The Hunt Is On

The Hunt Is On

April 12th, 2010 @ 11:32 am by Mrs. Lobster
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In my last post, Mr. Lobster and I had super sticker shock. But it was too late; I had fallen in love with my ring.

Knowing how much I loved the cushion cut design, Boy-Lobster went an alternate route, finding a jeweler to custom make our engagement ring. He reached out to his married guy friends for recommendations and found a jeweler named Nagi in Connecticut about an hour drive from New York City.

I went with him to meet Nagi the jeweler. Admittedly I was skeptical at first, but when we met Nagi it was like meeting a family friend we didn’t know we had.

a pile of diamond rings!

Nagi showed us a some diamonds, taught us the how to look through the back of the diamond with a jeweler’s loupe to see what makes the stone look sparkly.

Hearts on Fire

After we picked the diamond, we discussed the setting. I showed him pictures of what I wanted. He promised that 4-6 weeks later, it’d be done and ready to go. 4-6 weeks? That’s it?

I know a lot of women out there oppose choosing their ring with their future fiancé. For me, I knew it was a big purchase and wanted to make sure we were both educated enough to make right decisions.

Here are my tips for finding your perfect engagement ring:

1) RESEARCH. Countless hours on Blue Nile, James Allen, Pricescope were well spent. I was learning both aesthetically what I liked as well as the 4Cs.

2) VISIT TIFFANY’S. I highly recommend going to Tiffany’s even if you know you’re not buying from there. The associates are so helpful and there’s no pressure. If you see a style you like but not in your price range, ask to order rings for a second visit. You will learn a lot, get to try on sparklies, and drink some champagne. It is a must-do experience.

3) GET RECOMMENDATIONS. Without his friend’s suggestion, Mr. Lobster would never have found Nagi. He ended up being a bit of a drive but we know we have a jeweler and friend for life.

4) KNOW THE PROCESS. Nagi discussed with us the process from start to finish and the timing. For us it included gathering measurements to design the setting, creating the design rendering using fancy software, and making a wax mold (and approving it).

5) SATISFACTION SHOULD BE GUARANTEED. If the setting is not what you wanted or not what you envisioned, your jeweler should be willing to make the necessary changes.

6) GET INSURANCE. This last tip isn’t really for finding the ring, but make sure your FI knows to get this *before* he proposes. Otherwise you’ll walk around all scared to lose your ring like I did for a week. It’s a big purchase and the smart thing to do.

Did you help your fiancé find your engagement ring?

Tags: brooklyn, rings |

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22 Responses to “The Hunt Is On”

1 2 Last

Guest

Jenny

where did you get your ring insured? i’m having a hard time figuring out who to use to insure mine and would love some tips/advice.

4/12/10 @ 11:39 am (reply)

Member

shantastic (message) 122 posts, Blushing bee

My fiance insured his ring through his renter’s insurance company before he gave it to me–they were almost the first words out of his mouth after he proposed…haha! I am such a klutz. I almost threw the ring right when I got it. So thoughtful of him to take the pressure off me.

4/12/10 @ 11:42 am (reply)

Bee

Mrs. Pug (message) 3,753 posts, Honey bee

great tips! that’s awesome that you found a great jeweler to create your ring–it makes the process so much more personal. okay, enough, let’s see it!!

4/12/10 @ 11:44 am (reply)

Member

Lizabeth Lou (message) 212 posts, Helper bee

My FI bought it all by himself. I absolutely love my ring, esp cause he picked it out.

4/12/10 @ 11:49 am (reply)

Bee

Miss Hamster (message) 4,046 posts, Honey bee

We definitely went this route as well! Great that Lobster-Man found a jeweler that got that personal endorsement and that he trusts!

4/12/10 @ 11:49 am (reply)

Member

alivoo01 (message) 2,622 posts, Sugar bee

My FI had my MOH create some rings “she liked” on Blue Nile and sent them to me and told me to send her some that I liked. Only to find out later that they were being sent to him via her! In the end, he didn’t like any of my styles and bought me ring on his own preferences for style/setting. I just dictated the ring cut. And bravo for insuring it! It’s such a peace of mind!

