Want to share a ring design I just made...

[anchor31]

I really can''t seem to stay away, can''t I? But things are going better at school for now, some exam results were normalised and my grades went up. Go me!

So, a couple of days ago, since my SO said he''d been looking at rings for Christmas, I sent him a link to that five stones ring I''ve been lusting over (see my avatar). And he had said he couldn''t afford a ring for Christmas, I went out of my way to find the best quality for the cheapest price. I found a .5tcw G/H VS-SI1 for 523 US$ (622 CAN), so I was thrilled!

Anyway, he says it''s pretty (after telling me he bought my Christmas girft and it is NOT a ring

) and it gave him good ideas. But then he starts saying that he could find beautiful things like two dolphins with two tiny diamonds as their eyes!

I show him a classic, simple diamond band design in yellow gold and he talks about DOLPHINS??? Ok, I love dolphins. I study marine biology. But I do NOT want to wear doplhins as my E-ring! I don''t wear fancy jewelry! So I tell him I''d prefer something more traditional, and well, I think it sort of hurt his feelings. He said he thought I liked his original ideas. He does technical drawing as a living and he has an artistic streak and he does have great ideas... most of the time. I try to reassure him that I do like his ideas, it''s just that in this case I''d like something more classic, but he answers that he wants something more artistic and that putting a ring on my finger for the rest of my life deserves some effort. Then he abruptly changes the subject when I try to show him trellis, which in my opinion adds a touch of originality to the five-stones setting. *sigh*

At first I was angry. Can''t he see I''m trying to make things easier for him? I found THE ring I wanted at a great quality for an amazing price! Why isn''t he happy?

And then I thought: He wants originality and art? He''ll get it. And he''s going to have to cough up for it. Not my problem.

Scan coming up next.

 

[omc]

I''m thinking he wants HIS art on your finger.

 

[anchor31]

Original ideas??? Hand-made craft? Effort?! Here you go... He'll be in for his money!

If it could be anything, it would be...

Ring: braided white and yellow gold, constant size (approx. width 3mm)
braid constant size

Prongs: trellis, white gold

Stones: five diamonds RB equal sized
total carat size: .5 tcw
clarity: VS-SI1
colour: G/H

Size: 5.5

A girl can dream...

I wrote all this in French so my SO can read it!

The braiding looks a bit weird from the other angles than the side view. It's supposed to be all straight and even-sized. But I'm not much of an artist; I did my best. What do you ladies think?? If I'm going to wait, it might as well be worth it!

 

[Kim N]

anchor31, that looks beautiful!

I think it would look gorgeous if you had that made. I love braided rings, and I've been toying with the idea myself.

Edited since I saw the answer to my question.

 

[caligal]

DOLPHINS!

What!?

Not good Anchor- yes, put a halt to this now. I thought maybe the story would lead on to say he was just joking... LOVE your design by the way! You can only lead him to water my dear- and sounds like you are doing it in a tactful way...

 

[SoonIHope]

Oooh, the design you drew is beautiful!!!

And NO DOLPHINS!! NO NO NO!!! Make sure you put an end to that train of thought!!!

Also: glad to hear your grades are doing better, and you''re sticking around PS!

 

[snuga]

I knew you wouldn''t be able to stay away! Glad to hear that school is going better. I love the ring you designed, that would be extremely unique and very beautiful, even without the dolphins!

 

[researcher]

Dolphins?!?! He HAS to be joking. Then again, my hubby was thinking I''d like a flower style e-ring because I love daisies so much

Men.

As for your design, I think it could be really nice! I have never seen a braided shank before. Did you have an inspiration ring? If so I''d love to see it!

 

[omc]

ooooooh how pretty!

And call me silly, but the fact that it''s written in French makes me think it''s even prettier! HA!

 

[anchor31]

Thanks! I am so relieved that you understand my horror about the dolphin thing...

researcher - LOL!!! Men indeed. I mean, I understand they want to find something that is special to us and I appreciate that (I''m sure you did too), but there is such a thing as cheesy.

I''ve never seen a braided shank either. I like two-tone, and it just popped into my head. My inspiration ring was a trellis five-stones in white gold I found on the White Flash website.

Yes, I admit, I copied. As I said, I''m not much of an artist, and the multiple views were perfect, as well as the style. That ring with a yellow gold shank and white gold trellis prongs would also make me insanely happy.

See, I''m not really difficult. It''s just... I mean... dolphins?? No, not really. *wince*

 

[researcher]

You are too cute! And I LOVE that ring too! That was the setting I almost went with until I discovered the w-prong wedding band (not yet posted on their site but *HOPEFULLY* is posted here).

Please tell us what your BF thinks of your design!

 

[anchor31]

Date: 11/23/2005 9:07:04 PM
Author: omc
ooooooh how pretty!

And call me silly, but the fact that it''s written in French makes me think it''s even prettier! HA!

LOL! Thank you. I''m very proud of my first language, so call me silly, but I''m touched!

researcher - It''s gorgeous!

Although I do prefer trellis and RBs because I like the flowing look of curves better.

