Infinity D vs. Infinity O fight!

[rosskuhns]

Thank you all so much for your kind comments.

I went down to a designer that one of my good motorcycle friends has used for years to meet him and talk about a possible setting. Turns out we really "clicked". http://www.williamweidinger.com/index.html is the guy; a small shop in grandview, ohio that he and his wife run. I showed him my stones and he was able to, with a loupe, guess at the angles, within a percent. He showed me the fire and brilliance in different lights of the two stones and talked with me for over an hour.

He liked them both very much, no opinion on which was better. He showed me a nice M he had enclosed in a rose gold (I think) head and platinum band. It looked great, that might be a direction we could take with the O stone.

I felt quite good when I was able to really talk some specs with him about the stones, it put me in with a new level of information with him- kind of like when I wrench on a miata and find out the owner really knows what they want out and has gotten into the work. I told him the D was AGSO and the O was an AGS1, to which he smiled, pulled me behind the counter and showed me his own records - all of his stones were AGSO! He called himself a "stone snob" and was glad to meet someone who had done so much of their own research

He''d never heard of pricescope.
He too was of the opinion that I should ask her which stone she likes best. Oh, he was surprised the D was an S1 as it was eye clean and with white inclusions.

I felt realllllllllllly good about dealing with him, I think I''ll call him my LW - Local Wink

Even told me who were the other good shops for bands in town so I could cross shop them.

Dag, now to ask her and I''m now supposed to head off to Arkansas for two weeks work- ARGH!


Ross

 

[jstarfireb]

So I gather from your recent posts that you''ve decided on the D...? That would have been my choice given that it''s eye-clean (what a rarity!!!).

 

[tyty333]

Com''on rosskhuns, you have to keep us up with the saga. Have you asked her yet? Are you going to show her both stones? I dont watch
soaps so this is how I get my fill of drama. This is definitly a cliff hanger. Intelligent people want to know...which stone are you going with???

Please, I wont be able to sleep tonight

And, you had better show up with some pictures after everything is said and done! (you didnt know
this was going to be so much pressure did you?)

 

[diamondseeker2006]

That is a very sad story about her first marriage. I am so happy for her that she has found you!

This would be soooo easy if you could have picked a G-H-I Si1 stone!!! My tendency is to think that since the inclusions in the D are white and not visible to the eye, that it might be the way to go. Although, if she is "very particular", is there a possibility that I1 would bother her? I just don''t see the low color stone in a platinum or white gold solitaire setting.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Like you girlfriend, I am a "very particular" professor and I would LOOOOOOVE to see both diamonds and choose! Okay, maybe it will result in some more research, but if she is like me, and it sounds like she might be, that would be so much fun and would only add to the enjoyment of the process! Also, I am not sure about the academic circles she runs in, but in mine no ones knows anything about diamonds or cares about them at all

, so it is very very unlikely that she would ever get any comments on the color of the O diamond from any of her friends or colleagues. Most female academics I know don''t even wear diamonds! The O looked spectacular to me!

Please let us know what you did, I have enjoyed reading this thread and can''t wait to hear the outcome!

 

[rosskuhns]

Thanks all! Yes dreamer, she is the same, her academic circles aren''t much into diamonds and such, but they do care about quality, more deep people that sparkle and glitter.

I''m going to ask her tonight, I met with the coffee shop owners and we''re putting a fake coffee of the day up there. Should be empty of people (they''re staying open late). So before dinner I''m going to say that I need a coffee to wake up and let''s stop by Luck Brothers (coffee shop).
It''s the place we "first laid eyes on each other", so it has meaning; the owners were into it too. Finishing up my bad poem, but it does come from the heart.

Wink has been very patient but I need to pick one stone and send the other back to him and I''m now hitting the road for two weeks on tuesday...so (if she says YES) I think I''ll take her into my Local Wink jeweler and let him show them to her in different light and settings, so she can have fun picking one...if she can do that within 48 hours!