4/12/10 @ 11:55 am (reply)

Member

Inkypoo (message) 232 posts, Helper bee

I did. I narrowed it down to 3 or 4 that I liked and he picked out his favorite, which happened to be mine too. I just didn’t tell him.

4/12/10 @ 11:57 am (reply)

Member

neontl (message) 1,135 posts, Bumble bee

My FI did ask me prior to the proposal. He asked about the type of cut, and the color gold. And he did the rest. I love the ring and the thought that he put into it, but I can see us getting it reset in the future (and dreams of upgrading it for our 5 year anniversary - but a girl can not get too greedy!)

4/12/10 @ 12:08 pm (reply)

Member

rawrkitty1022 (message) 516 posts, Busy bee

Very cool! I already have my ring…but I kind of want the Tiffany’s experience anyways lol

4/12/10 @ 12:23 pm (reply)

10.

Bee

Miss Lobster (message) 668 posts, Busy bee

@Jenny: I think we did a simple google search since it depends on what insurance companies service your area. State Farm, Liberty Mutual, etc. have renter’s insurance. We got additional jewlery insurance on top of renter’s to ensure if we had to replace our ring it’d be for the same $ amount rather than an “equivalent” ring. You can get quotes pretty quickly online and depending on where you live it’ll cost a couple hundred a year…certainly worth it when you think about how much an e-ring can be :\

4/12/10 @ 12:48 pm (reply)

11.

Guest

ritsibitsi

I love wearing rings, and I’m very picky about the styles. It took me over 6 months to find the right blue diamond ring to commemorate completing my grad studies! I made it clear to my now FI that I would like to pick out my ring. It saved him a lot of work and the proposal still ended up being a sweet surprise!

4/12/10 @ 1:00 pm (reply)

12.

Member

moderndaisy (message) 6,607 posts, Bee Keeper

I 2nd going to Tiffany’s! That was our first stop and it was totally worth it, even though we knew the ring would not be purchase there. I was shocked at what I ended up liking the best and Tiffany has the best selection

Can’t wait to see your ring!!

4/12/10 @ 1:10 pm (reply)

13.

Member

jaylii9 (message) 1,575 posts, Bumble bee

Love your post about going with an independent jeweler! My FI did the same thing and had a great experience

For everyone asking about insurance check with your car insurance company. My ring is insured through our insurance company who we hold auto and home owner’s insurance with. It was easy to add a policy with that company.

4/12/10 @ 1:23 pm (reply)

14.

Member

lemondrop (message) 1,193 posts, Bumble bee

Yes, he gave me a stand in ring so that I could pick out what I wanted for a ring. He knows that I am picky like that and that I am tough on jewelry.

4/12/10 @ 1:37 pm (reply)

15.

Member

tea (message) 7,288 posts, Bee Keeper

i accompanied the mister on one ring shopping trip and i had a lot of fun. it helped since we both ended up not liking my original ring style so it was good to know beforehand. though we didn’t make that stop at tiffany’s.

4/12/10 @ 1:40 pm (reply)

16.

Bee

Miss Hot Wings (message) 2,213 posts, Buzzing bee

Mr. HW bought my ring on his own, but I think it’s very common for couples to go together these days. Great tips!

4/12/10 @ 1:51 pm (reply)

17.

Member

jordynrose (message) 6,351 posts, Bee Keeper

These are some great tips. I didn’t help with the ring shopping at all, mostly because I didn’t know it was even coming.

4/12/10 @ 2:15 pm (reply)

18.

Member

ogreprincessinpink (message) 109 posts, Blushing bee

I’m kind of a control freak and FI knew forever that I wanted to pick out my own ring. We went to a few different stores until I found “the one.” I wanted a pink sapphire and only one store actually had ones to look at in the setting! He picked out the center stone, and even bought it while I was with him I was SOOO not patient, knowing he had my ring! Poor guy!

4/12/10 @ 9:02 pm (reply)

19.