As for my SO''s reaction... I''m not sure how to approach him with this. omc may be right, and he may want his art on my finger, so I''m not sure how to breach the subject without hurting his feelings more than I already have. There is a possibility he will come and visit me on the weekend before Christmas because he''s going on a business trip until December 23rd and he will be close enough to drive up to see me. So... I might just hide the drawing in plain sight on my desk, say I''ve been working on this everytime I had a minute.

Any other suggestions? researcher - As you''ve had a similar experience, to you have any insight?

 

[researcher]

I don''t know your BF, so I can''t really give you advice. That being said, I will anyway

I told my now hubby that, while I thought it was so cute he would want to get me a flower ring, that I would prefer something classic as my e-ring. I said that I would one day love a flower ring as a RHR, but that I wanted an e-ring that would never go out of style, a ring that could become a family heirloom. He thought that was really sweet, and said that he really just wanted to get me something special. I then suggested we pick out the stone together, and while he was skeptical at first he decided it was the best way to ensure I got what I wanted. Maybe you could suggest the two of you sitting down to design a setting. You could then show him your drawing, and ask for his opinions on what to change. You could say things like, "I was thinking we could make the shank a braid of white and yellow gold--what do you think?" or "do you like four prongs per stone or do you think it would look better with shared prongs?". I think that, if he feels involved in the process it will help him feel better about things. Also, if he has a design of his own in mind, maybe he''ll share it with you and you can make modifications to it, or come up with a design that''s a mix of yours and his ideas. Just a thought!

 

[ellewoods]

Hi Anchor.

I love your design! That ring would be perfect for you!

I''m not sure if your boyfriend is serious or not about the dolphins....it''s definitely a wonderful thought since you study marine biology. And it''s unique. But even a very original and creative guy, I would think, goes for something more traditional in an engagement ring.

Is it possible that he''s gotten you something like a necklace with a dolphin pendant, and the dolphin has diamond eyes? Or something similar? Maybe he bought you something like that for Christmas (that''s not an engagement ring) and he was hurt because he thought you wouldn''t end up liking it.

 

[omc]

The French makes me giggle because even though I don''t know any French, I can understand exactly what it says with the puncutation and imagine a girl getting all excited and flustered with her boyfriend, telling him off in French, hehe. I guess love really is the universal language

As for approaching the subject with your boyfriend, I get the impression that it is important to him that it be personal. He may have this idea in his head that he wants to make a design for you that is special so that you will be wearing "his mark" and also so he can show off his desire to do something special for you. I suggest that you use this romantic angle to your advantage. Say that you want a "special ring", different from the everyday engagement ring (as if any ring is "everyday") that reflects both your personalities (even though you really want your dream ring) and suggest that you design it together. Make it seem as if the ring you have designed is unique yet still classic. Make him feel like he helped create the idea in the end. An example is appletini - she did the design herself, but I know her boyfriend feels he played a big part in it because she took him shopping, showed him the rings she liked, and he picked out his favorite inspiration ring and gave opinions. Who knows... maybe your bf really will come up with some additions that make it more special and unique!

 

[Blue824]

I think that design is really beautiful and unique...I''m not sure what I''d think of a dolphin engagement ring. If it was something you really wanted, I''d understand that, and it is really sweet that he wants something to be personalized to your interests though. Hopefully he''ll like your drawings though!

And totally off, but I was proud of myself for being able to read what you wrote in French...and understand it

I''m sort of disappointed in how much my French has gone waaaay down hill!! Even studying in Paris didn''t help much! I''ve been meaning to start classes, but the institute near me has them at fishy times like 9am on Tuesdays

 

[CoutureFemme]

beautiful design! I''m wishing for the best for you!

 

[allycat0303]

Anchor31!

I love your ring design. FRENCH? Are you a Quebec girl? I''m from Montreal, or maybe from Hull Ottawa ,

I think dolphins are cute, my future to be mother in law has dolphin earrings. Her husband bought them many years ago but for some reason, after 35 years of marriage, he is STILL buying dolphins all the time on jewlery. But she doesn''t like them anymore. And feels too bad to tell him

 

[MelissaSue]

That is REALLY gorgeous.. Great design. I hope the boyfriend "Gets it!"

 

[anchor31]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone! I think I will offer that we design it together so we can come up with something I love and he can be proud of. I just talked with my best guy friend, and he said I should talk to my SO as soon as possible, just in case he was planning on giving me a dolphin engagement ring for Christmas, even if he said he didn''t buy me a ring.

ellewoods - I suppose it is a possibility that he bought me a piece of jewelry with dolphins on it that isn''t a ring. That would be lovely, as I said, I do like dolphins. It''s just that I''d want my engagement ring to be something more traditional, and you can''t blame my for wanting diamonds, can you?

I have a friend who wears dolphin rings, and I don''t like them. Earrings or a pendant can be cute, but I don''t like how they look as rings.

allycat - I''m a Montréal girl too!!

