Ring Shopping!

[sumbride]

We have an appointment to meet with our potential jeweler tomorrow morning! Woo hoo!!! M sent my list of "desires" over to the lady and she''s pulling everything together for us to look at. I know we may not decide on anything tomorrow, and it will take a while to finish the process, but I''m still so excited! It seems more real now!

 

[aussiegirl23]

That s AWESOME Sumbride : )

I really liked your eternity pendant -- and liked that your boyfriend proposed with it!

What are you looking at in terms of rings? Any ideas? Any favorites?

Do tell... this is the fun part!!

Aussiegirl : p

 

[robbie3982]

Yay! I''m so excited for you! Ring shopping is so much fun! I can''t wait to hear all the details! Too bad I''ll have to wait a week until I come back from the beach

 

[sumbride]

This is what I sent him and he forwarded to the jeweler:

I''d like to look at ovals, radiants, square radiants and cushions, but I don''t like pear, princess or marquise (unless for side stones) and I think rounds are kind of boring. I''d prefer something with a slight to medium blue flourescence if possible.

I''d like blue sapphires as a side stone, but they can be any shape.

As for the setting, I don''t want anything too ornate or frilly... not too much shank detail because it will probably have to be resized occasionally. It needs to have good finger span and I''d like some diamonds channel set or bead set into the band... probably not pave as I''m too clumsy. I like a lot of the Veraggio settings but don''t really like Tacori. Ring size appears to be a 10. I prefer white metal but don''t know whether I want platinum or white gold.

I don''t like "3 stone rings"... way overdone!

I''m trying to keep an open mind and see what looks good on my large finger... So many of the lovelies I see on PS are on size 3 fingers! It''s going to be a whole different experience to be in the store trying things on, but I can''t wait! He didn''t want to do ANY looking before the proposal, so I''ve been looking online and I like a lot of different elements that I never knew existed! I think PS helped me define what I want a little better!

 

[aussiegirl23]

Sumbride... YAY girl for blue sapphires on the side! (My favorite!)

Keep us updated : ) And feel free to post pictures and all your ideas... it is so fun to live vicariously!

Aussiegirl : p

 

[sumbride]

Thanks! I just love blue... we both do... and the sapphire is such a gorgeous stone! I''m wearing a "placeholder" ring right now from QVC that has a fake 2 ct. ascher sapphire and it''s so pretty! Everbody keeps saying "I know that''s not your real e-ring, but it''s gorgeous!" It''s fun.

Oh, and this is so totally silly, but since Sapphire is the birthstone for September, and we''re thinking of a September wedding... it will be the birthstone of our marriage! HA! I totally can''t tell him that, he''ll laugh at me for hours for that one!

 

[robbie3982]

Date: 8/11/2006 12:21:26 PM
Author: sumbride

Oh, and this is so totally silly, but since Sapphire is the birthstone for September, and we''re thinking of a September wedding... it will be the birthstone of our marriage! HA! I totally can''t tell him that, he''ll laugh at me for hours for that one!

That''s so cute!

 

[staceybelle]

Yay for ring shopping! I expect a full report on Monday!

 

[Selkie]

OH, fun! Have a blast, Sum. I want to see pictures of your placeholder ring, that sounds yummy!

 

[sumbride]

Date: 8/11/2006 2:45:09 PM
Author: Selkie
OH, fun! Have a blast, Sum. I want to see pictures of your placeholder ring, that sounds yummy!

It''s actually 2.5 ct! Wish it were REAL!

 

[sumbride]

Here''s the side view... a little too "frilly" for me, but it''s pretty and it''s only $43 so I can wear it now and then pull it out later if I''m not comfortable wearing my real ring!

 

[decodelighted]

Date: 8/11/2006 2:56:59 PM
Author: sumbride
It''s actually 2.5 ct!

HA!!! I almost ordered that myself. As a "travel" e-ring!

GOOD LUCK with the shopping - so EXCITING. It really changes things to see stuff on the hand. I have size 10-ish fingers too & really, really thought I''d want a halo for finger coverage, but ended up most liking ... well ... look to your left.

Have you considered a sapphire center - 2+ carats, like the temp ring?? I LOVE that look too!

