days with a price quote on the ring (Mark Patterson makes each ring to order for a specific diamond).

When the B&M salesperson called me back, she gave me a price on the ring, and also mentioned a $350 setting fee. Of course, the B&M store wasn’t setting the diamond, Mark Patterson was. Long story short, she told me this fee was “store policy”, or in my opinion, the “Internet Diamond Tax.” In addition to the $350 “setting fee,” I felt the salesperson was pushing me to buy a diamond from her. At this point I decided I would not work with this store.

So my challenge became buying a ring from Mark Patterson through a reseller (he doesn’t sell direct) when the store I would not work with was the ONLY store in Seattle to sell his rings.

Luckily, I found Deb at Borsheims in Omaha. One call to Deb and she knew exactly what ring I wanted, had a great relationship with Mark Patterson, and assured me she was happy to work with a diamond I purchased elsewhere.

Deb was true to her word. I was leaving for Kauai in about 3 weeks. I hadn’t even purchased the diamond yet. Deb assured me if I could get the diamond to her right away, she would have the ring to me in time for Kauai. So I bought the diamond from GOG and had it sent to Borsheims. Borsheims appraised it, and sent it to Mark Patterson so he could create the ring.

I purchased insurance from Jeweler’s Mutual for the setting and the diamond, even though both weren’t together yet. JM was easy to work with and supported this scenario. I would definitely recommend working with them as well. Having the diamond and setting insured separately allowed me to feel better about allowing it to be shipped FedEx, which was critical for my timeline.

There were a few snags along the way that put pressure on the timeline, but Deb made it all happen in time. Without her WAY above the call of duty actions, the ring wouldn’t have been done in time. She kept me completely informed all along the way, even when the news wasn’t always good (delays…).

Deb at Borsheims really took a personal interest in our story. She was very encouraging along the way, and I could feel her excitement growing as the ring came together. When we hit a snag in the production process, I could also feel her disappointment and worry along with mine. Honestly, although Deb is halfway across the country from me, I trusted her completely and felt better working with her than I did with anyone locally. If anyone is looking for a B&M, try Deb M. at Borsheims. We’ll be buying the wedding ring(s) from her as well.

I got the ring on Wednesday in time for our Saturday departure. I carried it in a money belt all the way to Kauai and stored it in the hotel safe until I proposed.

I proposed to my beautiful girlfriend at a nearly deserted Waimea Canyon in Kauai on a beautiful sunny day overlooking the gorgeous canyon and the blue Pacific Ocean. She said yes and I had prepared another traveler to take a picture shortly after.

We are both so happy and can’t thank Good Old Gold, Deb at Borsheims, and Mark Patterson enough. Thanks also to everyone here on Pricescope for providing the information I needed to make this all happen.

Pictures below....

 

Scotty

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
12
Finger shot

jring 007_small2.jpg
 

Scotty

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
12


jring 005_small.jpg
 

Scotty

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Joined
Feb 8, 2007
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Grainy but wanted to show the unique detail on this ring

jring 004_vsmall.jpg
 

Moosejaw

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Premium
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May 14, 2003
Messages
287
Great story! Congrats. You didnt mention about the proposal or her reaction!
 

Siamese Kitty

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Feb 3, 2006
Messages
909
wow, it''s beautiful! congratulations
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whenharrymetsally

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Mar 21, 2007
Messages
471
Beautiful ring! and Congratulations on your engagement!
 

bling*diva*

Ideal_Rock
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Jun 17, 2005
Messages
4,026
~~The ring is stunning!!!! Congrats!!!
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MiniMouse

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Nov 30, 2004
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Wow Scotty, congratulations, the ring is gorgeous. Now how about specs? Yes, we know GOG sell fab diamonds, but would love to know details of that white stone, it''s stunning. All in all a beautiful ring which you must be very proud of.
 

Maisie

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Dec 30, 2006
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12,587
Congratulations Scotty! I really enjoyed reading about your experiences.
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mrssalvo

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Jan 3, 2005
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congrats scotty, it''s gorgeous.
 

jcrow

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Aug 8, 2005
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7,395
wow!! that is one stunning ring! the diamond! the setting!!!!!
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please please post more pictures!
 

Catmom

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Apr 6, 2005
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12,414
Congratulations on your engagement!! The ring is gorgeous and looks so beautiful on her hand. I''m so glad you were able to find a different seller for your Mark Patterson setting!!
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curlygirl

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Apr 9, 2005
Messages
2,637
Wow, gorgeous ring! So glad you had such a good experience. Congratulations!!
 

NYCsparkle

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Joined
Jul 23, 2006
Messages
1,371
what a beautiful ring and proposal.
 

Dee*Jay

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Mar 26, 2006
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15,104
The ring is just beautiful! Congratulations on your engagement Scotty!
 

FireGoddess

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Jan 25, 2005
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Congrats!!! It looks gorgeous on that dainty, sparkly band!!
 

sunshine14

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Joined
Jul 2, 2005
Messages
247
Sounds like you gave her a proposal to remember!

Beautiful ring! Congratulations! It is truly stunning.
 

dani13

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Nov 12, 2004
Messages
6,183
Beautiful story and ring!! Congratulations to you and your new fiance!!!!
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Kaleigh

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Nov 18, 2004
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29,571
Congrats Scotty, the ring is just gorgeous!!! I loved your proposal story!! Best wishes to you both!!!
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Ellen

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Jan 13, 2006
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24,433
Simply beautiful, congrats!
 

Apocalypse

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Mar 10, 2007
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What a lovely proposal!!
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Tacori E-ring

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Aug 15, 2005
Messages
20,041
It is beautiful! Congratulations!
 

iheartscience

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Jan 1, 2007
Messages
12,111
That is a gorgeous ring! I love the dainty pave band. Congratulations on a beautiful ring and proposal!
 

diamondseeker2006

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Premium
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Jan 11, 2006
Messages
58,547
Beautiful ring!!! Congratulations! And thanks for the detailed report on your buying experience!
 

kcoursolle

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Joined
Jan 21, 2006
Messages
10,595
Beautiful!!! I really like the setting, it''s so delicate and pretty. Congratulations on a lovely proposal and engagement!
 

Scotty

Rough_Rock
Joined
Feb 8, 2007
Messages
12
Thanks everyone for the very kind words! I figured out how to take a clear close-up shot that shows some of the detailing better.


jring 007.JPG
 

Scintillating

Brilliant_Rock
Joined
Aug 10, 2005
Messages
1,192
Cool ring!

I have to confess I''m kinda partial to this style.
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Congratulations and good job!

Scintillating
 
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