The Ring

No, not the movie.

We're going ring shopping - like engagement ring shopping - soon. This weekend or next, or the one after that. I don't really know. Andrew said I should start looking online to get an idea of what I want and I've already pretty much got a good idea of what I like. Michelle helped me look through pages and pages of gemstone (non-diamond) engagement rings tonight and I saved a few pictures of my absolute favorite styles.

This ring is from JTV (jewelry television) and is only $44. What's good about it is the price (obviously), and the fact that all those little diamond-looking stones surrounding the blue topaz are actually white topaz so it's still a non-diamond ring. The only problem is that it's sterling silver - not white gold - which is apparently bad because sterling silver tarnishes over time while white gold does. You're not supposed to have a sterling silver engagement ring for that reason. I do really like the style, the color and everything else about the ring, though.

This ring is from Overstock.com and is only $84 which is still a very reasonable price for an engagement ring. It's still blue topaz, although the color of this topaz as compared to the first ring is much different. I like this ring a lot because of the diagonal slant of the gemstones, the very fine details of the ring and the color of the blue topaz. (Plus, this is white gold so it's all good in that aspect as well). However, there are two small diamond accents in the ring and since we are opposed to diamonds (because of the whole blood diamond controversy) then this ring is also a no-go. But I saved the picture because I really like the look of it and hope to find a ring like it when we actually go out ring shopping.

The last ring I found was from an online shop called My Jewelry Source and it cost $639 - the most by far. It is simple and delicate and beautiful and still has the three-stone thing going on that I like so much (as one could probably easily tell from looking at the three rings in this post) but instead of all three stones being the same color, the side stones are diamonds. Which yes, generally speaking, would be another turn-off for me due to our opposition of the diamond industry but this company offers to switch out the diamonds with white sapphire, making this ring completely cool with me in that respect. Plus it's solid 14K white gold and it's beautiful, simply put.

Out of all the rings my favorite of these three is the last (of course it has to be the one that costs the most) because of it's simplicity and color and cut and pretty much everything about it. I also am really pleased that it's solid white gold (not just dipped in white gold) and it offers a choice of diamond or white sapphire accent stones. I won't be getting any of these rings, these were just an idea of what I like so that when we do go shopping I'll kind of know what it is I want to get.

I've kind of figured out what I'm looking for after staring at pages upon pages of engagement rings. Here's the general list of my "likes":

• Non-Diamond Ring: Mainly because of the blood diamond controversy but also because almost everyone has diamond engagement rings and they're kind of boring. I prefer color.
• Blue Gemstone: I'm leaning towards Blue Topaz but I'm also fond of Aquamarine and Blue Sapphire. Blue Topaz is my favorite because the intensity and range of the colors available.
• 14k White Gold: I have never like gold. I have always been a silver girl. But seeing as how silver tarnishes, I'd prefer a white gold ring because it's sturdy like gold but looks like silver.
• 3-stone Setting: I don't know why I am so drawn to the 3-stone setting (and I'll admit that there were a few very beautiful 1-stone rings I was looking at that I'd be fine with wearing) but something about the 3-stone setting seems to pull me in every time. It's not a necessity but I do like it.

I can't wait until we go shopping. I am going to send Andrew these pictures in the morning to give him an idea as to what kind of rings we'll be looking for when we do go to choose one. I am so excited about this whole thing, I don't even know how to describe it. I'm going to be starting a whole new chapter in my life soon and I am so ready for it.