 

[sumbride]

Deco, I think your ring is gorgeous! And it''s got great finger spread! I''ve thought about halos too but I think I''m just way too clumsy to be responsible for anything pave. Maybe not, but that''s my impression... you should see the faces of my watches!!! I need to have the crystal replaced on both!

I''ve definitely thought about a sapphire center, and I adore Selkie''s ring, but I''m not sure if it would be "e-ring enough" for me, even though I know it''s very traditional. My mom actually has a sapphire center right now because she gave up her diamond to my brother for his wife''s ring about 10 years ago and said she''d replace it when she could afford something bigger... I was in college at the time, then moved to DC, now my neices and nephew are in private school... she''s still wearing it and she loves it! I may change my mind once I see enough diamonds on my hand to want something BIGGER and BLUE.

 

[BrightSpot]

Date: 8/11/2006 1:17:46 PM
Author: robbie3982

Date: 8/11/2006 12:21:26 PM
Author: sumbride

Oh, and this is so totally silly, but since Sapphire is the birthstone for September, and we''re thinking of a September wedding... it will be the birthstone of our marriage! HA! I totally can''t tell him that, he''ll laugh at me for hours for that one!

That''s so cute!

That''s adorable! I got married in April. What would that make my marriage''s birthstone?

That temp ring is stunning, btw. Good luck ring shopping & have fun!

 

[sumbride]

Date: 8/11/2006 4:22:30 PM
Author: BrightSpot

That''s adorable! I got married in April. What would that make my marriage''s birthstone?

That temp ring is stunning, btw. Good luck ring shopping & have fun!

Diamonds!!! Lucky Girl!

 

[RoseAngel04]

Yay for ring shopping with your FI! Good luck, can''t wait to hear the details.

 

[Selkie]

Date: 8/11/2006 3:13:55 PM
Author: sumbride

I've definitely thought about a sapphire center, and I adore Selkie's ring, but I'm not sure if it would be 'e-ring enough' for me, even though I know it's very traditional. My mom actually has a sapphire center right now because she gave up her diamond to my brother for his wife's ring about 10 years ago and said she'd replace it when she could afford something bigger... I was in college at the time, then moved to DC, now my neices and nephew are in private school... she's still wearing it and she loves it! I may change my mind once I see enough diamonds on my hand to want something BIGGER and BLUE.

Yeah, having a sapphire e-ring definitely has thrown a few people for a loop. Not my family or friends, but random strangers who ask about it. I find it amusing, and not at all offensive when someone says "Oh, it's so different!" Today while I was waiting for new brakes, a guy asked if it was a blue diamond. Yeah, I wish!

Love the faux sapphire! That's pretty nice looking for a $43 ring!

 

[anchor31]

Oooh... Have fun sumbride! Ring shopping with your fiancé is such a memorable experience... You''ll both love it!

 

[Selkie]

So, how was your first venture into ring shopping together??

 

[sumbride]

It started out really well, but went downhill fast...

The place came HIGHLY recommended by several of our friends and M was told that with all the referrals he would get "a deal". It''s a very traditional jewelry store right in downtown Annapolis... lighted wooden cases, and a separate "diamond room"... very pretty but my "high rent hight rent" sirens were going off in my head. The woman we worked with actually went to high school with M but he couldn''t remember her. She was very nice and I liked her... but she''d never heard of PS, which kind of surprised me. She showed us the colors to see how sensitive I was and we were looking at a few of the shapes I was considering when her boss came in to "keep us company" while she tended to some client that came in. He immediately turned me off... didn''t like him at all... very "slick salesman" like. One of the diamonds we''d been looking at had an indented natural on the girdle, which may not have been a big deal but was something I didn''t want. He tried to tell me why I DID want it, why it was ok... whatever... totally not getting that I DIDN''T want it. When she came back, I think she picked up on me being annoyed with him... I think she was annoyed with him too. Luckily he left for a bit and we decided that I liked ovals and cushions the best. The radiant was gorgeous but I didn''t like the sharp edges. M really liked the cushion and radiant the best. I told her I wanted to see more ovals and more cushions, going down to H, SI1 and hopefully up a bit in size... the cushion we looked at was .83 and it was just a little too small on my giant finger. The oval was at 1.01 and I want to see them a bit bigger too.

