victoriouslegion
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Mar 11, 2012
- Messages
- 33
Hi all,
I had Mark Turnowski of ERD [ http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/ ] make two eternity bands for me over the past several months. The significance of this, and the reason why he was the only jeweler I asked to make the ring for my special person, is better with a story. It is also why, if you have exacting taste yet want incredible value -- and want it right the first time, Mark Turnowski @ ERD is my go to jeweler.
The eternity band is a gift because my girlfriend was with me when I was sick, and when a lot of people turned their backs on me, she didn't. And now I'm better, a lot better, and I wanted to thank her. I'm an incredibly specific person -- I am a senior executive by day for a venture backed company in Seattle whose known for unrelenting precision, and I am also a huge value shopper. I want the best for the best price. I don't want to feel stolen from, and in exchange, I offer unabashed praise for those retailers who do right by me, period. I hope the significance of this story somehow helps explain the amount of faith I put in Mark to deliver for me on time and for someone who was there for me during one of my most troubling periods.
For further background on this ring giving, Mumford and Sons is our favorite band -- in fact, when I was sick and she was taking care of me -- we listened to them frequently. If any of you know anything about Mumford and Sons, you know their message is one about hope but not at the cost of truth. That's where we were at. Truth. Hope. Perseverance. A little bit much, but hey, this is price scope, and we give jewelry because it's meaningful.
Well, we listened to this song -- Ghosts that We Know, a lot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlxZVp0aLW0
For those of who you have been sick and have someone by your side who says and does: I'm never leaving you. They are with you when you are frustrated, on tilt, whatever. They forgive you your trespasses. They sit there patiently as you're impatient with how you're doing. Some folks after they recover say no more than a meager thank you. Others want these generous people to know they are appreciated in no uncertain terms. She had a chance to leave me, she didn't. She never asked me for a thing. So in the spirit of Mumford and Sons, I won't forget, and I wanted to show her.
Mumford and Sons played in just one location this year. Los Angeles, CA -- Hollywood Bowl. I'm fron the Northwest, so I'd have to fly us down, buy us tickets to the sold out show, and still somehow find a way to make this incredibly intelligent woman think we were going to Disneyland instead. So that's what I told her. We're going to Disneyland!
I grew up in the house of a CEO at a major company and a strict but protective and generous authoritarian in the city. She grew up on a farm in eastern Washington and paid for her own schooling through grueling weeks at laborious jobs. She'd never been to Disneyland and she was excited.
So we flew down to Los Angeles and the day of Disneyland came. And I told her just before it was time to walk up the hill to the Hollywood Bowl... sweetheart, we're not going to Disneyland. She is such a sweetheart, just the tiniest look of disappointmant flitted across her face, then she looked up sweetly and said, that's okay! But right after that I said, we're going to Mumford and Sons, and her eyes grew wide. Really!?
Still, she had no idea where we were sitting. 16,000 seats... but we entered the stadium at the middle point. Those familiar with the Hollywood Bowl know that there's a center partition between all the box seats and the general seating. I took her there, pulled out the video camera and asked, are you ready? She nodded.
I cleared the second security check, and asked her, wouldn't it be awesome if we sat in one of these [ the box seats about 150 feet from the stage ]. She nodded excitedly. Well I said, let me look for our seats. And I wandered around the box seats, closer and closer to the stage, pausing to search among seats I knew weren't ours.
After the box seats, there is the pool Circle. You have to clear another security check point. Her eyes grew wide.
In the very front of the pool circle, there is one more security clearance for the front two rows of then entire show. Her eyes grow wide... no way. She can't believe it. Now remember, this is a very strong, patient, brilliant woman not easily surprised. She was there with me when I was sick and being difficult and angry at the world. She refused to leave. Stuck by me. And part of what helped us stay strong was a very hopeful, very honest, message of endurance from Mumford and Sons.
The final security clearance happens. She's overwhelmed. And he escorts us to the very center of the front row. My sweetheart, the one who refused to abandon me when many had, would have the very best seats of the entire Hollywood Bowl. I won't forget. Better than David Beckham and Ethan Hawke and the host of other celebrities there in Los Angeles that night. And she deserved it.
In addition to those seats to Mumford, I wanted to give her a ring. Not an engagement ring, a thank you ring. And there was only one jeweler I trusted to do the task right. I couldn't have one okay stone among the set. I want the whole thing up to the standards I have held for myself and something that would show her how much she meant. I also didn't want to barter on price or have them start at some ridiculous price -- which has happened to me repeatedly in prior purchases I couldn't have one misstep. I had to have perfection for my sweetheart. so I went to Mark Turnowski @ ERD. Period. He delivered and the ring is unbelievable. More pictures of it later.
Thank you for letting me speak transparently and thankfully on here. For additional endorsement of Mark Turnowski, as we speak, he's sourcing a 1.5 carat and a 3 carat, F, VS1, 59%+ table, Exc. Exc., no fluorescence diamonds for a relative and one of my investors.
before the concert overlooking the hollywood bowl -- before she knew
at the concert, no zoom on this whatsoever.
my band and her band. 10 carats of F/G VS Exc. Exc. Stones
I had Mark Turnowski of ERD [ http://www.engagementringsdirect.com/ ] make two eternity bands for me over the past several months. The significance of this, and the reason why he was the only jeweler I asked to make the ring for my special person, is better with a story. It is also why, if you have exacting taste yet want incredible value -- and want it right the first time, Mark Turnowski @ ERD is my go to jeweler.
