Soon I''ll show you the ring!

[sparkler29]

Hi everyone! Well, my boyfriend proposed last Sunday under a tree outside the house where he grew up. It wasn''t exactly a surprise (we''ve been together for five years and have been discussing marriage for a long time) but it was so sweet, emotional and special. My ring (for now) was presented in a plastic purple sparkly heart-shaped box and appears to have been purchased at the 99-cent store. He also had a variety of other styles from which to choose (I think it was a multi-pack). My real e-ring is forthcoming. For those who read my previous posts, it''s going to be a cushion cut stone (approx 1.6 carats) with a simple band w/small diamonds on each side. The vendor from which my boyfriend is going to purchase the stone isn''t really known for its settings and neither of us is totally comfortable having the setting made by them. We are now thinking about having the stone set in a simple white gold 4-prong setting and getting a nicely-made diamond setting elsewhere. I''m wondering what you all think of this?? I kind of want to have the ring to wear NOW and I''m just not sure what to do. I''m thinking of going to visit the vendor with my fiance (!!!!) on Tuesday (in the Diamond District in NYC) to see for myself what my options are. I''m actually considering Leon Mege now to create a simple setting...now that I''ve been following Reena''s cushion project!!!

What other jewelers in NYC have quality settings that I can purchase w/o also having to purchase a center diamond? Advice???????

 

[moremoremore]

Congrats to you both! I LOVE the setting you are describing. I'm into a few bead set stones on each side! Leon would be THE MAN. I think he'd be worth the wait.

 

[sparkler29]

MMM - would you recommend I get it set in a simple white-gold setting? Or platinum? Platinum seems wasteful...I'm clueless!

Edited to add: I mean while I'm looking for a new setting...

 

[reena]

congrats sparkler!!! so excited for you. i cant wait to hear what you decide to do.

other NYC jewelers you might want to consider for a custom setting other than leon: mark at engagementringsdirect does custom settings that look very nice; also i've been to (but never used) a nice place over by bloomie's called wedding ring originals. (i think their site is www.weddingrings.com) im sure there are many others too.

good luck!

 

[valeria101]

Congratulations for the wonderful engagement !

It is very natural thta you wnat your ring "NOW"... so, why not let Leon choose a stone? I do not know if he does this, but other private jewelers do - you would get to choose among, say 2-3 already top of the line stones and a decide on the details of a setting. Cushios are not easy to judge for cut - it would be just an added advantage to have some helps with this part.

 

[sparkler29]

Thanks! I'm having fun being engaged, but I DEFINITELY want to replace my drugstore sparkly with the real thing

I think that my BF is going to purchase the stone today!

I'm going to meet him at the vendor's booth to look at the quality of their settings. Most likely we'll decide to have it set temporarily in a white gold 4-prong setting until I decide on the final final setting. Now that Stella posted her new Vatche half-pave ring I have yet another setting to consider. I love that! TOO MANY CHOICES!!!

 

[reena]

tell us about your almost-stone! and which DD vendor are you using

 

[sparkler29]

There are several stones in the running. My BF is being very picky and is convinced that he can identify inclusions in VS stones. I'm much less likely to be able to see them (even with a loupe I have trouble seeing small inclusions), but I'm trusting his judgement since he's buying the stone. I'm going to meet him in a few hours to investigate

The vendor is actually the same one that my mom and I purchased a small (approx .4 carat) stone for a pendant a few years ago (it was fairly random that we ended up at this guy's booth). More recently my friend and I were scoping out cushions and ended up coming back to this vendor, and he showed us a beautiful 1.5 carat cushion. I gave a copy of the GIA cert to my fiance and he's been working with them ever since. This stone is in the running.

I'll share all the info about the stone and the vendor as soon as it's final! Now I just have to figure out how to decide on a setting. Now I like the fifth one down on this page:

http://antiqueengagementrings.com/shopping/shopdisplayproducts.asp?page=2

Sigh...