overthemoon
Rough_Rock
- Joined
- Jul 1, 2007
- Messages
- 49
Yet another lurker coming out to introduce myself and say THANK YOU! I am so grateful for finding this forum - now I just need someone to stage an intervention to wean me off of it. Seriously - I''m spending way too much time here. It really is a problem
I''ll start by saying I love old things - they simply have more substance and character to me. For example, my house is a 130 year old brick victorian in a charming historic river town. I bought it in need of a little TLC, and it is now a very cool combination of original details and modern updates. So, when my bf and I started discussing rings, I knew I wanted an old, preferably loose, stone that I could set with a similar mindset as my house - vintage details with modern lines. I''d seen a fair amount of old stones at antique stores and estate sales, and knew their proper names, but didn''t really know the important details. After a month or so scouring PS I can confidently say I''m much more knowledgeable, and I''m now an official card-carrying member of the old-stone-obsessed clique!
We looked at the few antique stones we could find locally - one of which was a gorgeous 2.17ct I/VS2 OEC, but it was way out of our price range. I couldn''t get it out of my mind - it was the perfect comibination of beauty and wonky character and it sparkled like mad! But I didn''t want to pressure him. It was a heck of a lot of stone anyway, and not very practical. So, we continued with the search. I had photos sent from Singlestone and other wonderful vendors I found on PS, and was about to take a trip to NYC to truly immerse myself in the search when...my bf surprised me with the beauty I fell in love with! TO HECK WITH PRACTICAL!!!! I have to say, he did a very cool thing - he surprised me and (very sweetly
) proposed with the loose stone, and then asked me to set it as I pleased!
I looked at several thousand settings online (it seems), and could not find exactly what I was looking for. So I decided to go the custom route. I really wanted to do it locally so I''d have a local, accessible jeweler relationship for the future. Crazy, considering I''m only about an hour from NYC - but I really like to support my local businesses if at all possible. I should add, I am in the Lambertville NJ/New Hope PA area, which has a long history as an artisan community, so I have access to an inordinate number of amazing craftsmen. I popped into Castor Jewelers last week, right in the heart of Lambertville - and in this tiny store I found my dream ring! It was already made and waiting for me! I just have to give them props...turns out, Tom Castor has extensive experience with antique jewelry(not to mention does beaitiful work) and his wife Sandra (who manages the store) values and appreciates old, quirky stones as much as I do! And the icing on the cake: they had my stone set and ready for me in two days! Woo hoo!!!!
My wonderful bf proposed again this morning with the finished ring. I am just over the moon about the whole thing! I feel compelled to share our creation with all of you. I''ve taken a million pictures already (of course) so I''ll post them here.
Again, I can''t thank you all enough for the education, design ideas, and reputable jeweler references. It has truly been a pleasure getting to know all of you!
I''ll start by saying I love old things - they simply have more substance and character to me. For example, my house is a 130 year old brick victorian in a charming historic river town. I bought it in need of a little TLC, and it is now a very cool combination of original details and modern updates. So, when my bf and I started discussing rings, I knew I wanted an old, preferably loose, stone that I could set with a similar mindset as my house - vintage details with modern lines. I''d seen a fair amount of old stones at antique stores and estate sales, and knew their proper names, but didn''t really know the important details. After a month or so scouring PS I can confidently say I''m much more knowledgeable, and I''m now an official card-carrying member of the old-stone-obsessed clique!
We looked at the few antique stones we could find locally - one of which was a gorgeous 2.17ct I/VS2 OEC, but it was way out of our price range. I couldn''t get it out of my mind - it was the perfect comibination of beauty and wonky character and it sparkled like mad! But I didn''t want to pressure him. It was a heck of a lot of stone anyway, and not very practical. So, we continued with the search. I had photos sent from Singlestone and other wonderful vendors I found on PS, and was about to take a trip to NYC to truly immerse myself in the search when...my bf surprised me with the beauty I fell in love with! TO HECK WITH PRACTICAL!!!! I have to say, he did a very cool thing - he surprised me and (very sweetly
I looked at several thousand settings online (it seems), and could not find exactly what I was looking for. So I decided to go the custom route. I really wanted to do it locally so I''d have a local, accessible jeweler relationship for the future. Crazy, considering I''m only about an hour from NYC - but I really like to support my local businesses if at all possible. I should add, I am in the Lambertville NJ/New Hope PA area, which has a long history as an artisan community, so I have access to an inordinate number of amazing craftsmen. I popped into Castor Jewelers last week, right in the heart of Lambertville - and in this tiny store I found my dream ring! It was already made and waiting for me! I just have to give them props...turns out, Tom Castor has extensive experience with antique jewelry(not to mention does beaitiful work) and his wife Sandra (who manages the store) values and appreciates old, quirky stones as much as I do! And the icing on the cake: they had my stone set and ready for me in two days! Woo hoo!!!!
My wonderful bf proposed again this morning with the finished ring. I am just over the moon about the whole thing! I feel compelled to share our creation with all of you. I''ve taken a million pictures already (of course) so I''ll post them here.
Again, I can''t thank you all enough for the education, design ideas, and reputable jeweler references. It has truly been a pleasure getting to know all of you!
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