sharonzhere
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2004
- Messages
- 38
Hi!
My name is Sharon and I have been DYING to talk to someone about our recent diamond purchase - this place seems to be just the place!
We just recently purchased a new engagement and wedding ring, after almost 11 years of marriage. Totally new, reusing nothing. I am currently waiting for it. But let me backtrack...
My husband and I were married in 1993. A year and a half prior to that, he bought me an engagement ring, but we really settled - a $1000 not-so-great quality (but good for it's price) half carat diamond. We had to finance it and it took us EVERYTHING to make those $33 a month payments. We were really struggling. BUT - he didn't propose for almost a year - he kept saying he "wasn't ready." This was a huge source of distress for us, and I wound up leaving him. 2 months later we had patched things up and he finally proposed. (this is the downside to buying a ring before the proposal, wouldn't recommend it to anybody)
Then, we bought the matching wedding ring and those payments went up to $60 a month. It was really hard at the time. We were married 8 months after we were engaged. I didn't even use that ring in the ceremony; I used a plain gold band that my mother was married in (and I hope my daughter will be married in) as we believe that diamonds at the altar are bad luck. We always marry with a plain, smooth gold eternity band. The diamond rings went on at the reception.
Anyway, he always said that he would get me a new spectacular ring on our 10 year wedding anniversary.
Fast forward to 2000, when my brother starts talking of proposing to his girlfriend. My brother is older than me, and at this point my parents were desperate to get him married. Well, SUDDENLY, out of nowhere comes these two diamonds, one left to him and one left to me, from my grandparents. WHY hadn't my parents said anything when we were shopping for a ring? When we were struggling to make payments? My mother had them appraised when she pulled them out of the safe deposit box. They were some antique cut (very shallow) that hasn't been used since 1940 and they were circa 1923 (when they were married). One was just over a carat and worth $6000 and the other was about a half a carat worth $2000. (the larger one was my grandmother's and the smaller one was my grandfather's) I would have been happy with the smaller one. I have nothing from my grandparents.
My mother asked me which one I wanted and I said (and I quote) "It doesn't matter because I'm already married." The next day my brother tells me nastily that he'll "get" my mother to give him both and not believing it, I called her and she confirmed it, and says that she thought that when I said it didn't matter which one I got she thought that I didn't want one. WHAT?
So, my brother gets both diamonds, just free diamonds to him, and the larger one goes into a new totally hokey setting for his soon-to-be fiance and he has the smaller one made into a pendant to give to her as a wedding present. When my mother discovered how upset I was she asked him for one back, and he said no.
I'm not upset with my sil, she has no idea all this happened, and if I said anything it would be like ripping a diamond off her neck, which I couldn't do. I had to let it go. I do wonder, however, if she ever wonders why I didn't get anything.
Well, fast forward to July 2003 - our 10 year anniversary. Lots has changed (and 2 kids later to boot) and we decide that it is time to start shopping for a diamond. However over the summer we were knee deep in a huge house remodel so we put it off. And put it off... And put it off...
Well finally, just before Christmas, I am in a furniture store and fall in love with a family room set that I love (and costs 3 times as much as my diamond!) and I call my husband to ask him if this could be my Christmas gift as we really needed new family room furniture (we really did, badly). He then tells me that he's been shopping online for a diamond for me. I FREAKED - for two reasons - one, I want to pick my own setting - I'm SUPER picky about that stuff, and two - the 2.5 carat size he was looking at was just WAY TOO BIG for me. I'm a simple gal. I've been wearing the same ring, same CZ stud earrrings, and same simple seiko watch every single day for the past 10 years. So - we decide right then and there on the phone that a) I could have the furniture, Merry Christmas, and b) I could get the new ring now and I could choose it and he'd be happy if I didn't go for the 2.5 carat range. A carat is doubling my size already for me, and remember, I'm a simple, traditional gal. He knew how hurt I was from my family's diamond fiasco and also knew I wasn't 100% happy with the ring I've been wearing for the past 10 years. He wanted a specacular ring for me AND wanted a family heirloom for our kids and grandkids to have. Screw the other diamonds.
So, that weekend, we packed up the kids and left little sticky kiddie fingerprints on just about every glass case in every jewelry store in my area (So. Cal). One of the stores we stopped at was Tiffany, and we went back there - twice. After seeing the rings there I was just comparing the prices and qualities at other stores to them and was finding very little to compare. And - since we really had NO idea what we were doing, we liked the idea that it's hard to go too wrong at Tiffany. And-the last thing. I want the ring that I pass down to be a Tiffany diamond. I will not be buried in this ring. This ring is for my family.
I feel a huge sense of closure.
This is a picture of the engagement ring from the website: (click on enlarged view under the picture to see the cool Tiffany setting - this is PERFECT for me - I don't like rings that stick up too much)
http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_other_ring.asp?ring=solitairediaband&
And the wedding ring: (mine is the one on the right and again will have 2 more diamonds than this one)
http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/diaband_channel.asp?
Only my husband and my kids know... it feels so good to talk about all this! I don't want any of my friends or family to think that I'm bragging. This means so much to us after all the crap we've been through. I can't wait until they arrive in the store for me to pick up!
