Weddingbee Blog

Before I can tell you the proposal story, I need to explain how the ring was picked out.There are many things that I trust Mr. Elk to do well—actually, I trust him to do almost everything! One major exception is picking out jewelry, especially jewelry I will hopefully wear for a very long time. When we first started talking engagement and rings, he made it perfectly clear that they all looked the same to him and he hoped I would simply pick what I wanted, and I was more than happy to oblige! To prove that I did not make a mistake in my path, I give you this story: just the other day Mr. Elk’s hairdresser asked him what my ring looked like, and he could not even muster what shape the center stone is.

Anyway, given permission to look at rings, I began an intense internet search and fell head over heels in love with these beauties:

Image via Since1910.com / Ring by Tacori

Image via Simon G

Image via Mark Schneider

You can see I seem to veer toward a more vintage feel. I told Mr. Elk that while I was taking the pressure off of him by picking the ring, he had to come with me to the jewelry stores to try them on—I didn’t want salespeople not taking me seriously without him there. Lucky for him, we spent less than an hour total in two jewelry stores before I realized how much I hated every single ring I thought I would love. While I still find them beautiful, on my fingers they were just set WAY too high. It was like wearing a skyscraper on my finger! I realized that being a soon-to-be doctor, this was an especially important thing to avoid—I did not want my ring breaking gloves or getting in the way. So, after thinking I would simply try those three rings on and pick my fave, I was back at square one.

I began searching for low-set vintage-style rings and found that rings from the ’20s had the feel I was looking for. I narrowed it down to these two rings:

Image via Israel Rose NY Estate Jewelry (Sold)

Image via M. Khordipour Inc (Sold)

Unfortunately, those rings are one of a kind and, well…way over budget. Moreover, I couldn’t try them on, and I had just learned that on the internet and on my hand can be completely different. Luckily for me, my family has connections in the jewelry world. In a past life, my dad was a jeweler off of Canal Street in NYC, and one of his good friends is still in the business. I knew I needed to try on anything before making a decision, so I came up with a bit of an unusual plan. I asked the jeweler to make a silver and cubic zirconium version of the ring I liked most. I would then try it on, and if I loved it he already had the mold to make the real version once Mr. Elk gave word that he was ready. And that is exactly what happened, and luckily I loved the little sucker!

Have you come up with any unconventional solutions to ridiculous problems? And which ring would you have chosen?