Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend
Saturday afternoon saw me engagement ring shopping with a man who is not my boyfriend. I shall call my friends in this story by their initials, since I don't have their permission to use their names, and I don't plan on asking. The guy in question in IW and the girl is KJ. On Thursday, IW approached me as I was leaving the choir in which I sing, and asked if I were busy on Saturday. I said no, and he then asked, "Would you help me choose an engagement ring for KJ?" I squealed like a little girl, and said yes.
On Saturday, he picked me up and we made our way to Albany in search of jewelry stores and the like. We walked into the first store, and the girl, a lovely girl named Katie, immediately showed us the largest, most expensive monstrosity in the store. At the repulsed looks on our faces, she reluctantly replaced the ring in the case with an air of "Oh well, it was worth a shot..."
IW emphasized, "She wants something that won't snag on stuff. She wants to show it off without it being flashy." In his head, I am sure he added, "And I want something that we won't have to sell our first child for." I was thinking, "I want her to have something that isn't ugly!"
We went through a number of rings, before we finally communicated to dear Katie that perhaps a ring where the diamond was flush with the metal would be good. She, of course, brought out the most expensive rings where they were flush with the metal. Not that I am blaming her; she is, after all, looking after her own commission. But IW is a poor graduate student, and those rings were the equivalent of two terms of rent.
After much looking, squinting, and attempting to surreptitiously look at price tags, we finally saw a ring that was kind of nice: it was a band that curved to a point (I am not describing it well at all) and was inlaid with a number of small diamonds. I liked the idea of the ring, but I thought the cut of the stones was ugly. IW's first thing was, "I like it! Let's get it!" I gently steered him out the door, assuring Katie we would be back should he decide to get the ring after actually shopping, rather than just pointing and grunting at the first thing he saw.
We went to a different store, and there IW saw a much better ring, similar in shape, but the diamonds were prettier (and larger!), and I whole-heartedly endorsed this ring. It looked somewhat like this, but fewer (larger!) diamonds, and the point is lessened slightly. I liked it, as did IW, but he was still conflicted: this one, or the other one? Complicating matters was price: the ring I liked was a few hundred more than the one IW was currently leaning towards.
So we walked back and forth between the stores for about a half an hour, trying to decide what he wanted. He talked it out:
"I like them both. But the one is $250 more. But it also comes with a lifetime guarantee. But the other one has cool little diamonds that really stand out..." This is when I intervene:
"But I like the shape of the other ring a bit better. And, face it, the diamonds are a bit larger, and I know KJ is not a flashy girl better than anyone, but even us sensible girls want to show off a bit."
IW mused a bit, then thought aloud, "Well, I don't want to buy the cheaper ring and then forever think to myself that I cheaped out on my fiancee." Good boy! "Oh," he added, "and I decided that the other rings funny shaped diamonds looked like teeth. Yech!" he shuddered.
So he bought the more expensive, more beautiful ring with the non-toothy (larger!) diamonds and proposed that very evening.
He worried for a bit about what to say to KJ if she asked if he found anything when he got home, because he wanted to ask her at a specific time, not as soon as she saw him, so I suggested he tell the truth: he found a ring he liked, but it was not quite the right size (her ring size is 6.5, but the ring was a 6.75). "Oooh, you're tricky!" he said. And that was probably the best compliment I have every received.
He proposed that evening, and the next day she was proudly showing the ring about, so I feel successful.
On Saturday, he picked me up and we made our way to Albany in search of jewelry stores and the like. We walked into the first store, and the girl, a lovely girl named Katie, immediately showed us the largest, most expensive monstrosity in the store. At the repulsed looks on our faces, she reluctantly replaced the ring in the case with an air of "Oh well, it was worth a shot..."
IW emphasized, "She wants something that won't snag on stuff. She wants to show it off without it being flashy." In his head, I am sure he added, "And I want something that we won't have to sell our first child for." I was thinking, "I want her to have something that isn't ugly!"
We went through a number of rings, before we finally communicated to dear Katie that perhaps a ring where the diamond was flush with the metal would be good. She, of course, brought out the most expensive rings where they were flush with the metal. Not that I am blaming her; she is, after all, looking after her own commission. But IW is a poor graduate student, and those rings were the equivalent of two terms of rent.
After much looking, squinting, and attempting to surreptitiously look at price tags, we finally saw a ring that was kind of nice: it was a band that curved to a point (I am not describing it well at all) and was inlaid with a number of small diamonds. I liked the idea of the ring, but I thought the cut of the stones was ugly. IW's first thing was, "I like it! Let's get it!" I gently steered him out the door, assuring Katie we would be back should he decide to get the ring after actually shopping, rather than just pointing and grunting at the first thing he saw.
We went to a different store, and there IW saw a much better ring, similar in shape, but the diamonds were prettier (and larger!), and I whole-heartedly endorsed this ring. It looked somewhat like this, but fewer (larger!) diamonds, and the point is lessened slightly. I liked it, as did IW, but he was still conflicted: this one, or the other one? Complicating matters was price: the ring I liked was a few hundred more than the one IW was currently leaning towards.
So we walked back and forth between the stores for about a half an hour, trying to decide what he wanted. He talked it out:
"I like them both. But the one is $250 more. But it also comes with a lifetime guarantee. But the other one has cool little diamonds that really stand out..." This is when I intervene:
"But I like the shape of the other ring a bit better. And, face it, the diamonds are a bit larger, and I know KJ is not a flashy girl better than anyone, but even us sensible girls want to show off a bit."
IW mused a bit, then thought aloud, "Well, I don't want to buy the cheaper ring and then forever think to myself that I cheaped out on my fiancee." Good boy! "Oh," he added, "and I decided that the other rings funny shaped diamonds looked like teeth. Yech!" he shuddered.
So he bought the more expensive, more beautiful ring with the non-toothy (larger!) diamonds and proposed that very evening.
He worried for a bit about what to say to KJ if she asked if he found anything when he got home, because he wanted to ask her at a specific time, not as soon as she saw him, so I suggested he tell the truth: he found a ring he liked, but it was not quite the right size (her ring size is 6.5, but the ring was a 6.75). "Oooh, you're tricky!" he said. And that was probably the best compliment I have every received.
He proposed that evening, and the next day she was proudly showing the ring about, so I feel successful.