Miss Hydrangea, Dallas
Age and Occupation: 26, Administrative Assistant
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 27, Network Analyst
Engagement Date: June 2007
Wedding Date: September 2008
Blogging Since: January 14, 2008
Venue: Catholic Church and Reception at The W Hotel
About Me: Mr. H and I come from very different cultures and backgrounds so I'm excited to plan our wedding with a balance of both traditions. My mom has always been a DIY queen, and I'm just now starting to get into it with a new house and a wedding to plan!
The Story Of My E-Ring
April 2nd, 2008 @ 4:13 pm by Miss Hydrangea
I realized that I never really talked much about my engagement ring to the Hive, and I feel the need to share because I was not the girl who was completely shocked when I received my ring. In fact, I knew when it was bought, where it was hidden and (this might cause a heart attack for some) I tried it on at home even before Mr. H proposed… with his permission, of course.
Some girls are embarrassed to say that they were very involved with the process of picking out their e-ring, some are completely against being a part of that process, but for myself and Mr. H, it was the most practical thing to do. We already shared finances, so I would have noticed the depletion in our account, and we have very different tastes so Mr. H was nervous to go at it alone.
Since Mr. H and I had been talking marriage for quite a while before he actually got down on one knee (and he did actually bend on one knee), we would occasionally pop into a jewelry store to gaze at the rings for fun. Our first trip, in the very preliminary talks of marriage, was to Tiffany & Co. Mainly for fun, not for serious buying, and because hey, sometimes a girl just has to go into Tiffany to oogle, gawk, stare, and, if we’re lucky, try on a few bobbles. I tried on a few rings while Barry, the salesman at Tiffany’s Northpark store, showed us all that they had to offer. The first ring I fell in love with was this:
(photos from www.tiffany.com
A few months later, when the talks got more serious, we began our search again. This time we had researched our diamonds and set a budget. We decided that, while the Tiffany ring was pretty amazing, we would check out some other places because we wanted to find a better deal. We headed to Bailey Banks & Biddle and I fell in love with a ring similar to this three stone ring:
(picture from www.diamondvue.com
At that moment, I decided that was the ring I want. Because we still thought we could find a better price elsewhere, we headed to a local jewelry store, Nasr Bros., to see if they could create what we were looking for at a better price. We went back and forth with them to try and recreate the ring that I loved oh so much at BB&B.
So what did I end up with? Stay tuned for the full and final story of my e-ring… the search, the purchase and the big question!
Any other girls out there have as much help (and fun) in the e-ring search as I did?
24 Responses to “The Story Of My E-Ring”
i bet you ended up with my ring!!!!!!!!! it looks very similar to that, and it’s ONLY at BB&B (for some god-awful reason). my FI didn’t think anywhere else could re-create it. i’m SO excited to hear how this turns out!!!!!!!
yup, we went this route. we went to a mall that has a cartier, tiffany, bailey banks and biddle, and quite a few other high-end retailers for a big, fun trying on trip once we knew we were gonna do the marriage thing for sure and he had a budget set and saved up.
we then custom designed it with a jeweler downtown in the diamond district, down to handpicking each sidestone.
however, he hid it ’til the “formal” proposal, and i didn’t know where it was.
Outside of paying for it, I pretty much did all the dirty work! FH knows I research everything to death, and always try to get the best deals. And he knows I’m particular about jewelry. So, I set out trying to find the perfect antique engagement ring. Armed with my jeweler’s loupe, and a head full of diamond and antique jewelry knowledge, I was a force to be reckoned with! =)
When we finally found “the ring”, I even negotiated them down in price by $2k. Then they put it on hold, and FH came back without me to buy it. He waited about a month before proposing though — so even though I knew it was coming, I didn’t know when.
Of course, when he presented the ring I said “wow! you did such a great job picking out such a beautiful ring!” lol
Heck yes I did! I was completely involved too! We went everywhere! We shopped for about 3 months actually! I just couldn’t find exactly what I wanted. But that was such a fun part of the processes!