*fwiw, I put the O rock in the ring holder that I will use tonight...I''m not sure why I chose that one, maybe I like that stone better (?) or maybe just because it''s bigger and will get more initial WOW. I just let my hands decide. (which, besides what my dad might have said when I was young, are attached to my brain)

R

 

[oldmancoyote]

Good luck Ross - and let us know how it went once you are back!

 

[waxing lyrical]

I look forward to hearing how everything went!

 

[motownmama]

good luck!

 

[diamondseeker2006]

The proposal sounds perfect! Can''t wait to hear about it!

 

[rosskuhns]

We''re engaged!

To bring anyone up to speed. I talked her into stopping at a local coffee shop where we had our first date, before going out to dinner. I said I was tired and needed a cup, had to tell her the other local coffee place on the way was closed when she threw me for a loop. We walked in and the owner said he was about to close (actually had money out counting it) and he could only make us any of the "Cup of the Day" and pointed to the display. (I''d of course set this all up with him before hand, we even practiced a walk through)

The third one listed on the printout was called:
"Lisa''s Surprise"
It listed for ingredients:
1/2 her name
1/2 my name
and was tagged "Together these make a drink full of life- big, bold and lovely to behold."

Her eyes got really big and she started looking at me and around and I pulled out a poem I''d written; had to have a note card as I was afraid I''d forget a line - pretty nervous! two lines from the end, I dropped to one knee pulled out the stone in the ring holder and at the line of "would you consent to marry me?". (it fit with the rhyme), she said "yes I will" before I''d even finished.

We got pictures, hugged, got "blinkey eyed", then went and had a great dinner at a little italian restaurant, a lovely bottle of wine, plus the champagne the owner bought for us, then I had a room set at a nice hotel downtown. We had a drink at the bar there too, then got back to the room to find another bottle of champagne from the staff! Needless to say, heads hurt today!





I thought she was on to me, as she was acting a bit funny a few days before, and I''d had poetry lines laying about and diamond prinouts and such she might have seen, but she said it was a total surprise. The word "perfect" was used several times. We have discussed marriage and the important questions, but she figured that was just sometime in the future.

AS FOR THE STONE? she was wearing the diamond holder around most of the night as a ring, as it fit her hand. I started talking about the two stones and we changed them out and looked at them in all different lights. We spent a lot of time today talking about them and their attributes (over some breakfast room service) and more lights and peering at them thru the viewers. At the end of the day, she finally decided that the winner is...The D!
She felt it''s just more fitting she felt with the silver color''d setting she''d want, and her other ring

. I would not tell her what my opinion was so as not to sway her.
Now I''ll have to send the beautiful O back to Wink, so it''s back on the market. We''ll be working up on picking a setting next.

Thanks everyone for your input, thoughts and help.
I think it''s definently a choice to get input from your SO on the stone; I knew a RB was what she wanted from her mom and friends, but having a real say in which stone and setting was something that she seems to be quite thrilled with. I''m surprised more jewelers don''t promote the stone holder or something similar as a way to propse but not have to decide on a setting.
At lunch today I showed two male friends the setup and they thought it was the best idea ever, they''d never heard of it. It gives you a "ring" to use when asking, so there is the surprise part down, but it lets her in on the decision, as it should be.

R

 

[Rhea]

It sounds very romantic and perfectly planned. Congratulations!

 

[coatimundi_org]

Woohoo! Congrats rosskuhns!!

Can''t wait to see the ring!

 

[Dee*Jay]

Awwwww--how sweet! Congratulations!

 

[kindred]

Aww. Such a wonderful story!

 

[swingirl]

What a sweet story and perfect solution to the D vs. O fight!! I always think the gal should have some say-so since most of us have preferences even if we don''t know it until given a choice. You worked everything out so well. (with the help of Wink!!)

Congratulations on your engagement!!

 

[tyty333]

I need to go get some tissue...that was such a sweet way to propose! I''m so happy for you and your GF, I mean FI!
Lucky D is the winner! I''m so glad you let her have input into the stone. You know we''ll be happy to help pick out the setting

.

