How to Choose the Perfect Diamond Engagement Ring

Several months after I had given Marcie the Promise Ring, I decided it was time to propose!  Everything had to be “just right.”  I   wanted everything to be perfect.  I began to look for “the diamond.”  Now, you need to understand something about Marcie.  Marcie likes bright colors, and things that sparkle.  Not like a normal woman, but more like a 6-year old who believes that the glitter wrapping paper on the outside of a birthday present is just as much of a gift as what is inside.  To her, the most beautiful the world can get, is when the night sky is lit up with fireworks that rain glitter down on the people below!  A few years ago, she literally came home from Walmart with some weird kind of pine-needle-bush that was covered in glitter!  This was the best form of plant that could exist!  Now, I am sure she didn’t think the glitter was growing on the plant, but she was truly disappointed when the glitter fell off!

I tell you all of that to make the point that this ring had to be special!  Diamonds are notorious for sparkling, but hers had to sparkle more than most!  It didn’t matter what color it would be.  She wouldn’t care about the size.  It wouldn’t matter what clarity it was.  It didn’t even matter how many incursions were in the stone.  There were only three things that would matter to my beautiful, soon-to-be-fiancé . . .  Sparkle, Sparkle, and Sparkle!

The Ring Shopping

So I began my quest.  And it was just that! A quest!  Webster’s Dictionary defines a search as, “to look beneath the superficial aspects of to discover.”  While I was certainly looking beneath the superficial to discover the right ring, there was more to it!  A quest is defined as, “a long or arduous search for something.”  This was more like it!  I have a particular store in our area that is known for their customer service and quality jewelry.  I went to this store about 20 times total to find “the one” that she would wear on her hand for her lifetime.  I found her ring on the second trip, but the diamond . . . that is what I was concerned about!  I literally looked at every diamond the store had in my price-range.  I was allowed to have four diamonds out at a time.  They would bring them to me, I would narrow them down, and keep my top one.  They would then take 3 back to the vault, and bring me 3 more.  I would scrutinize them and find my top one again, and we would start the process all over again.  On day 6, I found one that I believed stood out from the rest.  I kept coming back to it.  They saved it for me as the days went on. 

When I had exhausted all the diamonds they had, they brought in a new shipment and I went through all of them as well.  I kept coming back to the one from day 6.  I kept comparing to that diamond.  Nothing I could find was quite as bright as that one.  Nothing sparkled quite as much.  It was beautiful.  Still, I didn’t want to “just settle” on one because I kept coming back to it.  I wanted to make sure it would be the diamond that I would be happy with and would make her smile every time she saw it.

The Promise to Propose

Finally, I chose that diamond.  I remember it clearly.  It was a Wednesday evening.  I had been debating my top three choices for five days!  I went in every night to see them to make my decision and every night I walked away without having made it.  But, I made my decision that night.  I paid for the diamond.  I had already paid for the ring.  They told me it would be ready in 4 to 5 days!  That was an issue.  I told them that I had made plans to propose that weekend, on Saturday!  They assured me they would have it ready for me on Friday night.

As I was driving home that night, I was filled with all kinds of emotion.  Anxiety about all the plans I had to make over the next few days to pull this off.  Worry that the ring might not be ready.  What if she said, “no?”  I made plans to meet with her parents on Thursday night . . . What if they said, “no?”  My heart fluttered.

I didn’t sleep much that night, but I still had a huge smile on my face!

 Photo from: http://womaninthrisis.com/2011/12/08/easily-distracted-by-shiny-objects/

So, what steps did you take to pick out the “perfect” diamond for “the one” you love dearly? Did you go shopping together, or without your fiance? Check out this other great article from The Knot to help you know “What’s Her Engagement Ring Style” at http://wedding.theknot.com/wedding-planning/wedding-quiz/quizzes/whats-her-engagement-ring-style.aspx?MsdVisit=1. There is a lot of different personality styles, interests, and designs that play into what many women like for an engagement or diamond wedding ring. Picking the right one, will help you start your marriage off right. It shows how much you love each other, and how much you listen to what the other person likes.

Proposal Idea

As an added bonus, put the engagement ring in a decorative Wedding Time Capsule, then take her to the special place you want to propose. Pull out the ring, from the Wedding Time Capsule and tell her you want to fill the time capsule together with her for many years to come, with special mementos from your life together. How touching and romantic is that? Get your own Wedding Time Capsule from https://www.timecapsule.com/product/milestone-collection-wedding-time-capsule/.

So will Marcie say Yes? You will have to tune in to our next blog in the “Meeting the Love of your Life” category to find out.

What is the best ring company you know? Share below and what you like best about them. We love to hear stories about other companies who have excellent customer service.

Making Milestone Moments Count,

– Mark

www.timecapsule.com

Notes: “Easily Distracted by Shiny Objects” picture is from https://www.etsy.com/listing/60944704/warning-easily-distracted-by-shiny