My Lovely Engagement Ring

I love my engagement ring that my husband gave me! As a newlywed, I was looking over my wedding album again and saw some pictures of my engagement ring. These photos reminded me of the story of how my husband chose my ring.

Just to let you know, my husband is not necessarily the most romantic nor creative guy in the world. I think his lack of creativity hinders his motivation to be a Don Juan or a smooth talker. Also, he doesn’t like to give flowers because they are a waste and die anyway, which makes sense (I still like flowers, though, and he does give them to me on occasion). But most importantly, he is nice and affectionate.

Well, according to my husband, he looked endlessly at different engagement rings just to find the perfect one for me. He even went to a free diamond workshop at a jewelry store, so he could learn about the 4 C’s in diamonds! I also hinted that I wanted conflict-free diamonds, so he considered that criteria when looking for diamond engagement rings. After his search, he decided to get my ring customized based on a design that he, along with some help, made in platinum. He designed the ring to look like my favorite flower, a rose. The diamond acted as the center of the flower, and platinum flower petals surrounded it. The side of the ring was engraved with leaves.

Being the man that I know who lacked creativity, I wondered how in the world did he come up with this idea. He said that one night, he complained to my mom that he just couldn’t find the perfect ring for me after looking at thousands of rings for the past month and was tired of searching. Then my mom got the idea to customize the ring and presented a drawing of a ring in the shape of a flower. She said that this drawing belonged to her mother. It was my grandmother’s dream engagement ring, but back in her days, a ring like that didn’t exist. Plus, my grandfather could only afford a simple one. I never really knew my grandmother, but my mom said that I resemble her a lot. We look and walk alike, and we both love roses, especially purple ones, and like to draw. Consequently, my husband loved my mom’s idea and also decided to add leaves to the sides, which he drew himself! He took this design to a local jeweler who agreed to make the design, and they said that they can make the ring in two weeks. Two weeks went by, and he heard nothing. As it turned out, this store went bankrupt. He freaked out because he planned on proposing to me in a few days. He told my mom what happened, and they started looking for other reputable jewelers who would make this ring. While he searched, my mom, for some reason, started looking at rings at jewelry websites. She saw this one store that received great ratings and contacted them to see if they had a similar ring. They actually said that they don’t normally advertise customized requests online, but they can still do it. They also said that they can create the ring and get it shipped overnight, which worked perfectly for my planned proposal date. My husband did get the ring shipped on time and was amazed with their craftsmanship as well as I.

After hearing the story of my engagement ring, I really appreciate it and, most importantly, my husband even more. I feel lucky to be married to a wonderful and thoughtful man.

A Man’s Guide in Shopping for Diamond Wedding Rings for Less

A diamond is a girl’s best friend, so they say. However, unless you have a lot of money in your bank account, it may not be the same case. In many cultures’ traditions, when it comes to getting married, the man is responsible for paying for the expenses incurred in a wedding, even diamond wedding rings.

That is why the following tips are truly perfect for you. You will learn how to get the diamond wedding ring you and your partner have always wanted without breaking the bank:

Go for heirloom diamond wedding rings. Wouldn’t it be nice to continue the tradition of the family? Your family may have a significant ring that has been passed on from one generation to another. You can then utilize the ring to finally welcome your wife-to-be into your family. You may ask your mom or dad about it.

Watch out for promos in jewelry shops. There are certain times of the year when pieces of jewelry such as diamond wedding rings are being sold at a discount. You can actually purchase the wedding ring at 50 percent off the regular price. What’s more, you have a lot of choices when it comes to designs and even inlays. When you already have set a date for your wedding, you may then watch out for the holidays and Valentine’s Day. These are the best times to scour for diamond wedding rings.

Look for used diamond wedding rings. Okay, it may sound awkward to be wearing somebody else’s diamond wedding rings, but we are talking about practicality, right? Fortunately, you have several places to go to when you are hunting for used diamond wedding rings. For one, you can search for them in antique shops. These vintage rings are usually very affordable. Thus, you can expect them to be uniquely designed. You can also find them in the World Wide Web. There could be some couples who may have agreed not to go through with their weddings. To recover from their expenses, they are willing to sell everything including the wedding ring.

Always compare jewelry shops. Before you decide to buy any wedding ring, you may want to compare shops first. Most of them could be selling similar diamond wedding rings, but differ in terms of prices. Know where you can possibly spend less or even ask for a discount. A little research can surely save your pockets from overspending.

Purchase loose stones. One of the reasons why diamond wedding rings can be pretty expensive is because of the intensive labor that has been performed by the cutter and the jeweler. To have more control on the cost and the design of your diamond wedding rings, you may want to buy the loose stones and opt for a setting that you think is cheap.

Wedding bells could be sounding so hard, but you do not need to worry. With these tips, you can definitely find the wedding ring that will make you and your bride truly happy.