Sharon
My name is Sharon and I have been DYING to talk to someone about our recent diamond purchase - this place seems to be just the place!
We just recently purchased a new engagement and wedding ring, after almost 11 years of marriage. Totally new, reusing nothing. I am currently waiting for it. But let me backtrack...
My husband and I were married in 1993. A year and a half prior to that, he bought me an engagement ring, but we really settled - a $1000 not-so-great quality (but good for it's price) half carat diamond. We had to finance it and it took us EVERYTHING to make those $33 a month payments. We were really struggling. BUT - he didn't propose for almost a year - he kept saying he "wasn't ready." This was a huge source of distress for us, and I wound up leaving him. 2 months later we had patched things up and he finally proposed. (this is the downside to buying a ring before the proposal, wouldn't recommend it to anybody)
Then, we bought the matching wedding ring and those payments went up to $60 a month. It was really hard at the time. We were married 8 months after we were engaged. I didn't even use that ring in the ceremony; I used a plain gold band that my mother was married in (and I hope my daughter will be married in) as we believe that diamonds at the altar are bad luck. We always marry with a plain, smooth gold eternity band. The diamond rings went on at the reception.
Anyway, he always said that he would get me a new spectacular ring on our 10 year wedding anniversary.
Fast forward to 2000, when my brother starts talking of proposing to his girlfriend. My brother is older than me, and at this point my parents were desperate to get him married. Well, SUDDENLY, out of nowhere comes these two diamonds, one left to him and one left to me, from my grandparents. WHY hadn't my parents said anything when we were shopping for a ring? When we were struggling to make payments? My mother had them appraised when she pulled them out of the safe deposit box. They were some antique cut (very shallow) that hasn't been used since 1940 and they were circa 1923 (when they were married). One was just over a carat and worth $6000 and the other was about a half a carat worth $2000. (the larger one was my grandmother's and the smaller one was my grandfather's) I would have been happy with the smaller one. I have nothing from my grandparents.
My mother asked me which one I wanted and I said (and I quote) "It doesn't matter because I'm already married." The next day my brother tells me nastily that he'll "get" my mother to give him both and not believing it, I called her and she confirmed it, and says that she thought that when I said it didn't matter which one I got she thought that I didn't want one. WHAT?
So, my brother gets both diamonds, just free diamonds to him, and the larger one goes into a new totally hokey setting for his soon-to-be fiance and he has the smaller one made into a pendant to give to her as a wedding present. When my mother discovered how upset I was she asked him for one back, and he said no.
I'm not upset with my sil, she has no idea all this happened, and if I said anything it would be like ripping a diamond off her neck, which I couldn't do. I had to let it go. I do wonder, however, if she ever wonders why I didn't get anything.
Well, fast forward to July 2003 - our 10 year anniversary. Lots has changed (and 2 kids later to boot) and we decide that it is time to start shopping for a diamond. However over the summer we were knee deep in a huge house remodel so we put it off. And put it off... And put it off...
Well finally, just before Christmas, I am in a furniture store and fall in love with a family room set that I love (and costs 3 times as much as my diamond!) and I call my husband to ask him if this could be my Christmas gift as we really needed new family room furniture (we really did, badly). He then tells me that he's been shopping online for a diamond for me. I FREAKED - for two reasons - one, I want to pick my own setting - I'm SUPER picky about that stuff, and two - the 2.5 carat size he was looking at was just WAY TOO BIG for me. I'm a simple gal. I've been wearing the same ring, same CZ stud earrrings, and same simple seiko watch every single day for the past 10 years. So - we decide right then and there on the phone that a) I could have the furniture, Merry Christmas, and b) I could get the new ring now and I could choose it and he'd be happy if I didn't go for the 2.5 carat range. A carat is doubling my size already for me, and remember, I'm a simple, traditional gal. He knew how hurt I was from my family's diamond fiasco and also knew I wasn't 100% happy with the ring I've been wearing for the past 10 years. He wanted a specacular ring for me AND wanted a family heirloom for our kids and grandkids to have. Screw the other diamonds.
So, that weekend, we packed up the kids and left little sticky kiddie fingerprints on just about every glass case in every jewelry store in my area (So. Cal). One of the stores we stopped at was Tiffany, and we went back there - twice. After seeing the rings there I was just comparing the prices and qualities at other stores to them and was finding very little to compare. And - since we really had NO idea what we were doing, we liked the idea that it's hard to go too wrong at Tiffany. And-the last thing. I want the ring that I pass down to be a Tiffany diamond. I will not be buried in this ring. This ring is for my family.
I feel a huge sense of closure.
This is a picture of the engagement ring from the website: (click on enlarged view under the picture to see the cool Tiffany setting - this is PERFECT for me - I don't like rings that stick up too much)
http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/engagement_other_ring.asp?ring=solitairediaband&
And the wedding ring: (mine is the one on the right and again will have 2 more diamonds than this one)
http://www.tiffany.com/expertise/diamond/rings/diaband_channel.asp?
Only my husband and my kids know... it feels so good to talk about all this! I don't want any of my friends or family to think that I'm bragging. This means so much to us after all the crap we've been through. I can't wait until they arrive in the store for me to pick up!
Sharon
300x240.png)