Sparkle Alert!
OSCAR:
this post is not for your eyes/paws/mouth.
Remember Oscar, the ubiquitous e-ring eater from this post? Yup that’s him. Don’t let his cute face, innocent expression, or messy I-just-woke-up-with-perfect-hair hair fool you either! The little thief has made off with two rings and one pair of earrings to date and he’s always got his eye on the (next) sparkley prize! Not this time though. whew.
To make a long story short, yup I GOT A RING! And I’m gonna tell you a story of sorts surrounding it. So here goes. In a world of perfect proposal stories complete with video and photo documentation (which don’t get me wrong is awesome), I picked out my own ring. And for me I really believe that was the best choice.
I’m phenomenally picky about my personal jewelry/shoes/clothes.
I also have an odd way of putting things together that really works for me (not to sound like a snot- it just does) and I think sometimes this leads friends/family to believe that I’ll love the rather strange or odd kitschy thing they’ve bought me.
So when it came to getting me a ring, obviously I dove back into the research head on. I was trying to find a sapphire/diamond combo. Vintage. Unique. Amazing. A perfect companion to the ring i got Fiancee Stripes.
I had myself positively convinced that I had to have platinum/diamond/sapphire b/c I’m really rough on my jewelry (I am?) and they’re the strongest on the mohs scale.*
I have big hands so I can’t have some tiny little stone either… Not that I wanted a giant diamond, but it was just one more thing on the list.
The only problem with my grand ol’ plan? Umm. I didn’t consider my fiancee AT ALL. Seriously I didn’t consider what my stripy counterpart could afford at the time or what she wanted to spend on a ring or how important it was to her to get me a ring. (Sorry baby!)
And that’s totally gross.
Which brings us to a very taboo subject. Money. So let’s talk about that shall we?
I make a lot more of it than Fiancee Stripes does. Most of the time anyway. My work is freelance, so working = no time, lots of $$ and not working= unemployment or no money. My point is that I could afford to spend what I spent on Stripes’ ring without going into debt or even being stressed out.
The rings I was looking at on the other hand were REALLY expensive. Maybe not for people who are planning to spend thousands on a ring, but expensive for F Stripes, and that means expensive for US.
And you know what else? I don’t even really like sapphires. And platinum? Seriously wtf is wrong with me? So while it made sense to get Fiancee Stripes the ring i got her- blue is her favorite color, she has beautiful little hands, it just FELT like her, it made NO SENSE WHATSOEVER for me to demand some expensive, blingy thing that I didn’t even want!
I’m not quite sure what brought me back to reality- it may have been my selfish desire to have some ring (any ring) on my finger and have it now! lol. So I switched gears.
I started looking for a ring that was in our actual price range. And then I started looking for a ring that I actually loved. And then I came across the Tiffany Legacy Collection Aquamarine Ring and I was smitten, but I was only half-way there. Lovable? Yes. Affordable? Nope. Not even a little bit.
So I started looking around the web and then a lightbulb went on and I started looking on Etsy. And then I came across it: The. Most. Beautiful. Ring. Ever.
Aquamarine. Cushion Cut. Little sparkly conflict-free diamonds, recycled gold. $600.
Yup I’m even telling you exactly how much the ring on my finger cost b/c I think you should all know that the ring on your finger doesn’t have to cost a bunch to be beautiful and to mean A LOT.
Seriously, as Iong as I get to marry Fiancee Stripes I could wear a rubberband on my finger and be happy. Although I might not find myself staring at it as often!
What’s that you say? You wanna see my precious?
Okay. Here ya go:
What do you think? Did you have any similar realizations while ring hunting, financial or otherwise?
It’s always a balancing act, isn’t it? I looked at Mastergoldcraft too! That’s a beautiful ring.
AHHH THAT RING IS BEAUTIFUL! And I know what you mean about considering budgets. I fell in love with a MONSTER of a ring, it was definitely what you would call a rock. In the end, I got a rock–it’s just not a diamond. And I am perfectly, extremely, 100% positively satisifed! It sounds like you are too, and that is really what matters!
I might have missed it… did you post the ring you got her? I’d totally love to see that, too!
What a lovely ring..I have been looking at this style since I have been on wedding bee and if I didn’t already have a ring I loved, I would totally want something like this.
I am really glad you are talking about this. I got my wife’s engagement ring on uber sale at a department store. She wanted a big diamond ring, but instead we got a cluster of tiny diamonds that look like a huge sparklefest from a few feet away. We got my ring at the outlet mall, where I asked the salesperson to find me “the smallest diamond ring you have”, because I didn’t want a big stone. And we love our rings! I’m also in an uneven income relationship and it made me feel good that neither of us had to spend alot.
That seriously is gorgeous. And this post cracked me up. Oh, Oscar.