We looked at settings, and that''s where it just sort of fell off for me... They only carry designer settings... don''t seem to have any "in-house" plain settings. I liked several, but they were all in the $3500 range! That''s WAY too much for our budget and when we expressed this they didn''t seem to get it. It was sort of a "well, this is what we have" attitude. One of the settings had pear side diamonds and I asked how much it would cost to replace them with sapphires. She said that should reduce the cost somewhat, but that it was the platinum that we were paying for... She''s going to get some quotes on it anyway. I found another couple that I kind of liked that were closer to the $1600 range, but I''d want some modification because I didn''t like the hearts in the gallery. I don''t think she showed us any white gold settings. I told her I was clumsy and she insisted that I needed platinum, which may be true, but I''d like the option... I asked her to find out if they had anything with half moon diamonds and she said she''d look into it. We''re supposed to hear from her on Tuesday about what she has and what she can get.

I think I was just surprised that she only had one diamond in each shape to show us... how am I supposed to know that it''s the one if there aren''t any more to look at? The boss came over while we were looking at settings to show us a round J. It was pretty, but I had specified that I didn''t want a round. He seemed to take offense to that. There''s nothing wrong with rounds, but I personally don''t want one... I told him I wanted something different, more unusual. He actually argued with me over this! Blew my mind! Why would you argue with me over what my personal preferences are??? UGH.

I think we''ll give them the chance to come up with more, but I just kept thinking back to all the settings I''ve looked at that were less expensive that I liked MORE... I''ve talked to M about it and he agreed that I can look at other jewelers, so that''s what I''ll be starting today I think. The whole thing just left me sort of dissapointed, but I''m not going to "settle" on this. Fortunately M feels the same way.

We went over to his mom''s house later and she pulled out her jewelry box and started handing me pieces we could take apart if we wanted to... it was sweet! She has a cocktail ring with about a dozen small oval sapphires... That might be a cool start to a wedding band. She also had this 1920s ring that belonged to her aunt... it was GORGEOUS! It was art-deco with an OMC (I think) and a couple of small rectangular sapphires. I told her I couldn''t dare take it apart since it was very much in style just the way it was, but was WAY too small for me. Alas... big hands... I told her to check with an estate store, or keep it for someone else in the family with smaller fingers.

 

[biokatie]

Yeah Summer...I would probably go to another store if I were you. I went to a few before I found one I really enjoyed working with and even then after all was said and done there were some major issues in the end that ff was left feeling a little perterbed about. When he first showed me a couple stones, 3 princess he had on hand...I said "well the one is yellow, and the other is rectangular and one was like a D, VVS1 or something and he said he himself wouldn''t pay for those qualities...and that his wife had a I S2, so anything you are probably buying something better quality than my own wife has (He didn''t mention that his wife probably has a 2+ ct stone... and he was like well let me see what my Dad can bring in later today, "I can tell these aren''t your diamonds, you didn''t fall in love with them when you saw them" He understood internet shopping, and he said he has a hard time competing, but it was more or less important for him to make a customer than to make and extra couple hundred bucks and that no one could beat him on settings because they hand make all of their gold settings...therefore he was "I don''t like to sell platinum" When he brought 2 very similar stones in both him and ff couldn''t tell their color apart and only could distinguish the stones by putting them on the scale one was an EGL F SI1 and the other was a GIA G VS2, and I really could distinguish them by color and I actually preferred the EGL stone better (and it was a couple hundred dollars cheaper). It was actually harder to find the inclusions (with the microscope) on the SI1 stone too. I wish I would of, since they did their own custom settings, had them add my grandma''s baguette stones from the earrings she left me. Oh well, I did want a solataire.

 

[anchor31]

Ack, I''m sorry you were disappointed! I would''ve been too! Good luck finding a great jeweller... Once you''ve found one, things will be much more exciting!

 

[ljmorgan]

Hey there, why not try Quest Jewelers? You said you''re in Annapolis and Mclean is not far at all, it''s about an hour''s drive for me and I live in Baltimore. Quest just opened their new show room, they carry in-house diamonds, designer settings, and they also do great custom work, which is really what they''re known for. They made my eternity engagement setting and they''ll be making my wedding band too. Maybe that way you''d have the feel of the jewelry store, but know they can make you a setting if you want, and their prices are very reasonable.