From the Laurentians about an hour north from the city, to be more precise. My boyfriend lives on the south shore. I''m studying in university in Rimouski at the moment. It''s not easy to be so far away from home!

It''s funny how the men''s mind works sometimes. "She likes dolphins, so she must want one on her engagement ring!"

But I do understand that he really want to get me something that will be special to me and no one else. However, in this case it isn''t dolphins!

So, keep your fingers crossed for me and hope he does "get it", so we can both be happy with my engagement ring whenever I get it!

 

[allycat0303]

Anchor31!

What a small world! I live on the south shore of Montreal (brossard). I''ve actually been to Rimouski a few times. My boyfriend''s best friend is the goalie coach for the Oceanic de Rimouski. So he headed up there to see Sidney Crosby. I''m a med student at L''Universite de Montreal, I feel so stupid, but I don''t know what university is in Rimouski, can you tell me?

I think you''re ring will be beautiful. Maybe you could just email him the pic and he could have someone make it for you because I''ve never seen anything like that in Montreal (and believe me I''ve looked). I picked out everything for my ring. I really like cats, so I''m sure he would have tried to incorperate that in the design. Imagine a CAT engagement ring, could have been intresting.

 

[anchor31]

Small world indeed!! The uni in Rimouski is the Université du Québec à Rimouski. Believe it or not, I will be applying soon to the Université de Montréal and McGill in case I do decide to transfer (I''ve been considering this since the summer after one term, I have been generally very unhappy in Rimouski so far) next year.

About the ring, I really think I''m going to offer that we design it together so he feels involved in the process. I think what he wants is to be able to say that he created my engagement ring, so I''ll try to let him indulge in his creative ideas, and make sure he doesn''t go overboard. He can create it if he likes, but I have to love the design as much as I love the one I made myself. I want it to be so wonderful in my eyes that I''ll never one to take it off. Designing it together seems like the best solution.

 

[allycat0303]

Anchor31,

Well I think that Rimouski would be hard if your boyfriend is closer to Montreal. I did a bachelor and master''s degree in Biology, so I was wondering if you are actually in Marine Biology? I didn''t know there was a program like that in Quebec, when I was in Biology they talked a lot about Guelph as being the only marine biology program (but maybe that was in English??). In any case, funny that you are considering UdM and Mcgill. I can tell you that the personalities of the two schools are VERY different.

I''m at UdM right now (but I''m originally anglo) so the change has been quite a shock, and the program is HARD no way around it. But I think the main thing about UdM is the CRAZY party atmosphere, even in my program (I think of medicine as conservative, serious, etc.) but we''ve had 3 occasions where the younger class stripped in front of our class

. Shocking to say the least. Something you would NEVER see at Mcgill.

As for the ring, it is possible that your boyfriend wants to surprise you, but the design is incredible, especially the 2 toned gold. In the beginning my boyfriend had a very specific idea of what he wanted to buy me.....and it''s absolutely NOTHING like what I wanted, and what I ended up getting. Sometimes guys need a gentle, but guiding hand

 

[anchor31]

Yes, I am studying marine biology. It''s a Bsc. in biology; marine sciences concentration. McGill also has that option. I also want to apply at UdM in biology; ecology and conservation concentration. I realized last summer while doing an intership for my home town''s administration that what I want to work in is environment conservation, so whether I study in a marine sciences or ecology and conservation concentration doesn''t make much of a difference in the end. I want to apply to more than one university to give myself more options. That said, I haven''t made up my mind yet. I want to go through the year and see if I want to stay or not. I do miss my boyfriend, but I miss home even more. I don''t feel at home here at all. Maybe it''s too far away and too different, I''m not sure.

Anyway, I will try to be the gently guiding hand.

I''m not exactly sur how I''m going to go about it, but I''m working it out. Thanks.

 

[valeria101]

Date: 11/24/2005 7:33:53 PM
Author: anchor31

Anyway, I will try to be the gently guiding hand. I'm not exactly sur how I'm going to go about it, but I'm working it out.

Hm... tell him you HATE surprises - well, it wouldn't even be too wrong, since chances are you will hate this one

If you might need a persuasive example (and source) or braided rings...

There is a sort of braided ring on this page

But true braids (made of intertwines wires, not cast to look like it, are uncommon artizan work. Not necesarily extremely expensive, and mostly custom. Five-stone trellis settings can be found 'off the rack' - the braiding work could come from the same guys who did these:

from Peter Indorf

and Gene Davies & Talisman

Between the two, I would expect prices to be vastly different.


Best of luck with the school choice! Rings are not nearly as important... just allot more fun

 

[anchor31]

Wow, thank you! Do you have a link for the first ring you posted?

 

[valeria101]

Yes

LINK

 

[anchor31]

Thank you!!! The twisting is exactly what I have in mind, but in two-tone.

 

[bedazzled101]

I love your design...did you ever think of incorperating a little of his idea...I was just messing around with it...i thought this might be an option for you...hope you like it...

 

[anchor31]

Well, that certainly is interesting! Thanks for sharing! I can''t believe how helpful you ladies are, you''re amazing!