Wow!! What a wonderful engagment story

I recently received this wonderful email from a client of mine, months after I had worked with him, and I had to share it with everyone. One of the reasons that I love my job is that I have wonderful friends and clients, that appreciate the effort that we put into each and every piece of jewelry that we make, and everyone leaves happy!
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I'm sorry for the delay. This email is long overdue.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I was in your shop on a rainy, cold February 26th. I took care of everything engagement-related that day: asked her father (a cop) if I could marry his daughter around 8a, had a wonderful ring shopping experience at Windy City Diamonds from 10a-1p, and asked her to marry me around 7p.

Here's how it went down:

She had to take care of her grandpa till about 5:30p, planning to get home around 6p. We had a dinner party to go to that night around 7p, so I planned on asking her beforehand. I got to her place about 5:45p. From the time I left my house, I was so nervous! As I sat on her living room couch waiting for her to get home, my heart was racing so fast. I was amazed at how something like this could make my body react in such a way. I set up a camera in a hidden location, and stuck the ring in my pocket. When I heard the garage door open, I nearly jumped with excitement. I turned the camera on, and sat back down, pretending to read a magazine. She came through the door, coat on, and water bottle in hand. I was so nervous and excited that I basically ran right at her, haha (She later said that she noticed how I sprinted to her so fast).

We hugged and kissed and all that good stuff. Then, I went into "remember when?" mode:

me (trying to cover up a shaky voice): "I was thinking today how we're going to Lindsay's for dinner tonight, just like the first night we kissed years ago."
her: "yeah.."
me: "Remember when I went in for the kill, you stopped me and said, 'before we do this, you know how crazy my life is, and how crazy my family is?'"
her: "haha, yeah"
me: "Well, after all this time, all I know is that I'm crazy about you."
her: "I'm crazy about you too!"
me: "and now I wanna know (dropping to one knee, displaying the ring), do you wanna get a little more crazy?"
her: *gasp* "HOLY CRAP!"
me: "Jamie, will you marry me?"
her: *shocked* *2 seconds = eternity*
me: "(um), will you marry me?"
her: "yes! YES!!!!!"

I looked down at the ring and noticed that I had the center stone shifted off to the right, so I made a quick adjustment, haha. We embraced for a long time, called a bunch of family and friends, and finally went to our party. It was great! I'm glad I didn't wait.

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I'm fortunate that he came in, and I'm very happy that he took the time to share his story with me, which is why I felt compelled to share with you all as well. Enjoy your day!

How much should you spend on an Engagement Ring?

This summer, it’s estimated that more than 500,000 men in the United States will pop “the question”, which means that summer time is engagement ring time.

Many men will be wondering, how much should they save for an engagement ring? Traditionally, DeBeers Diamond Company suggested that a groom should plan on spending at least three months’ of his annual salary. Yet the question remains, how valid is this ideal of spending three month’s salary given the difficulties in the world economies today and closer to home, our still sluggish economy?

At a time when the unemployment rate is close to double digits and the household savings rate is in single digits, not everyone will feel comfortable spending 25 percent of their annual income on a ring.

Still, there is the ideal that 3 months salary is the target, but there are a few things to remember when making this decision. First, it’s not like an automobile that you will drive for a few years and then trade or sell for a newer model, nor is it even like a condominium or home that you may decide to sell and move for what ever personal reasons that you may have.

This is a purchase that will last a very long time, and will be enjoyed for a very long time. My wife still gets compliments on her engagement ring, and she has worn it every day since the day she put it on her finger, 34 years ago!! Remarkably, this is not an unusual response that I often hear from our friends and clients about their rings as well.

My personal opinion is that this is a purchase that is recognizing your stated love between two people and should be one of the happiest events/moments in your life. It should not be uncomfortable, or so stressful that you’re worried about how much you are spending on this ring; rather it should be purchased within your comfort zone, after setting your own personal goals as to what is important to you about this purchase. Believe me; she’s going to love what you do!!

What's old is new again!

One of the most traditional diamond cuts is again becomming popular. Take a look at the new 2 million dollar, let's repeat that, $2,000,000.00, 16.5 carat Emerald Cut diamond, that was recently given to Kim Kardashian by New Jersey Nets forward Kris Humphries. The 16.5 carat emerald cut diamond is flanked by 2.00 carat trapazoid cut diamonds, one on each side of the emerald cut.