We ended up going with TWO jewelers! One being in Irvine, CA called Liberty Diamonds. We bought the setting there and then got a deal on a wholesale diamond through a friend in the downtown LA jewelry district!
We get to go back to the jewelry district soon actually so we can get my band! YAY!
I can’t wait to hear to see your e-ring!
I don’t wear much in way of jewerly. Not even earring ! I don’t truely have a distinct style either. When The Boy and I first stared talking about the “M” word I was pretty blunt. I asked him to go online and show me when HE liked. I’m glad we talked because what he would pick was nothing like what I would want to wear. He had my ring custom made and it perfect for me! I’m excited to hear about your experience .
BTW I have no guilt about being hands on , I was still supprised with the outcome but it still was perfect.I
I get to try on my ring to see if I like it this weekend! We are ordering it off a site with a 14 day return policy so if I don’t like it we are going to keep looking. I hope it looks as pretty in real life as it does in the pictures! Wheeeeee I’m so excited!
i did a TON of research on pricescope.com before selecting my diamond through an online vendor. i had a very specific design in mind for my setting, so we went to a local jeweler to have it custom made. remember to get your ering independently appraised and insured once you get it!
Yep! Same deal for us!
I have to admit I wasn’t suppsed to know that my guy had bought the ring…. But I did… Because I found it.
I tried it on in secret, and one day, I was asked if I knew about the ring.
I tried to fake it… No luck… He outsmarted me and booby trapped the ring! My master plought to wear the ring while he was out, was foiled by he trickery!
Needless to say… I was on pins and needles for months wondering when and where it would happen!
To my complete shock… I was totally surprised!
I was totally involved! We stopped in to a store one day and I decided I wanted a simple solitaire E-ring and then have a wrap/solitaire enhancer for my wedding ring. We have joint finances too, so I would notice if anything was up. I was with my FI when he bought the rings (e-ring & wrap). He waited about 2 weeks after the purchase to propose! I thought I was the only one that was so involved…glad I’m not! 
I picked out the setting for my e-ring too and was there when he purchased it (sans diamond)! At first, I went diamond shopping with him too, but after awhile, it all got too frustrating for me (there are so many options! clarity over color over carat, etc), so in the end, I told him that I totally trusted him and he could pick whatever center stone he wanted. He ended up picking the MOST amazing diamond I had ever seen (and trust me, I saw dozens of them in our search)! I am so happy and so in love with the ring, just as I am with him!
I was also completely involved in picking out my e-ring. I did all the research (with my mom) and then he and I went to order it. I was even there when he picked up the ring and I wore it home! But then he made me give it back and he hid it for a couple of months before proposing. I would search for the ring at his place (while he would sit there rolling his eyes at me) but he hid it really well. And, even though I knew he had it, he completely surprised me with his proposal!
I don’t know if this counts but my e-ring is a ring my grandmother left for me in her will. It is the only ring I ever wanted to wear and I pratically threatened my FH with refusing his proposal if he bought me a new one!
oh yeah……i straight shopped with him…..hunted online vendors. sent him links and pics of my top 3 picks. and even emailed him an online coupon code that i found! lol.
he picked one of my top 3…which i guess, made it somewhat of a surprise bc i had NO idea which one he would go for.
turns out he picked my favorite! *wink*
oh…and yeah, i was completely shocked when he proposed. seriously!
i did not see it coming for miles! lol…
My fiance was actually spending Xmas in Australia and I was home in Maine when I picked out my e-ring. He knew that I was finding out my ring size and that was it… well then of course when you are at a store you try on rings too.
I had no idea what type of ring I wanted (just not cookie cutter and sparkly) but then suddenly got a crash course on how expensive diamonds really are.
So I was feeling disheartened when the sales girl (this is a non-commission store, mind you) asked if I had looked at the estate jewelry. I had not (thought they were not for sale for some reason). She said “I have the perfect ring for you” and brought me this beautiful illusion setting antique ring and it FIT (I have really big fingers)! AND for a bargain price that I am fearing my dress will far surpass.