 

[sumbride]

Hey Lindsey -

I''m actually in Baltimore too! My FI grew up in Annapolis. Quest is definitely on my list... one of my coworkers actually had both her rings made there so I''ve seen their work live and in person and I definitely think they''re great! I mentioned them to my FI and to one of his friends that referred us (who promptly looked them up!) and I think we''ll check with them too. I just looked at ERD and saw several stones and settings that were much better (and less expensive!) than what we were looking at yesterday, so that''s an option too. I think it was important to go through that yesterday so that M could see that what his friends did may not be the best option for us. I think he gets it when it comes to $$$.

-Sum

 

[fisherofmengirly]

Oh Summer, I hope you find something that blows your mind soon, and for a wonderful price. Blenheim used Quest, and while it''s a round stone and not what you want, it''s BEAUTIFUL. One of my favorites, and the quality is fabulous, she says. Good luck! I''m glad you''ve not lost heart about it. It *will* be fun once you find a store you love.

 

[sumbride]

I talked to my mom about it and she said we need to come home and go to her jeweler, the one she''s been using for 30 years... I know him well and I know the kind of work he does and we may just be buying plane tickets soon! I sent her some pictures of things I liked so she says she''s going down there today to get some quotes and see what he can do for us. He''s made all of my family rings and I know he''d do a good job, plus we know we can trust him. I just wish I could go now! The heck with work, we''re talking about diamonds!!! Alas, having just gotten BACK from vacation, I can''t very well go again for at least a few more weeks... need to earn more vacation hours!!!

 

[sumbride]

My mom sent my e-pictures to her jeweler who was sure he could do it for me, and he''s found a BIG 1.3 ct. oval that he thinks is GORGEOUS... he put it in a setting with baguette sapphires under the stone and my mom and about 4 of her friends went down to look at it a few minutes ago and LOVED it, so he''s sending it to me to arrive tomorrow morning on approval! If I like it, it stays, if not, it goes back, no questions asked... and if I don''t like the setting he chose based on my pics, he''ll make me whatever I want. So it''s kind of like being surprised by the jeweler instead of my FI, but I''ve known the jeweler longer! HA! I can''t wait I can''t wait I can''t wait!!!!

I''m so not getting anything done at work today or tomorrow when I''m working from home! WHEEE!!!!

 

[Selkie]

Wow, that sounds amazing. You''ll have the camera handy, I hope! What do you mean, with baguettes UNDER the stone?

I''m sorry it didn''t go well at that first jeweler. The manager or owner or whatever sounds like an a**. Why on earth is he trying to tell you what you like or don''t like?

And that was really sweet of M''s mom, to offer you those rings. Am I thinking of someone else, or weren''t you having problems with your FMIL a while ago? It sounds like she''s really coming around.

 

[sumbride]

I think the stone is raised up a bit with the baguettes flowing under it... I tried on a ring I liked with diamonds that did that and it was really pretty... I think the sapphires would be even better! I can''t wait to see it! And it''s a good thing I''m telecommuting tomorrow so I can take tons of pictures!!!

My FMIL has been nothing but a PIA until the last few weeks! It''s amazing! She''s done a 180! I''m so thrilled! She actually welcomed me to the family when we saw her over the weekend and told me how happy she was to have me as her DIL. She''s not that fond of the other one because she''s a vegetarian (yes, really, she''s that judgemental...) so it might be that I''m the "least offensive" or something, but whatever, I''m amazed! I think we''re going to work the sapphires she has into a wedding band that my jeweler can build for us. And I hope I stay on her good side! M is thrilled that I actually suggested we go visit her last weekend!

 

[sumbride]

The UPS guy arrived about an hour ago, and I''m sitting here, staring at the ring trying to decide if I like it. I''m not in love with the setting on my hand... it''s too busy, too intricate. It has some little bead set diamonds but the melee and the beads are almost the same size, so it''s hard to tell that they are even diamonds. It also sits up a little too high for me and my clumsy nature. My sister said the sapphires went all the way under the stone, but that''s not the case... there are just two on either side of the stone, 1 long, 1 short. I think I want something simpler. The jeweler says he will email me some pictures of stuff he has to see what we can do about that.

I love the size and shape of the stone but I think I''m detecting more body color than I''d like, but I can''t decide if it''s a reflection of our lighting and paint color or not because sometimes it looks much whiter than others...

My camera literally just died on me, but here''s what I got before it did. What do you think?