The eternity band is a gift because my girlfriend was with me when I was sick, and when a lot of people turned their backs on me, she didn't. And now I'm better, a lot better, and I wanted to thank her. I'm an incredibly specific person -- I am a senior executive by day for a venture backed company in Seattle whose known for unrelenting precision, and I am also a huge value shopper. I want the best for the best price. I don't want to feel stolen from, and in exchange, I offer unabashed praise for those retailers who do right by me, period. I hope the significance of this story somehow helps explain the amount of faith I put in Mark to deliver for me on time and for someone who was there for me during one of my most troubling periods.
For further background on this ring giving, Mumford and Sons is our favorite band -- in fact, when I was sick and she was taking care of me -- we listened to them frequently. If any of you know anything about Mumford and Sons, you know their message is one about hope but not at the cost of truth. That's where we were at. Truth. Hope. Perseverance. A little bit much, but hey, this is price scope, and we give jewelry because it's meaningful.
Well, we listened to this song -- Ghosts that We Know, a lot: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlxZVp0aLW0
For those of who you have been sick and have someone by your side who says and does: I'm never leaving you. They are with you when you are frustrated, on tilt, whatever. They forgive you your trespasses. They sit there patiently as you're impatient with how you're doing. Some folks after they recover say no more than a meager thank you. Others want these generous people to know they are appreciated in no uncertain terms. She had a chance to leave me, she didn't. She never asked me for a thing. So in the spirit of Mumford and Sons, I won't forget, and I wanted to show her.
Mumford and Sons played in just one location this year. Los Angeles, CA -- Hollywood Bowl. I'm fron the Northwest, so I'd have to fly us down, buy us tickets to the sold out show, and still somehow find a way to make this incredibly intelligent woman think we were going to Disneyland instead. So that's what I told her. We're going to Disneyland!
I grew up in the house of a CEO at a major company and a strict but protective and generous authoritarian in the city. She grew up on a farm in eastern Washington and paid for her own schooling through grueling weeks at laborious jobs. She'd never been to Disneyland and she was excited.
So we flew down to Los Angeles and the day of Disneyland came. And I told her just before it was time to walk up the hill to the Hollywood Bowl... sweetheart, we're not going to Disneyland. She is such a sweetheart, just the tiniest look of disappointmant flitted across her face, then she looked up sweetly and said, that's okay! But right after that I said, we're going to Mumford and Sons, and her eyes grew wide. Really!?
Still, she had no idea where we were sitting. 16,000 seats... but we entered the stadium at the middle point. Those familiar with the Hollywood Bowl know that there's a center partition between all the box seats and the general seating. I took her there, pulled out the video camera and asked, are you ready? She nodded.
I cleared the second security check, and asked her, wouldn't it be awesome if we sat in one of these [ the box seats about 150 feet from the stage ]. She nodded excitedly. Well I said, let me look for our seats. And I wandered around the box seats, closer and closer to the stage, pausing to search among seats I knew weren't ours.
After the box seats, there is the pool Circle. You have to clear another security check point. Her eyes grew wide.
In the very front of the pool circle, there is one more security clearance for the front two rows of then entire show. Her eyes grow wide... no way. She can't believe it. Now remember, this is a very strong, patient, brilliant woman not easily surprised. She was there with me when I was sick and being difficult and angry at the world. She refused to leave. Stuck by me. And part of what helped us stay strong was a very hopeful, very honest, message of endurance from Mumford and Sons.
The final security clearance happens. She's overwhelmed. And he escorts us to the very center of the front row. My sweetheart, the one who refused to abandon me when many had, would have the very best seats of the entire Hollywood Bowl. I won't forget. Better than David Beckham and Ethan Hawke and the host of other celebrities there in Los Angeles that night. And she deserved it.
In addition to those seats to Mumford, I wanted to give her a ring. Not an engagement ring, a thank you ring. And there was only one jeweler I trusted to do the task right. I couldn't have one okay stone among the set. I want the whole thing up to the standards I have held for myself and something that would show her how much she meant. I also didn't want to barter on price or have them start at some ridiculous price -- which has happened to me repeatedly in prior purchases I couldn't have one misstep. I had to have perfection for my sweetheart. so I went to Mark Turnowski @ ERD. Period. He delivered and the ring is unbelievable. More pictures of it later.
Thank you for letting me speak transparently and thankfully on here. For additional endorsement of Mark Turnowski, as we speak, he's sourcing a 1.5 carat and a 3 carat, F, VS1, 59%+ table, Exc. Exc., no fluorescence diamonds for a relative and one of my investors.
before the concert overlooking the hollywood bowl -- before she knew
at the concert, no zoom on this whatsoever.
my band and her band. 10 carats of F/G VS Exc. Exc. Stones
Both sad and happy tears! but still.... just incredible. You are such a thoughtful person...the planning of all this to surprise her! AND she must be such a strong person. your rock. I just love your story, I wish you the best of health and happiness in the future! 
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