 

[EricaR]

Congrats!!! Can''t wait to see the final ring!

 

[Fly Girl]

Congratulations on your engagement! So glad she has a say in the ring. I think your solution is absolutely perfect!

Looking forward to seeing her ring.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Yah! That sounds great. And she made the choice without any spreadsheets

Now take that diamond out of the diamond holder please! Those things *can* damage diamonds sometimes and we''d hate to see that happen to your lovely D!!

 

[oldmancoyote]

Congratulations!!!

 

[Lorelei]

Many congrats on your engagement!!!

 

[rosskuhns]

Thank you all!
Dreamer, I''ll get her to take it out, if I can

I was worried that it might chip it but my local jeweler said not to worry as with such a nice cut it''s not likely at all (girdle and such).

We''re now going thru the process of telling everyone...funny how there are so many technologies available. I''ve called people, emailed people, texted them..we''re not waiting before we drop it on facebook.

I was going to post in the proposal ideas section, but since it didn''t go, and I already told her, I''ll just put it here.
A month or so ago I heard Garrison Keillor was doing a show here. (longtime host of NPR''s A Prarie Home Companion). Having been in radio for many years I looked up the sponsors and saw that one was my local public station, of which I''m a donator and vip member. So I called the promotions director there and turns out she was an intern at my old station and worked under my old assistant who took my job.
Long story short, she hooked us up with third row tickets...I also inquired if there was a M&G (meet and greet) which she said she was working on. I then moved forward with an idea to her -what if, during the backstage, as Garrison was coming around meeting his fans, as he met us he said to my girlfriend "oh, I have something for you", and pulled the ring box out of his pocket. (maybe in a Powder Milk Biscuits tin?) She loved the idea! It went all the way up the flagpole thru his agency, his managers and finally to him. Unfortunately, a few days beforehand he nixed the idea.
...and after having met him at the backstage, I can''t say it wasn''t a good call, the man is very socially akward, I mean almost painfully so. My girlfriend (oh, fiancee!) said she''d read and interview with him where he claimed as much.

It was a good idea, but our first date scene worked out even better I think! At least I got to tell her about the Garrison scenario.

R

 

[glitterata]

Congratulations, Ross & Prof!

Make sure that diamond doesn''t slip out of its holder--wouldn''t want to lose Perfectly Imperfect D.

It''s just as well you proposed at your coffee shop, I think. The Garrison Keillor idea has its appeal, but if it were me, I would far rather have the man of my dreams give me my engagement ring!

 

[waxing lyrical]

Congratulations!!! That was a wonderful story!!

 

[platinumrock]

Hmmm....after the recent debate about clarity and my personal preference vs. others, there are a lot of things to take into consideration. The great thing is that you and your gf will have an opportunity to see these stones in person. Parameters and stats aside, go with the stone that "speaks" to the both of you, especially your gf, since she will be wearing it. Assuming both stones are truly "eye clean" to her, she will either gravitate towards the icy white sparkles of the D, or she will be drawn to the warm glow of the O. All stats and parameters aside, her eyes will be the best judge of which stone she finds the most beautiful. But once you bring out the loupe, that''s a different story. If seeing inclusions in the I1 bother her, and she wants a loupe-clean stone, then I think the O will put her mind at ease. But will the color bother her? There''s always the .85 G SI1 compromise.

If it was my preference, I would gravitate towards the O (assuming both prices are equal or close). I''m very forgiving with clarity, but color and size are my priorities. I''m just not into super-white diamonds. Not only will the O face up slightly larger to me, it has better clarity and it will possess that warm glow that I just absolutely love.

But that''s just what my eyes prefer.

Good luck, and let us know how it turned out!

 

[platinumrock]

Sorry, I didn''t read this thread all the way.

I''m glad to hear that she chose the D, and it was the perfect stone for her!!!! CONGRATS on the engagement, and please post pics once that beauty is set!!!