So when my fiance called me on Xmas eve (had not talked to him in a week) I said Love you, Merry Christmas, and my engagement ring is on hold at Gold Republic in Auburn Maine under your name. I told him that we certainly did not have to buy this ring, but I loved it and it was about 85% less than he was planning on spending.
He bought it and the rest is history. Big lesson learned. It certainly saved us a lot of money, I got the unique ring I really wanted, and already have my ’something old’ for our wedding day!
i mentioned that i thought it would be a good idea if i came along for one ring searching session to just get a better idea of what i’d like and to get formally sized [i’ve lost some weight and now the promise ring he got me slips off quite easily…i can work it off with my thumb…on the same hand!] but he was shocked. he figured we’d just do that when it came time to pick our wedding bands. he was set on doing the whole thing by himself but now will let me tag along for one trip.
I’m with you. FI and I chose the diamond and the setting together. We make all major decisions together, and especially since I’m the one who will be wearing the ring every day, we both thought we should have equal input. Thankfully we both liked the exact same things.
Like others have mentioned, I did a lot of research on pricescope to make sure that I got the best cut possible, i.e., for a round brilliant stone the depth should be between 60-62%, the table should be between 54-57%, the crown angle should be between 34-35 degrees, and the pavilion angle should be between 40.7-41 degrees. This is because the GIA excellent cut grade is really broad and sometimes there are bad diamonds that can still be graded as having an excellent cut.
Hope this can be of some help to those girls who are still ring-hunting.
Oh, absolutely! We looked in jewelry stores for about two years and watched for sales and finally came across a store that was having a can’t miss 60% off + an additional 20% off that saved $2000. We had the exact amount of the sale price and I was just like-you won’t find another sale like this, get it! I love my ring and neither of us regret it. Plus, he was clever enough to still surprise me to tears during the proposal.
My proposal was a surprise until about 8 hours prior. I was at work and he called me and said, “Hey I have an idea, let’s go somewhere nice for dinner” and let me pick between some of the higher end restaurants in our city. I think I knew instantly what he was up to. You mean we’re not going to taco bell tonight??? We had actually talked about marriage in the first week i met him (which would normally be a red flag to run for the hills, but it felt perfectly uncreepy) so after five years and graduation from college i knew it was coming eventually. Anyway, I was very nervous because he always has to do things the “right way” and would be offended if i asked to pick out my ring. What makes that even worse is that sometimes he has terrible tastes in women’s fashion haha. But somehow . . . . he got it perfect. He probably got it even more perfect than if I had picked it out myself. And I am VERY picky. I didn’t have a single twinge of “ohh . . . . thats nice” about any aspect of it. I take it as a sign that when it comes down to the important life decisions (like jewelry) he really does know me.
We had already had one bad jewelry experience - he bought me a watch for Christmas two years ago, and it was so totally not me. I just couldn’t imagine wearing it. I felt so bad, didn’t actually say anything for a week, but he could tell from my face when I opened it. So there was no way he was picking out the ring by himself! We are actually both glad that we did it together, as it just makes it that much more special. It took me one trip (three stores) and an evening on the internet to figure out what I wanted in a setting, and that it just wasn’t available anywhere local. Along the way we both fell in love with the idea of a yellow diamond, which complicates matters significantly. So we ended up at a custom jeweler/diamond broker, where they ordered in a series of a dozen stones for us to look at, which took about three weeks. After picking the center stone, the rest was easy. The design process was really special, and we now have something that is just ours - we have yet to see another ring we think is as wonderful. He did go by himself to pick up the finished ring, and hid it away for about a month, so that the actual proposal was a huge surprise, which was also wonderful. We are going back this month to have them start working on our wedding bands, and are really looking forward to that.
My FI used a simple 14K solitaire to propose to me. We’re not doing the setting shopping together. He swears that’s the best money he’s ever spent. “$300 to buy myself out of the responsibility is fine with me.”
I didn’t get to pick the diamond. I thought that would be a problem but it’s not. FI said, “I was looking at all the different cuts, and this was my favorite.” So, even though I never considered Asschers, now I love it because there’s a part of him in the ring too.
Edit: I meant to say “We’re NOW doing the setting shopping together.”
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