Wedding Blog
Do you know that I’ve been engaged for nearly 13 months now, and I still haven’t shared pictures of my engagement ring with you? For shame!
I guess I did post an excited-engaged-hand pic a while back, but that doesn’t really count! You couldn’t see the INCREDIBLE BLING in all its glory!
Honestly, this is the most incredible piece of jewelry I’ve ever worn (or owned, for that matter!). I posted before about the weightiness (emotional, and physical - look at that rock!) of an expensive engagement ring. Like most girls, I was flippin’ thrilled to be looking forward to such a pretty piece of sentimental jewelry - I certainly would never buy something like this for myself! However, like a lot of brides, I wasn’t too enamored with the idea of a diamond engagement ring. There are a million sources on the ‘net about blood diamonds; I won’t waste your time with that. I didn’t even know if I’d like a diamond! I guess they’re nice, but truth be told, I’d never seen one larger than my mom’s (which is a 0.5 carat marquis cut).
If I could have my pick of any fancy-shmancy rock for the ring, I’d choose the one with brilliant color.
I love the ocean - I love staring at sunsets and seascapes forever! I wanted to get this same kind of wistfulness when I looked at my engagement ring (too sappy for ya? Don’t worry, almost done with the gooey stuff! 
). I wanted to see the future and the endless possibilities with my husband in that rock - if, after all, I was going to have to wear that thing for the rest of my life!
I also adore filigree on jewelry - rings especially. I like to think the craftsmanship that went into making the ring makes it that much more valuable, never mind the sticker price.
Above all, if I could have my pick of an engagement ring, I would have loved the honor of wearing an heirloom ring. Miss Cowboy Boot is such a lucky lil’ lass to sport her family heirloom! I think it’s the sweetest thing in the world to wear a ring that’s been passed down and loved for ages.
So that’s what I told Mr. Bear Cub to look for, and boy, did he choose well!
My ring wasn’t passed down through his family, but it comes from an estate jeweler in California (I can give you the name if you’re interested). Lucky for me, Mr. Cubbie has family friends in the estate jewelry business!
My ring is a 1.5 carat sapphire set in a platinum band with tiny diamonds accenting and filigree all the way around. Perfect! I know that this antique was loved before, but most importantly, I know that it will be loved for a long time to come.
because Mr. Bear Cub and I both love pears so much!
I can’t wait to pass my engagement ring on to my grandchild one day!
This last pic is my engagement ring nestled atop one of my DIY wedding cake trials. Lavender infused Italian meringue frosting? Um, YES! We’ll just leave that as a spoiler for now
What was the most important thing to you when it came to getting an engagement ring?
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Share this post: An Heirloom Engagement Ring for Her
The most important thing to me? Well there were two of them: (1) that it be affordable (no debt on a piece of jewelry!) and (2) that it be comfortable. I have teeny-tiny fingers (as in, SUPER THIN), and everything I tried on seemed to twist and twist all the way around my finger if it was big enough to get over my knuckle! So it had to be very, very well balanced so that it didn’t spin. 
I know, so practical and unsentimental.
This is such a wonderful post. My e-ring isn’t even really that, it’s a promise righ I had gotten long before. I had to get him to send it away for cleaning and to be resized and he asked me to marry him with the very same ring. It’s not huge (it’s actually quite tiny) but the fact that he put all that thought and effort to try and make it memorable is what’s important to me.
I don’t care what the ring looks like, all I care about is that he loves me and with it, he means forever.
Hands down, the most important requirement for my ring is that my fiance picked it out. All by himself. That’s why I purposely never showed him pictures of what I would want, or would talk to him about it. I figure that if it’s a gift, it should be what HE thinks would be good for me. And, as I imagined, he picked out a beautiful ring, that is really and truly exactly what I would have picked for myself.. and that’s what means so much more to me.
my engagement ring is his mothere’s (pre-upgrade) engagement ring. I absolutely love it. it’s not huge and flashy, but I love so much that his mother cares enough about me to put that ring in our hands.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/xbloodxxrosesx/SAwknd071.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v387/xbloodxxrosesx/riing.jpg
pardon my fiance’s silly tattoos
The important thing was that I GOT one. I had actually started searching for the perfect colored gemstone (especially sapphires), and we would have one set. But I think he got antsy, because I ended up with a “temporary” ring - as he says - which is a teeny tiny diamond.
You’re ring is gorgeous!! My requirements…
1) that it be yellow gold
2) that the center stone was a Cushion Cut Diamond
3) that it have pave set diamond on the band
I picked out my ring and he was fine with that because he doesn’t know anything about jewelry (his admission, not mine). We got it from BlueNile.com so I’d never seen the ring or was able to try it on so it was still incredibly special to me when I finally did get it.
