....my engagement ring.
That's right, my engagement ring is no longer on my pretty little finger. Before you begin to freak out...no, I didn't lose it. I parted with it willingly.
You see, for months and months J and I have been trying to come up with a suitable wedding band for my uniquely shaped ring.
"Penelope" in all her glory. (Yes I named my ring...so what??!!)
You can see that with the shape of the ring, finding a wedding band that fit was going to be difficult. I contacted several jewelers in Milwaukee about a custom band, but they were all having a hard time working within the budget we had and with the stones we wanted (no diamonds for this girl). I had pretty much given up on the idea of a engagement/wedding ring combo and instead had decided that I would just move my engagement ring to my right hand and wear a completely unique wedding band on my left hand.
On a recent camping trip to Bayfield, WI, J and I came across an add in the local tourist guide about a jeweler, Donalee Designs, who worked with semi-precious and gem stones. I was intrigued. We almost didn't stop...it was raining and we were tired...but in the end we did and I am so happy we decided to!
Donalee's studio is in her converted garage and is really impressive. Plus she is just the sweetest woman you could ever meet. Right away I knew I wanted to get my ring from her. I explained my ring situation to her and I started out trying on some stand alone rings that could serve as wedding bands. As we talked we started throwing around ideas for custom rings; Donalee got my style right away and together we came up with an amazing custom wedding band that will fit with my engagement ring! The stone is a 0.25 carat blue topaz that will be flush mounted into a white gold band. The band is going to be shaped so that it fits with the wave of my e-ring while still looking delicate and light. I am beyond thrilled with what we came up with and I can't wait to see the finished product.
But...before I get my hands on that beautiful ring I had to say good-by to my e-ring. Donalee needs the ring to make up the final sketches. Then my ring and her sketches go down to her caster in Chicago who will make a wax casting of the ring. At that point I get my e-ring and the wax ring back. I can make any suggestions or changes that I want (changes means parting with my e-ring again). After the wax gets the final OK, they cast it in white gold, set the stone and we are done! I was told that it will take about a month to get the wax cast made, which isn't too bad, but it's still a long time to be away from "my precious."
To fill the empty void that's left on my finger I've moved the sapphire ring that J gave me years ago from my right to my left hand...not exactly the same feeling, but it will do. I'm pretty sure that the guy at the FedEx store thought I was crazy when I mailed out the ring yesterday, I just kept saying over and over, "please don't lose it, it's really special, please don't lose it."
Now I'm just waiting for an email from Donalee saying that she got it; I'll breathe easier when I know that Penelope is safe and sound. But for now...I wait.....
On a recent camping trip to Bayfield, WI, J and I came across an add in the local tourist guide about a jeweler, Donalee Designs, who worked with semi-precious and gem stones. I was intrigued. We almost didn't stop...it was raining and we were tired...but in the end we did and I am so happy we decided to!
Donalee's studio is in her converted garage and is really impressive. Plus she is just the sweetest woman you could ever meet. Right away I knew I wanted to get my ring from her. I explained my ring situation to her and I started out trying on some stand alone rings that could serve as wedding bands. As we talked we started throwing around ideas for custom rings; Donalee got my style right away and together we came up with an amazing custom wedding band that will fit with my engagement ring! The stone is a 0.25 carat blue topaz that will be flush mounted into a white gold band. The band is going to be shaped so that it fits with the wave of my e-ring while still looking delicate and light. I am beyond thrilled with what we came up with and I can't wait to see the finished product.
But...before I get my hands on that beautiful ring I had to say good-by to my e-ring. Donalee needs the ring to make up the final sketches. Then my ring and her sketches go down to her caster in Chicago who will make a wax casting of the ring. At that point I get my e-ring and the wax ring back. I can make any suggestions or changes that I want (changes means parting with my e-ring again). After the wax gets the final OK, they cast it in white gold, set the stone and we are done! I was told that it will take about a month to get the wax cast made, which isn't too bad, but it's still a long time to be away from "my precious."
To fill the empty void that's left on my finger I've moved the sapphire ring that J gave me years ago from my right to my left hand...not exactly the same feeling, but it will do. I'm pretty sure that the guy at the FedEx store thought I was crazy when I mailed out the ring yesterday, I just kept saying over and over, "please don't lose it, it's really special, please don't lose it."
Now I'm just waiting for an email from Donalee saying that she got it; I'll breathe easier when I know that Penelope is safe and sound. But for now...I wait.....
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