Reflections on Wedding Ring Shopping

By, Design Team staff for Jolene Kaneshige Photography

I always dreamed of designing my engagement ring, it was a secret wish of mine from my childhood. However, the traditional side of me understood that it wasn’t customary for the woman to pick her ring. Selecting the ring was the gentleman’s office to fulfill; but as times change, so do customs. Today, it is perfectly acceptable for the woman to accompany the man to shop for her engagement ring! This excited me as the hope to be able to design my own ring and have that personal touch was achievable!

The day my boyfriend took me to go shopping for my engagement ring I was simply ecstatic! It felt completely surreal! I couldn’t believe that this was happening! As we pulled up to The Wedding Ring Shop, I could feel my heart pounding out of my chest! A million thoughts were going through my head! I was afraid to design, what if it was too expensive? I knew I tended to have expensive taste, but at the same time I do not believe an engagement ring should break the bank. Would I be happy with a secondary design? How is he feeling? What is the budget he has in mind? These were all questions I wished I had asked and went over before the day came. However, even your logical side can get overruled by the excitement and romance of the moment! (Fortunately, there were no awkward situations for me, but I do wish I asked questions ahead of time. If you plan to go together to shop, I highly recommend that you discuss the budget ahead of time to avoid any awkward and/or embarrassing situations. Do your homework on about how much certain diamonds cost, or gemstones if she prefers that to diamonds, cost of labor and cost of precious metals. It’s always wiser to go into the process well informed and with a plan).

Yet, the moment he opened the car door for me and took my hand to help me out, all of the questions vanished! I looked into his eyes and the romance and love swept over me like a rushing river! He put my hands in his and looked at me and said, “ I will do whatever I have to, to give you your dream ring! I have the best, most amazing boyfriend ever!

He squeezed my hand and smiled as we proceeded to walk up the stairs to The Wedding Ring Shop. There, we were greeted by their warm, friendly staff! It was wonderful! Prior to our trip there, my boyfriend and I were given a referral by Jock via Instagram to see Tam. Jock, although he was not working that day, took the time to message Tam to take care of us. I felt truly special, that he would go out of his way to prepare them for our arrival! I felt like a Queen!

Once we were checked in they encouraged us to browse the gallery and there, we were continually treated like royalty! They allowed us to look and then came to check on us to see if we had any questions. They weren’t pushy, they truly took time to serve us! I truly appreciated that!

We took our time to look at a few other designers, but I knew exactly who I was looking for: Noam Carver. I had seen a short clip on Instagram of a ring by Noam Carver that I simply adored! It was very close to the design I had in mind!

The intuitive staff came over to help us look for the ring we had seen on Instagram. Fortunately, right as she was looking for the ring we were describing, Tam was able to take over and help us! The staff member who originally came to help us, then offered us something to drink and cheerfully went to fix our drinks and then served it to us like we were royalty! Tam gently and carefully brought out the pieces from Noam Carver. As I tried on each piece, I told Tam which one I liked better and what I like about the other pieces. It was then that Tam also told us we could create a custom piece and then it hit me, I was living my dream! These real life, amazing moments, this was what romantic movies were created from!

Taking a breath, I was able to focus and communicate what I wanted. I looked over at my amazing boyfriend who made this happen for me, he was smiling! He asked me if I was excited and happy. I answered, “Yes”! I was enjoying the process, it was just very difficult to be calm and professional. I thought I was going to explode with joy!

We continued to craft the piece with Tam. He was very knowledgeable about various stones and settings! He also has a really good eye! I was thoroughly impressed with the staff at the wedding ring shop! When we had decided on the design and details of the setting, Tam then began to discuss our options for the center stone. Then I was able to bring out a gemstone we had previously purchased already. It is a beautiful blush pink and a natural gemstone called Zircon.

He then took me over to the G.I.A brand microscope to map my gemstone! I was thrilled! I got to look inside my stone and see every detail! He described certain characteristics of my gemstone and pointed them out to me as I got to look at them under the microscope!! It was an indescribable experience! I loved every minute of it!! Tam finished up the notes from the microscope viewing and then took us to his desk where he took measurements of the stone. He carefully returned the blush Zircon to its box and labelled it and placed it in an enveloped and sealed it for the designer to set my stone in the custom created setting! Tam smiled and told me my ring was going to have to be created from scratch! My face lit up, that meant that my ring doesn’t exist, but it will soon! He continued to wrap up his detailed notes on all the elements of my ring and then sat down with both of us to discuss pricing. He was very courteous and sensitive to our wants and needs and truly took care of us!

With everything settled, signed, and paid, my boyfriend and I left The Wedding Ring Shop feeling hopeful and happy for the future! We excitedly talked about the experience and how great Tam and Jock were, how excited we were about the ring being made, and his challenge: The Proposal! Whatever he does, I know it will be nothing short of AMAZING! I know I already am excited for the proposal and I am definitely excited to be able to go back to The Wedding Ring Shop to create his dream wedding band!

I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience at The Wedding Ring Shop and that it inspired you! I truly hope this helps in your search for that perfect piece! Are you on Oahu and ready to shop for that important piece of jewelry? I highly recommend Jock and/or Tam at the Wedding Ring Shop! Ready to pop the question? Contact us at Jolene Kaneshige Photography and we would love to help tell your story!