“What was the most important thing to you when it came to getting an engagement ring?”
That I got one at all! (lol) My fiance is very…. um… careful with his money. And he HATES unnecessary waste. For him to buy me a ring was a huge outpouring of love, and I knew that he’d thought about it for a long time, and that he knew this is what he wanted (he also doesn’t take life-decisions lightly). Every time I look at it, I think of that.
It was also important, like Jamielee said above, for him to pick it out, and on his own time. The only thing I ever told him was that I didn’t want yellow gold. I wouldn’t have been able to pick out a ring myself… it wouldn’t have felt right to me.
Your ring is so beautiful and I love that it has a back story. Wonderful! I didnt have anything that was hugely important for my engagement ring. I told my man that Id be perfectly happy if, spur of the moment, he felt the need to propose and had nothing with him but a rubber band, it was just a token to show our love and intent and promise. He did pick out my DREAM ring though, he did a really good job
Jamielee, is that a picture of your ring? If it is, it looks just like mine and I have the same story–I didn’t show my husband any pictures, but the ring is exactly what I had been picturing. I love that about it!
That is gorgeous! I told my guy I didn’t want diamonds, and we looked together at what to choose. A cushion-cut sapphire caught my eye and we went with it! I love your estate ring.
It’s very pretty! I love the blue! It’s very nice to see an heirloom passed down! I love the band as well!
I think your ring is just lovely! I too have an antique and though it hasn’t been passed down in my family, it would be really nice someday if we could start that tradition. Plus, you don’t have the guilt of wondering what your stone had to go through to get on your finger.
Your ring is beautiful! I love how you can see the deep blue in pic #3. My only parameters are that it be conflict free, heirloom worthy (delicate, maybe filigree) and chosen by him.
It’s absolutely stunning. I love the sides of it! Thanks for the mention–I was pretty sure you called me a lucky ‘lil ass for a second, but that would’ve been okay too.
I agree with another poster the most important thing is I got a ring! we’ve been dating for 3 years and I was starting think we would never get engaged! LOL I did have a part in picking out my ring. I have always wanted a big aquamarine stone. My birthstone. I looked a long time online and in stores and never found one I liked. Then on vacation in Hawaii we went into a jewerly store and there it was. We both went “OOOHHH” can we see that! It is a 1.95 ct Aquamarine stone set in Platnium with Diamonds surrounding it. Just perfect because it is not only my birthstone but my FI’s as well. And to top it all off we met on his 29th birthday! I too hope that one day I can pass my ring on to a grandchild. I love the blue stone and in certain light the shade of blue changes deeper or softer.
The most important thing was that we both loved it…
I knew I wanted something BIG and if I couldn’t have a giant 2+ carat diamond then I didn’t want a diamond…so we went to Maui saw this ring and it’s a huge aquamarine, I fell in love, he said he had never seen me react to any ring like I did to that one…and that was that.
Your ring is gorgeous! Mr Bear Cub did well… really well
wow. very nice. thank you for getting an estate piece too. mine’s from his late grandma whom he was really close to, and gifted to us by his grandfather (we didn’t intend to get an e-ring).
and yes, sapphires are GORGEOUS!
Oh I’m jealous. I love blue sapphire rings - strongly considered one for my e-ring. Lucky you
Gorgeous ring!
I did not want a diamond engagement ring either. Mine is a 6.5 carat Amethyst w/ 2 1/2 carat pink tourmalines on the side and tiny diamonds all over. I wanted the center stone to be something unique. I’m glad to see there are others who didn’t want a diamond as well! Do you get a lot of weird looks when you show people? A lot of people will think it’s cool but I also get a lot of “Oooooooh, that’s interesting” with a weird look.
@bglou: 6.5 carats! wow!
yeah, I got some weird questions at first. Everyone was like “what kind of stone is that?” I was surprised they didn’t realize it was a sapphire.
very beautiful ring! mine is an heirloom piece and looks very similar to yours. what was important to me then was that I got the ring (as many have said!) but what’s important to me now is that since my ring is platinum, like yours… the filigree details won’t wear down. So I know the ring will continue to last forever and I can also someday pass it on to my grandchildren.
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Mrs. Cub, Chile/Portland
Age and Occupation: 26, Astronomer
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 28, Astronomer
Engagement Date: May 10, 2008
Wedding Date: September 2009
Venue: Westwind YWCA camp
About Me: I'm a small-town girl who's making a living in Chile, with her heart in the Pacific Northwest. I grew up in Southern California, went to high school in Texas, grad school in New Mexico, and now I can't wait to settle down in Oregon! I love pears, hazelnuts,
knitting, traveling, running, baking, and long talks on the phone with
good friends. I'm planning my Oregon coast summer camp wedding while
abroad with my best friend - I'm always at home when I'm with him!
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