Sparkly Sparklers

We started ring shopping in January of 2008. It happened MUCH earlier than I expected. I originally didn't want to get engaged until after I finished school in November 2008. I just felt that we should wait until I was out of school and we were no longer long distance. Well, BRG didn't want to wait that long and who was I to say "no" to going ring shopping?

Our first trip to the jewelers was extremely emotional. I thought I would be OK, but walking into that store did something to me. Overcome with emotion, I told the sales woman that we were *sniff* there to *sniff* look at some rings *sniff*. The very nice and understanding woman told me that I couldn't just look, I had to try on. "Rings are like shoes. You HAVE to try some on to make sure they fit!" OK then! I tried on a lot of beautiful rings that day, but nothing stood out. I thought I knew what I wanted, but a lot of what I liked in magazines or in the case just didn't look right on my hand. I LOVED Tacori rings and their intricate settings, but once I tried some on they just didn't seem right.

A few weeks later, we went to another store. They had a really great selection and we worked with a fantastic woman. She was so attentive, so knowledgeable, and not pushy at all. After trying on a bunch of settings, I found one that I was head over heels in love with, and 2 more that I liked a lot. The settings didn't have center stones in them, so the jeweler brought out a few 1 carat stones to look at. I never really thought too much about the 4 Cs, but BRG definitely did. And after seeing two stones of different colors and clarity I understood how important this decision was.

We put the better diamond in the settings, and the one I was head over heels in love with was made every better with this diamond. It was perfect. It was me. It was simple yet stunning with just the right amount of sparkle. I liked the other two well enough, but I knew which one was the one for me. Nonetheless, I left all 3 out on the table and said he should pick from those. I wanted him to at least kind of feel like he had SOME say in the decision.

The store was running a sale through the end of February that I knew he wanted to take advantage of. By the end of February I had a feeling that he bought it. He didn't tell me, but I had a feeling. Months and months went by with no proposal, but I was OK with it. I was finishing school and really didn't have time to think about getting engaged. Once summer started, though...I started getting a little anxious. Up next...the proposal!