Okay, first of all, I have done ZERO planning for this wedding as of now. We have looked at locations & nothing is doing it for me. I also attempted to start planning an engagement party but I got overwhelmed. We are feeling torn now on what we want to do- get married abroad & have a big party? Do it more traditionally? IDK man, but I am really not pressuring myself too much at this point.
I WILL SAY THOUGH- sharing the proposal with you guys was so fun, your well wishes were so appreciated, & I love reliving that day through that post!!! BUT now… let’s talk about the engagement ring of my mf dreams.
All I do is stare at my ring. Zack teases me cause he always catches me sparkling it around & watching it out of the corner of my eye. It is just so perfect for me & THE BEST PART… the stone in my ring is the stone my Dad proposed to my Mom with 40 or something years ago!!
If you knew my Dad, he is meticulous AF, so I know a lot of thought went into this ring when he chose it. I can just imagine him, younger than I am right now, getting so psychotic/flustered about picking out this ring & it makes me feel all the feels when I think there is a little bit of the first man I ever loved in this ring (so cheesy, but true!)…. and then the man I am going to marry transformed the ring into something perfect for me- & nailed it.
That said, the process wasn’t as straightforward as my Mom handing Zack her engagement ring & boom we got engaged. There was a serious process, deals made, & of course- resetting the ring cause it was definitely a tad bit outdated.
THE RING PROCESS
OKAY- so I am sure some girls love the element of surprise when it comes to getting engaged. I personally do not. The proposal of course was a HUGE surprise & I loved it, but I did know it was coming. We have been talking about it for a while & I also knew exactly what I wanted for my ring far in advance.
A couple years ago my Mom took me to her bank to show me her ring & my Grandma’s. We have two heirloom rings in the family & there are two daughters. Worked out perfect & luckily for me my big sister, who is actually a saint, always lets me pick first. She also has a partner & a baby- so putting a ring on it just isn’t her priority right now.
Both of the rings were so beautiful & it was NOT any easy choice. My Grandma’s is a gorgeous emerald stone with four baguettes (you can see it below!) & my Mom’s was a marquise with two baguettes. Both set in platinum & about the same size stone (the emerald is actually bigger). I pondered for a while, but ultimately decided on the marquise. It was more sparkly & just would look better on my long ass fingers.
SO, when Zack was ready to get things moving he called my Dad for permission & my Mom to chat about the ring (she knew it was coming). They worked out some sort of agreement & I don’t know any of the details, all I know is my Mom wanted him to have some “skin in the game”.
She loves Zack like a son & I know it wasn’t about any financial gain, she’s probably putting whatever money in a savings account for our future children tbh, but she wanted him to feel proud of giving me that ring & really see the ring as a symbol of love & commitment. I don’t know the typical etiquette with heirloom rings, but I back her idea fully!
When Zack had the ring in his possession- it was time for it to be RESET… which is where all the details come into play with my ring!
THE RING DETAILS
Zack had some inspiration of what I wanted & that is because my crazy ass would just straight up text him pictures of rings I liked… & also one of my best friends is an INSANE high end jewelry designer (Brachelle Jewelery) & I always knew she would do the ring.
Zack knew better than taking my ring anywhere else & having a friend do your ring is great because you can let them know EXACTLY what you want far in advance. Plus, I am a big believer in energy so having a good friend do my ring was just very special… & HONESTLY, Briana is the best of the best when it comes to jewelry!!
AS FOR THE DEETS OF THE RING- you can see in the before/after that it was set in platinum & had baguettes on the sides. I wanted to get rid of the baguettes, I wanted it gold, & I wanted a super thin band. It is a really STUNNING stone that doesn’t need any “fluff” distracting from it & a halo is just not my vibe! I also plan to stack it one day, so I just wanted it to be SUPER minimal.
I did want Zack to have some say, as long as they kept things simple.
& THE FINAL RESULT… WAS PERFECT. They ended up setting it in a custom tapered 14k gold cathedral setting with modified V prongs. The V prongs are at the top & bottom of the stone, they are V shaped (obv), & are used to secure the marquise. I personally loved the V prongs, but they can be a little big, so mine were modified to be smaller so that more of the stone would be highlighted!
A lot of people say NOT to set your ring in yellow gold, but that is not always the case. It all depends on the stone. Some diamonds have yellow in them & then they can’t be set directly on gold because it really brings out that yellow. Briana examined my stone & it did not have any yellow so it was fine to set on gold which was great because I was set on yellow gold.
*side note: if you do want yellow gold but your diamond has some yellow, they can plate the underneath part of the setting so that everything is yellow gold but the area right under the stone!*
Inside the shank of the ring Zack had Briana set a teeny tiny ruby, which is both of our birthstones & such a sweet idea/detail…. & then lastly, the SIZING BALLS!!!
I have a huge ass knuckle & skinny fingers. It was very hard to get this ring sized right, but we finally did & I love the sizing balls. On the inside of the band there are four tiny gold balls which makes it easier for me to get the ring on & off AND it makes the ring sit up off of my finger so it never looks like my finger fat is being cut off!
& TO SUM IT UP- IT IS PERFECT. I AM OBSESSED. THE END!!!
Next wedding themed post might be months away if I don’t get my shit together soon, but if you’re thinking an engagement is in your future, BE SURE TO SEND YOUR MAN TO BRACHELLE JEWELRY!