Your engagement ring...

What beautiful rings everyone!

Here is my ring that I got on Christmas Eve 2004. It is a half carat princess solitaire. He picked it out all by himself with absolutely NO input from me! This pic was taken minutes after he proposed:


Here are better, close-up pics:




And here it is with my wedding band... that I will be able to wear in only THREE MONTHS!!!

how do you get such pretty pics of yalls rings? i can't get a single clear one at all!

Spares - your ring is absolutely gorgeous!

It's so much fun seeing everyone's rings! I'll have to see if I can get a picture of mine. It's a 3/4 carat pear-shaped diamond on a yellow band. (Sounds like it's almost identical to Pat & Alix's.) My wedding ring is a gold wrap that has 12 tiny diamonds...one for each year we were together before we got married.

Originally Posted by KitEKats4Eva!

Actually, I found my ring today whilst browsing online.

If Max asks me any time soon

this will be it:

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That's beautiful Sarah, very unique!

I want a plain platinum band, about 1/4 of an inch wide, rounded on the edges. Maybe tiny little diamonds recessed in it all the way around, but I'm not sure how I feel about diamonds. So many people are enslaved or die over getting them that I would only want synthetic ones.

I haven't even met the person I want to marry. I'm just in a really confusing not-relationship and I'm not even sure what state I'm going to live in next year, so it's probably going to be a while before I get it.

A fascinating thread, ladies. I can’t resist adding a little romance, and the story of my engagement ring, and what it means, and has always meant, to both Jim and me.

Jim is a graduate of one of our military academies. Next year he and I will be attending the 50th reunion of his graduating class. The tradition at our military academies is for the engagement ring of a graduate’s intended to be a miniature of his class ring. I have worn Jim’s miniature for 47 years now.

This is far from an empty tradition. It signifies to a new bride that she is marrying not just a military officer, but that she is also marrying the service itself. While wearing that ring she has no excuse for later claiming that she knew not what she was getting into, regardless of the hardships often faced by a military wife. Jim and I, for example, were together for only eight short interrupted weeks of our first two years of marriage. The eldest of our three sons was six months old when he first met his father. This same son had attended very nearly the same number of schools as he had grades when he graduated from high school. Extended separations were the order of the day throughout Jim’s career – that was the particular nature of his duties around the world. You force into the back of your mind the inescapable fear that the separation could so easily become permanent. But I always had my cats to keep me company, and one learns that tears are in order only when he comes home.

My mother wore an engagement ring almost a duplicate of mine for more than 60 years – until her death. My father and Jim were both graduates of the same Academy; their classes separated by 26 years. Given my background as a “service brat” I had less excuse than others for feeling sorry for myself while raising three sons so often without their father. I shall never forget my mother getting Jim and me alone just before our wedding day and saying to Jim, “If she ever complains about what are inevitably going to be your long separations, you give me a call and I will turn Ann over my knee and paddle her good!”

My engagement ring, and that of my mother, will go to my two granddaughters, along with the story of the rings' history and what, together, they meant to their family.

Excuse my typical long-winded post, but this thread brought back memories that I just had to share.

All the very best to you all,

Ann

I am not sure how well this will come out but I have to show it. This is our rings when I we renewed or vows in 2003. Now they sit in a hope chest. I plan to give them to the boys.



Sorry not good at all will try to get a different one.

Ann, thanks for sharing that story with us.......gave me goosebumps. My first husband was in the USMC, so I have a tiny bit of military understanding of what you just wrote............

Originally Posted by Beach Bum

A fascinating thread, ladies. I canâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t resist adding a little romance, and the story of my engagement ring, and what it means, and has always meant, to both Jim and me.

Jim is a graduate of one of our military academies. Next year he and I will be attending the 50th reunion of his graduating class. The tradition at our military academies is for the engagement ring of a graduateâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s intended to be a miniature of his class ring. I have worn Jimâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s miniature for 47 years now.

This is far from an empty tradition. It signifies to a new bride that she is marrying not just a military officer, but that she is also marrying the service itself. While wearing that ring she has no excuse for later claiming that she knew not what she was getting into, regardless of the hardships often faced by a military wife. Jim and I, for example, were together for only eight short interrupted weeks of our first two years of marriage. The eldest of our three sons was six months old when he first met his father. This same son had attended very nearly the same number of schools as he had grades when he graduated from high school. Extended separations were the order of the day throughout Jimâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s career – that was the particular nature of his duties around the world. But I always had my cats to keep me company.

My mother wore an engagement ring almost a duplicate of mine for more than 60 years – until her death. My father and Jim were both graduates of the same Academy; their classes separated by 26 years. Given my background as a “service brat†I had less excuse than others for feeling sorry for myself while raising three sons so often without their father. I shall never forget my mother getting Jim and me alone just before our wedding day and saying to Jim, “If she ever complains about what are inevitably going to be your long separations, you give me a call and I will turn Ann over my knee and paddle her good!â€

My engagement ring, and that of my mother, will go to my two granddaughters, along with the story of the rings' history and what, together, they meant to their family.

Excuse my typical long-winded post, but this thread brought back memories that I just had to share.

All the very best to you all,

Ann

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Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

I want a plain platinum band, about 1/4 of an inch wide, rounded on the edges. Maybe tiny little diamonds recessed in it all the way around, but I'm not sure how I feel about diamonds. So many people are enslaved or die over getting them that I would only want synthetic ones.

I haven't even met the person I want to marry. I'm just in a really confusing not-relationship and I'm not even sure what state I'm going to live in next year, so it's probably going to be a while before I get it.

