Off the list!

[chi-liw]

You can take me off the list! My stay was short and sweet. Just as I was getting super impatient, my significant other was plotting the ring pick-up from out of state. Best of luck to all of you ladies!

chi-liw

 

[chi-liw]

Here's a picture of the ring he chose. We had shopped for the first time back in mid-March so 4 1/2 months later, I have my ring! I had tried on a traditional princess-cut diamond in a bead-set setting and really loved the thin band. With that in mind, my significant other decided to appease me with at least that 1 element. Other than that, he went on his own in choosing a less usual popular and color for the center stone.

He proposed on Saturday, 7/30. Later that day he said he was nervous about choosing a colored diamond. I am pleased with its uniqueness. He did a great job!

 

[chi-liw]

Oops, I meant less usual shape and color. Not less usual "popular" and color.

 

[centralsquare]

Congrats!! Do you have specs? I'd love to hear the proposal story!!

 

[Blackpaw]

Congrats beautiful ring, cant wait for more pics

 

[chi-liw]

Thanks centralsquare! I was just about to take a look at the envelope with all of the info. I'll grab it and share the specs in a few minutes.

My fiancee and I actually went to high school together years ago. We were in a lot of the same activities but we had different sets of friends, so we never dated though we liked and respected one another. Fast forward 10 years...I'm in the lobby of my office building in downtown Chicago (profile name chi-liw is about the least creative name ever, by the way because I lurked a few times and was nervous to join officially so couldn't come up with a better name) and about to leave for the day when I see him standing there. We both did a cautious double-take but I wasn't sure it was him so I almost left. Luckily, he called after me and we said, "hello". His gf at the time was standing there waiting for him. It turns out that he was meeting with a client in the building and she was there picking him up after work. I was also in a relationship with someone. We exchanged business cards but never got in contact. It was just polite, "How have you beens".

FF again to 10 months later. I'm looking at FB and noticing that some of my friends are now FB friends with a guy I knew who was a late joiner to FB. I end up friending him and am nosily searching through his friend list to see if there's anyone else I've missed friending. Well, I see my now fiancee on his list, so I send him a quick note. It turns out we're both single. We chat and decide to meet for lunch on a work day. We have a good time just catching up after 10 years of no contact, so we schedule a dinner for that Friday night. We are friendly for a few weeks but realize that there could be more if we want to pursue it.

2 years and 2 months later, we are engaged. The engagement story is pretty simple. We went to breakfast at a very casual place in my fiancee's neighborhood. We have an ice cream social to attend at 2 pm that day but have some time to kill between breakfast and the ice cream, so he suggests a walk by Lake Michigan. It seems reasonable as it is a beautiful day. He takes me to a park where we first started realizing that we liked each other and wanted to be exclusive on what we called our "dating anniversary". We sit by the water and chat about the past 2 years. He says sweet things and I interrupt him a lot 1/2 the time in agreement and 1/2 the time in refute. Finally, he asks if there is anything that could make the day more perfect. I say, "No, everything is great. It is a gorgeous day, the water is crystal clear, and the Chicago skyline is beautiful." He says, "Are you sure?" I say, "Yes." Then he takes out the ring box and gets down on one knee...

It was super nice that he decided to propose early in the day. It helped make me less suspicious and we were then able to enjoy a day of ice cream, a manicure, shopping for dress clothes (we were both dressed very casually in the morning), and a nice dinner. He had even bought flowers the night before which he had hid in the basement of his building so I wouldn't know they were there until the day of our engagement.

 

[chi-liw]

Thanks Blackpaw! That's the best pic I have at the moment. The ring seems to look best in natural light. Maybe that's an obvious comment, but my ring isn't the most photogenic for some reason. I will take some more photos on another sunny day and be sure to post them. I might even throw in a leaf or something for contrast.

In the meantime, here are the stats for your viewing pleasure/pain/apathy:

18 kt yellow gold and diamond "single row" ring
Prong set center stone surrounded by and set on the shank with round brilliant cut diamonds weighing .48 ctw
Shape: Oval
Cut: Modified Brilliant
Measurements: 8.06 x 5.41 x 3.22 mm
Weight: 1.05
Color: Fancy Intense Yellow (FIY)
Color Distribution: Even
Origin: Natural
Fluoresence: Medium Blue
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Clarity: IF

Depth %: 59.5%
Table Size %: 57%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick
Cutlet: None

I guess the only things I can think to add are that it is a size 4.5 (I've noticed people like to know ring sizes on the forum) and that it has 12 small diamonds on each side of the band and 22 surrounding the oval stone. My fiancee mentioned that the small stones are H, VVS1's. Oh yeah, and I think the band is 1.5 mm, so very thin. It is from Tiffany & Co.

