Did you pick your own engagement ring?

[ramanw]

Partner casually asked if I wanted to go and buy an engagement ring the other day.

Obviously I was chuffed etc and have now found one which is being ordered in.

Is it a bit weird though that I will know when he's picking it up and then I guess I will know he's about to propose and that kind of takes the "magical" element out of it.

Did you pick your own engagement ring and found yourself in a similar position or did your partner completely surprise you and picked the ring himself?

DH was in the local shopping centre with his family on Boxing Day and wandered into the jewellery shop on a whim. Ended up seeing a custom ring which was ordered but never picked up by the customer and thought it was perfect. He ended up calling his dad to come pay (long story short, his dad was holding onto money for him) and that was it! Then the idiot texted me saying he bought something sparkly, but didn't even propose until August

It is a beautiful ring and I wear it happily although I would not say no to a larger stone!

My DH and I had decided we would get married. We went to look at rings and he was very insistent that we were only looking. Anyway, I fell in love with one and DH just said to jeweller, "I'd best order that one then, hadn't I?" And that was it!

Way back in the olden days (1991) in my circle I didn't know anyone who proposed with a ring. The shopping was done after the question was answered (in fact at least two men used the shopping trip as a way to phrase the question).

Back in those days we didn't take photos of the event either.

Some of us were even hopeful that we might reach the stage where a woman might feel comfortable doing the asking and men wouldn't think they were somehow less manly for having that happen.... ah, innocent times....

He proposed and then we chose a ring the next day when we got back to the city.

I never really had a formal proposal, just a vague wave at a jeweller’s window and a, ‘Do you like any of the rings in there?’. Not being sure what he meant by it, I just said they weren’t quite my style. I knew I’d been proposed to when he replied that I’d better design my own. I did, and I still love it!

My engagement ring belonged to my husbands grandmother, I love that it's been in his family and passed down.
Although her fingers must have been massive - it was touch and go as to if the ring could be resized down without needing to alter the setting of the stones. Luckily the jeweller managed it!

We had an appointment to view rings a few months before DP actually proposed so I got to try some on and get an idea of what I liked. He agonises for weeks over the smallest of decisions so this way he reassured himself he was choosing something I liked.

We decided to get married, and then spent a few deliciously secret weeks looking at rings. When it had been sized, he picked it up and got down on one knee, then we told everyone. It was so special

He bought a plain diamond solitaire ring, knowing I'd want to redesign it, after proposing.

I chose my own after the proposal. We went to Hatton Garden and we chose one together.

Well I say together, I chose it and he paid for it!

My husband proposed without a ring and then we went shopping together. It was lovely to have input on probably the most expensive piece of jewellery I'll ever have!

We chose the first engagement ring together. It was a white gold wedding band inset with small diamonds. Unfortunately, I have very sweaty hands and the gold plating kept wearing off, so that ring was upgraded to a similar one made of platinum after ten years!

So did you? Redesign it, I mean?

Yes, I did. I wanted a design that wasn't that common at the time and I had to compromise a little. I don't wear it anymore, though. I'd like to re-redesign it