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You can get ethically mined Canadian diamonds fairly easily.

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

but I'm not sure how I feel about diamonds. So many people are enslaved or die over getting them that I would only want synthetic ones.

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If you are talking about "conflict diamonds" http://www.un.org/peace/africa/Diamond.html , you can request a certificate of origin for the diamond you are buying. I would regularly request a statement from our diamond suppliers that they were not selling us any conflict diamonds, along with where the diamonds we were buying were mined. The bulk of the diamonds we used at work were from Israel.

Originally Posted by kittylover4ever

Ann, thanks for sharing that story with us.......gave me goosebumps.

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I second that...thanks for sharing your story, Ann. I have goosebumps, too. And it serves as a good reminder of just how much our service men and women...and their families...sacrifice to keep us all safe.

I enjoyed reading about everyone's rings and how they got them. I especially enjoyed the story the military wife wrote about her ring and her mother's. I acquired my ring too in sort of a unique way. When I was in 4th grade, a program came on Wednesday nights. They always asked a question and the earliest postmarked answer won a prize. In fact, two prizes were awarded, one to a country winner and one to a city winner. The question was "What nut is also the largest country in South America.'" Of course, the answer is Brazil. My aunt was the postmistress. She opened the post office and postmarked the letter for us. My dad had to buy a box of Zesta crackers so the boxtop could be included with the answer. The city winner was to be awarded a bicycle and the county winner a set of diamond wedding rings. The next week, we were watching the program and I heard them call my name as the country winner. I was really upset because I wanted the bicycle. My dad put the rings away for me and saved them until I was grown. So I wear these rings now as my wedding set. My husband bought me a diamond dinner ring and I wear it on my right hand.
Sorry for the long post, but I also wanted to share this story of how I got my wedding rings.

Here is mine! It's kind of hard to tell but it is a heart in the middle, 1/2karat. My engagement ring was actually a solitaire and a wrap but I had them put together. I sort of picked it out. I tried them on with friends to see what I liked and then I took the store's book and circled the ones I liked. This one was circled a whole bunch of times! But I'd have been happy with whatever he got me! (I took the pic myself so I rotated it to make more sence.)

http://i7.photobucket.com/albums/y255/LilacGlory7/100_1548111.jpg

Here is a link to the jewelers website for the wrap: http://rings-bands.reeds.com/Diamond...tegoryProducts

Here is a link to the solitaire: http://engagement-rings.reeds.com/Cl...egoryProducts#

Here is mine, though we technically bought it after we got married and already have our wedding bands. We are really poor and got it 60% off at valentines day so I still don't have it re-sized to fit yet, but am doing that saturday as it'll be my first day off in over three months. (the three months we've been married!)



We've been married 3 months but together 8 years so it's not so important to us to have "expensive" rings. I don't like big jutting out rings, I don't like big flashy ones either. (Not that we coud afford them if I did!) So this one is just perfect for me! I didn't like any they had around christmas so we waited until the next sale on rings to see the new stock, and I picked it out right away! I think it's only 10 ct gold and doubt there is anything at all as far as weight for the specks of sand in it, but I just adore it! Can't wait to actually wear it!

Silly Jilly

We are some lucky ladies!! Everyone has such gorgeous rings. Here's mine. I picked out the band and Brent picked out the diamond. It's white gold with an emerald cut 1.05 carat diamond. He proposed to me at Table Rock Lake (that's in Southern Missouri) on the dam at Sunset. Very romantic.

Originally Posted by SillyJilly

Here is mine, though we technically bought it after we got married and already have our wedding bands. We are really poor and got it 60% off at valentines day so I still don't have it re-sized to fit yet, but am doing that saturday as it'll be my first day off in over three months. (the three months we've been married!)

We've been married 3 months but together 8 years so it's not so important to us to have "expensive" rings. I don't like big jutting out rings, I don't like big flashy ones either. (Not that we coud afford them if I did!) So this one is just perfect for me! I didn't like any they had around christmas so we waited until the next sale on rings to see the new stock, and I picked it out right away! I think it's only 10 ct gold and doubt there is anything at all as far as weight for the specks of sand in it, but I just adore it! Can't wait to actually wear it!

Silly Jilly

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I think it's beautiful!! I agree - expense is not the issue, it's what is beautiful to you that matters. My first (well, my only...lol) engagement ring was only a few hundred dollars, but I loved it as much as I would if it were thousands. More, actually, because I couldn't justify spending that much money on a ring. I'd rather go to France!

I'm actually on my third engagement ring. After about 1 year the ring was replaced by the jeweller when I took it in for it's annual checkup and they found a flaw in the setting.

At around our 10 year anniversary date my ring cracked and broke in the middle between the centre diamond and one of the outer diamonds. I again called the jeweller and told them my marriage was lasting longer than my rings. They again gave me a new ring. That last ring is now almost 18 years old and is still doing well. I'll try to get a picture - it's a rather unique setting with small diamonds.

I have a friend who's only been married 6 years and on her third engagement ring. She told her husband she wanted one where the diamond didn't stick up because she's hard on rings. He got 2 that stood up from her hand and she broke both. One she completely knocked it off while taking clothing out of the washing machine! Maybe three times is a charm!

This is the set I want. A little over Trav's price range but he knows the size and that I want white gold

http://www.zales.com/product/index.j...Id=10570842782

If I didn't get the set this is the one I want BADLY:

http://www.zales.com/product/index.j...Id=10570845385

My pre-engagement ring( ) looks like this but it has little openings next to the smaller diamonds:

http://www.zales.com/product/index.j...Id=10570846761