My fiancee liked the fact that Tiffany is in most of the world so that servicing the ring wouldn't be an issue. He said that he found a similar quality loose stone on Blue Nile for about the same price that this stone would cost minus the setting. Everyone likes to feel that they've gotten a good deal so that might just make him feel better.

 

[sphenequeen]

I think it took a lot of courage for your fiance to step outside of the "traditional" box and get you a fancy colored diamond! Make sure you post the ring in the colored diamonds under "Show me your FCD's." WAY cool!

 

[RebeccaMUA]

Congratulations and what a beautiful ring! I am all for colored stones, so I think it is absolutely gorgeous

 

[mary poppins]

Your ring is beautiful and I love your dating and proposal story. Just last weekend, I told my single cousin not to write off guys she already knew from her past (schools, jobs, activities). I know several couples who connected years after initially meeting. That's how it worked for DH and me, too.

 

[centralsquare]

Thanks centralsquare! I was just about to take a look at the envelope with all of the info. I'll grab it and share the specs in a few minutes.

My fiancee and I actually went to high school together years ago. We were in a lot of the same activities but we had different sets of friends, so we never dated though we liked and respected one another. Fast forward 10 years...I'm in the lobby of my office building in downtown Chicago (profile name chi-liw is about the least creative name ever, by the way because I lurked a few times and was nervous to join officially so couldn't come up with a better name) and about to leave for the day when I see him standing there. We both did a cautious double-take but I wasn't sure it was him so I almost left. Luckily, he called after me and we said, "hello". His gf at the time was standing there waiting for him. It turns out that he was meeting with a client in the building and she was there picking him up after work. I was also in a relationship with someone. We exchanged business cards but never got in contact. It was just polite, "How have you beens".

FF again to 10 months later. I'm looking at FB and noticing that some of my friends are now FB friends with a guy I knew who was a late joiner to FB. I end up friending him and am nosily searching through his friend list to see if there's anyone else I've missed friending. Well, I see my now fiancee on his list, so I send him a quick note. It turns out we're both single. We chat and decide to meet for lunch on a work day. We have a good time just catching up after 10 years of no contact, so we schedule a dinner for that Friday night. We are friendly for a few weeks but realize that there could be more if we want to pursue it.

2 years and 2 months later, we are engaged. The engagement story is pretty simple. We went to breakfast at a very casual place in my fiancee's neighborhood. We have an ice cream social to attend at 2 pm that day but have some time to kill between breakfast and the ice cream, so he suggests a walk by Lake Michigan. It seems reasonable as it is a beautiful day. He takes me to a park where we first started realizing that we liked each other and wanted to be exclusive on what we called our "dating anniversary". We sit by the water and chat about the past 2 years. He says sweet things and I interrupt him a lot 1/2 the time in agreement and 1/2 the time in refute. Finally, he asks if there is anything that could make the day more perfect. I say, "No, everything is great. It is a gorgeous day, the water is crystal clear, and the Chicago skyline is beautiful." He says, "Are you sure?" I say, "Yes." Then he takes out the ring box and gets down on one knee...

It was super nice that he decided to propose early in the day. It helped make me less suspicious and we were then able to enjoy a day of ice cream, a manicure, shopping for dress clothes (we were both dressed very casually in the morning), and a nice dinner. He had even bought flowers the night before which he had hid in the basement of his building so I wouldn't know they were there until the day of our engagement.

What an awesome story - congrats!

 

[canuk-gal]

HI:

Stunning ring! Congrats!

cheers--Sharon

 

[chi-liw]

Thanks @sphenqueen! I will post some pics on "Show Me Your FCD's" as soon as I have a few new ones. I tried taking a few today, but even in my sunny apartment they did not turn out well. Either I need a new camera or photography lessons or likely both! I did really appreciate the thought he put into picking something unique. It really fits his personality. The story behind choosing the yellow diamond is that he was out of town for work for 3 weeks in February, including Valentine's Day. He thought about sending me yellow roses because he considers us to be best friends. Instead, he chose to send me a delivery dinner because he thought I would appreciate it more (he knows me well) as we both LOVE food. The thought of yellow roses and their symbolism led him to think about getting a yellow diamond.

Thanks @RebeccaMUA! Congratulations to you as well!!