The step cut design of the Emerald cut diamond is a true classic, reaching it's peak in popularity during the art deco period of time, which is why your grandmother may have sported an emerald cut diamond in ring. Kim's desire to have something that others don't have has actually enhanced a trend towards vintage and art deco styles of jewelry.

At Windy City Diamonds, we are distributors of a line of fine vintage fillagree jewelry by White House Brothers. White House Brothers has been crafting fine fillagree jewelry for over 100 years, with the finest in workmanship with the most amazing, timeless designs. http://www.whitehousebrothers.com/index_flash.php

Have Fun at the Beach, but be careful with your jewelry

While you're having fun this summer, swimming in your local pool, or playing down at the beach, please be aware of some dangerous pitfalls when taking care with your jewelry.

Most of us don't realize it, but because the water temperatures are lower than our body temperature, it cools down our body. This may cause your body to slightly shrink in size, meaning that your finger size will be smaller after a short period of time in the water. This is a perfect recipe for losing your beautiful rings in the water. Every year I hear of someone that lost their ring or other jewelry while playing in or near the ocean. This may be heart breaking so my recommendation is leave your jewelry at home.

Ok, so now you've been warned about not wearing your jewelry in by the beach, but is there anything else to be aware of?

The sand can act as an abrasive, and damage the finish on your jewelry as well as harming precious stones. So the bottom line is that it's not a good idea to bring your jewelry to the beach. Leave them behind and enjoy the day!

What about pools you may ask? Often, the chemicals that are used in pools may be harmful to precious metals and gemstones. The chlorine that is used in many pools can cause reactions that will permanently ruin your silver, gold and perhaps even your platinum jewelry. Pools are also cooler in temperature than your body temperature, so you'll have the same problem in a pool as at the beach with rings slipping off of your fingers.

Have fun in the water, and leave your jewelry worries at home!!

Diamond Prices rising world wide

Last week, London based diamond conglomerate De Beers, most widely known for their control over about 60% - 65% of the worlds rough diamonds, raised the price they charge to their dealers on rough diamonds by about 12%!

This threw the entire diamond and jewelry industry into a tizzy over what will happen with the prices of polished diamonds, and exactly what we expected to happen did.

The price of polished diamonds jumped between 8% - 12% this week. If you happen to be in the market as we speak, looking for that special diamond, for your soon to be fiancé, don't be surprised if all of a sudden diamonds seem to be more expensive.

You may ask, what's the difference between rough diamonds and polished diamonds? Simply put, rough diamonds are diamonds in their natural form, as they have been pulled from the earth.

Polished diamonds are what we all treasure for their exquisite beauty in the way that diamonds have the unique ability to reflect light, after they have been polished into the beautiful diamonds that we see in our jewelry.

Buying a diamond... What's more important, color or clarity?

So you're ready to buy a diamond and you're wondering what is more important, color or clarity? Oh, you're going to love this answer,
It depends.. on what you may ask? It depends upon what your priorities are. You will need to decide, but when I'm asked which is more important, I usually advise to use your eyes. If you are looking at diamonds that are SI2 or better in clarity, most likely you will not be able to see the difference in clarity from a flawless diamond or a diamond that is Slightly Included, without using magnification.

On the other hand, Color is another story. If we are considering diamonds that are white in color, then the question is, can you SEE the difference? It is generally considered that most people will not begin to see a hint of yellow, and I mean just a hint, until you go down the scale to about I or J in color.

The rarest white color is D, and I often find that people equate color with brilliance. Color really has nothing to do with brilliance, but the purity of the D color ofter gives the feeling of being absolutely clear. What this means is that even if your eye cannot see the differences in the colors, your mind does recognize these differences.

So what do I recommend? Go with what you can see. You may get down the scale a little bit in clarity without visually recognizing these differences, but the colors, your mind recognizes pretty quickly.

Wedding Reception for Seth & Jenny Steward

Last evening I had the pleasure of attending the wedding reception for the new Mr. & Mrs. Seth and Jenny Steward.

Her beautiful engagement ring was complimented by the custom made wedding band that fits and matches perfectly! Jenny's dress was absolutely exquisite, I wish I had a picture to post here for you to see.

The reception was held at the Garfield Park Conservatory and it was simply beautiful. Surrounded by friends and family from all over the country, in the lush, floral setting of the conservatory, both inside and outside, was wonderful.

I want to extend my heartiest congratulations to the newly weds.