Here''s the log of my journey towards engagement over the past couple of months. I thought my future fiance would get a kick out of it after I propose in a couple of days, and also thought some of you folks would appreciate the ups and downs of the search for the perfect stone and ring. Reading this site has been a huge help in narrowing down the selection of our perfect ring, thanks!
middle Dec - choose diamond pendant for xmas present, think about when to propose. start researching diamonds on line, find pricescope, etc. So much information to digest!
early Jan - pick a date?: 1 yr dating anniversary is 2/27 ,but that would be too predictable! no idea what to budget yet - range is wide open.
Don''t think she would like too big / too much attention from the ring . Need to find best quality. should be primarily driven by size and visual quality . I visit some stores to get an idea of color, clarity, sizes . Tiffany, Derco, Willow Glenn, JoeE are best in area. JoeE had best selection, but new guy was badmouthing internet, really wanted commish on stone. WG person was great, educated me on stones with examples, etc. Derco was OK, not confident in their setting skills as emphasized speed over quality look at some settings, what does she like? ring size - trace some of hers on paper.
decide can go as low as G, prefer F+ and VS, 1.75-2.25 carat, must be AGS ideal cut ,polish, sym. I learn about spread, etc. settle on Blue Nile as reputable and more comfortable since I''ve heard of them before , though more $.
looking at so many stones, start seeing the same ones, so I start tracking on spread sheet. need to have AGS cert so can get detailed proportions and angles. most GIA don''t have the #''s eventually get to over 100 stones that I''ve tracked , rated on size, color, clarity (none under table), HCA score, flour, spread, $/carat, girdle, age also determine $ per above characteristics. least price sensitive to clarity and cut angles, but they are most important to me visually. quick price ramp with size, magic carat #''s artificially high with wasted weight hurting their geometry
1/17 found a great stone, 0.4 HCA, AGS000, E, VS2, 8.5mm. diamond is 2.18 carats - so 2/18 must be the date! spreads like 2.25 carat. fair price relative to other internet vendors for comperable stones. keep looking for similar stones for a couple of days to make sure absolute best
1/18 & 19 we go on trip to LA , see if she will give any hints while we are down there window shopping in Beverly Hills relative to size and setting. Came back with the following: comfort fit, euro shank, poss. some burnished side diamonds, not too narrow. not too big a stone
1/21 place 2.18 on hold through end of day 1/24. chat with Wally Friday PM. become certain over weekend try to order on 1/24 but they took off hold, and shipped to someone this AM Need to get it back! OMG, my heart was set on giving that exact one to Mic!!! they also raised the price. Hey, that''s not fair! They agree to honor old price for 5 days start looking for back ups, but nothing compares to that one!
1/24 Deja locates a similar stone, but has under table, price quote convinces me I''ve found a very good deal. don''t want to settle, so pressure BN to make good on their mistake request 2 settings at Joe E (Erik) , 1 Jaffe at WG to look at Saturday. should be able to handle a relatively big stone. day by day BlueNile stone status, "tomorrow we''ll know" is making me crazy!
1/27 BlueNile knows they will it have back on 28th ship same day if possible, with Saturday delivery. Get a small %pricebreak for the agony.
1/29 stone arrives FedEx. It looks amazing, like it was plugged into a power outlet! Nice arrow pattern though not a branded stone. I take it to WG and JoeE to check out and make sure it''s the correct stone, get opinions: Great stone! Choose Jaffe at WG, will take 2+ weeks, 2/15 best case. Substantial setting, like the style: comfort, sq shank, basket sets off diamond. Can get matching burnished wedding bands (T&Co Etoile?) for both of us.
2/4 make plans for 2/18 proposal: booked dinner and decided to book hotel suite for after with roses/petals , dessert, champagne. Will take the full day off work to set up room, make dessert, etc. Is there a special table / room that I can request at restaurant? Should have the photographer ask if it is our anniversary, and I can say yes and propose. Now I just need to figure out what I want to say! Took some pictures of the stone, and I think she might have caught a glimpse when I was looking for another pictire on my camera! She didn''t say anything, so maybe I''m getting paranoid 8^)
2/9 booked the hotel suite, woo hoo!!!!
2/11 confirmed setting/appraisal ready on the 15th, called restaurant to make sure we get a back corner table. picked up candles for the room and a silver box in which I''ll present the ring.
2/14 Valentines day. starting to gather cork screw, crystal platters, champagne chiller. need to arrange for engraving on the silver ring box lid. picked up engraving after lunch, and didn''t notice box was scuffed until got back to work. Will go back and get a new one on the way home tonight. got new silver box, much better finish. also picked up a couple of Waterford champagne flutes for the 18th at the hotel.
2/15 got stone and dropped off at WG for appraisal and setting. they called and said the stone looked very good after cleaning, and her evaluation matched the AGS cert, 000 E VS2. really great news and a relief! Should be ready for pickup this afternoon. ordered 3 dozen roses and a large bag of loose rose petals. picked up the ring, appraisal was 12% higher than price paid, and it looks better than I could have imagined in the setting. the proportions from top and side view are great! had a choice of 4 ring boxes even though I have the silver one already. Big blue jaffe, small red heart shape (tacky), small black oval (might fit inside silver box), and a WG branded one. took the black one which makes it convenient to carry around.
2/16 got insurance policy first thing in the morning, provided 4 pictures to cover the details of the setting.
Just 2 days left, and I can barely contain my excitement! More and more she''s talking about marriage with all of the TV coverage around Valentines day. I keep down playing it, hoping to make Friday night a surprise that she''ll never forget...
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