@mary poppins, yes! You just never know who you will end up marrying. There is something to be said about the familiarity of reconnecting with someone you knew and trusted long ago. I recently read an article about how older adults who had become widowed met and rekindled romances with their high school sweethearts. It was really touching! It is really cool that you knew your DH in the past. How did you meet?

@canuk-gal, thanks so much!

Wow, everyone on PS is so nice! I was wary about posting anything, even anonymously, but I really like this community. Hope everyone is having a nice summer.

 

[chi-liw]

Oops, sphenequeen, sorry I mistyped your name!

 

[Amys Bling]

Congrats!!! I love it I am dying for a fancy yellow stone in a pave halo!!!

 

[16ocean]

"The thought of yellow roses and their symbolism led him to think about getting a yellow diamond." - - - -aaaaaw!

The ring looks BEAUTIFUL on your finger and the story of how the two of you reconnected at the right time in your life -even- sweeter.

Ware it in good health and happiness.

 

[Ladybug1]

I love it, it's soooo pretty! Congrats!

 

[chi-liw]

@Amys Bling, so that's what it's called...a pave halo! I probably should have come to this site sooner to get more educated. Better yet, I should have sent my FH! Glad you like it.

I got to hear all about why he chose the yellow stone and the whole process he went through to pick it up the day after our engagement @16ocean. I think it's sweet as well! I found out that he had the ring mailed to his grandparents' house in MN and then his aunt picked it up and drove it to her home in WI. Finally, FH and his mom told me they were ring shopping when they were really in WI picking up the ring he had already purchased a month before. He was very tricky.

Aw, thanks @Ladybug1. It looks like you recently got engaged as well. Your ring is gorgeous!!

 

[Mayk]

Beautiful!! it's so original and stunning.

 

[OrchidVee]

Beautiful!!!!! Congrats!!!

 

[Blackpaw]

Thanks Blackpaw! That's the best pic I have at the moment. The ring seems to look best in natural light. Maybe that's an obvious comment, but my ring isn't the most photogenic for some reason. I will take some more photos on another sunny day and be sure to post them. I might even throw in a leaf or something for contrast.

In the meantime, here are the stats for your viewing pleasure/pain/apathy:

18 kt yellow gold and diamond "single row" ring
Prong set center stone surrounded by and set on the shank with round brilliant cut diamonds weighing .48 ctw
Shape: Oval
Cut: Modified Brilliant
Measurements: 8.06 x 5.41 x 3.22 mm
Weight: 1.05
Color: Fancy Intense Yellow (FIY)
Color Distribution: Even
Origin: Natural
Fluoresence: Medium Blue
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Clarity: IF

Depth %: 59.5%
Table Size %: 57%
Girdle: Medium to Slightly Thick
Cutlet: None

I guess the only things I can think to add are that it is a size 4.5 (I've noticed people like to know ring sizes on the forum) and that it has 12 small diamonds on each side of the band and 22 surrounding the oval stone. My fiancee mentioned that the small stones are H, VVS1's. Oh yeah, and I think the band is 1.5 mm, so very thin. It is from Tiffany & Co.

My fiancee liked the fact that Tiffany is in most of the world so that servicing the ring wouldn't be an issue. He said that he found a similar quality loose stone on Blue Nile for about the same price that this stone would cost minus the setting. Everyone likes to feel that they've gotten a good deal so that might just make him feel better.

Said it before but ill say it again...gorgeous you definitely have to do a photoshoot that includes tiffany paraphernalia! i think the best light to bring out the colour would be natural light but maybe overcast? that way you can see the stone without lots of sparkle that you get in direct sunlight

 

[chi-liw]

@Mayk, thanks! I do also like that it is unique. It really fits his personality but he did keep me in mind with the extremely thin band. I was surprised at the other elements but pleasantly so. Your wedding pictures are beautiful! Congratulations to you and your husband.

@OrchidVee, I hope to be congratulating you very soon. Have a fabulous vacation and don't forget to post ring pics when you return.

Thanks for all of the suggestions @Blackpaw. I am a seriously poor photographer so I might have my FH take the photos for me to post, but we will definitely do some with the blue stuff and outside on an overcast day.

One more thing in case anyone was curious about how the price increase at Tiffany affected this purchase since he bought it in June. Luckily (for both of us since our money will be combined once we are married), he started the process before the price increase. The SA let him know that they were going to increase the price on all of the other yellow diamond rings of the same style in inventory (apparently there were 5 including the one he gave me) by about 10% but they would forgo the increase for him since he was so close to buying it.

 

[chi-liw]

I asked him why he didn't just go ahead and buy my wedding band before the price increase.
He said he wanted to make sure I'd say yes first and that I liked the ring.