Thursday, April 7, 2011

Ring-A-Ding-Ding

Check!

That's the sound of me checking another item off our to-do list. Have you noticed I've been doing a lot of that lately? Yeah. Go, me.

A couple of rainy Sundays ago, B and I decided it was time to venture back to the ring store. (The jewelry store, more specifically, for all of you Friends fans out there who might have been worried.) We knew with 100% certainty that we'd be giving Shane Co. our business once again. Besides their incredibly-enticing radio commercials, we were very impressed with the company back in Nov. 2009 when we were ring shopping for this baby:

Yes, B and I shopped together for an engagement band. Although the "when" "where" and "how" of the engagement were a surprise, we were both involved with the "who" "what" and "why".


When we first walked into Shane Co., we were immediately greeted by a salesperson who asked first what styles we had in mind, then our price point. At the time, I was interested in a halo style, but knew these could get pretty pricey pretty quickly. Our saleslady assured us that she could help us find a ring that we loved in any style we wanted at our price point. Wow! This was a huge difference from the mall jewelry stores we'd just finished visiting. (We'd walked into a common chain earlier that day, and practically had to chase somebody down to help us. She asked about our budget, flipped open a catalog, and pointed to the only ring she said was available at that point. We got out of there pretty fast, to say the least.)

I ended up not being as deeply in love with the halo style as I thought I'd be, so the sales associate showed us other options for the next couple of hours. Even though it was a busy Saturday afternoon, she was incredibly patient, answering all of our questions, and bringing out choice after choice after choice until I found THE ring.

The ring we chose (pictured above) fit our price point perfectly--and it even came with the wedding band (which is currently locked up in a safety deposit box, but it looks pretty similar to this one).


Another fabulous thing about Shane Co. is that they sell all of their diamonds loose. So, although I picked out the band, B went back later and picked out the center stone himself. In addition to that fabulousness is the fact that at Shane Co., you can always replace a stone with one that's even bigger and better--and all they'll charge you is the difference in price of the stone. So, someday when we're a filthy-rich environmentalist/teacher couple, we can go back and pick out a whopping 4 ct. stone, and we'll only have to pay a few bucks more. (Or, we could choose a more reasonable half-to-one carat stone to celebrate an anniversary, I suppose.)


Anyway, after a wonderful first impression, we knew Shane Co. would be getting our business once again...

This time, we went in knowing that we wanted an "alternative metal" for B. As a Haz Mat Man, a white gold or platinum ring would be sure to dent up quickly. (They're also really expensive!) Shane Co. carries two alternative metals: titanium and cobalt. With price tags around the $100 mark for titanium, it sounded like a pretty good deal at first. But then the sales associate explained that it, too, will dent easily, and there's not much they can do to polish out any damages. Cobalt, however, is quite durable. It prices a little higher (about $300), but it would be the best choice for someone who plays with paint cans and chemicals all day.

I love the style that B picked. We liked the wider band, and the cornered style gives the ring a more modern look. He wasn't so sure he'd like any rings at first--this is a guy who has never worn jewelry--but when he saw this one, he decided it might not be too bad :-)


Now both of our wedding bands are tucked safely away, waiting for the big day!

4 comments:

  1. We went to Shane Co, too!! Love it there! I love having my ring polished. They are always super nice. I would have liked to be a fly on the wall when he was picking out my rings.

    He also got me a necklace from there as an wedding gift (even though we said no gifts...). That place has the tendency to turn him into a romantic!! ;-)

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  2. I handle social media for Shane Co. and I stumbled on your blog, and I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your experience with everyone, and for trusting us with such monumental purchases in your life. Congratulations on your engagement and upcoming wedding! If I can ever be of service please feel free to reach out chris.jones@shaneco.com.

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  3. @ Cheri: I know, I love that you can go in and have your ring polished for free. I'm always amazed at how shiny it looks when it's done, too :-)

    @ Chris: It's nice to have you reading my blog! I'm happy to share my good experiences with Shane Co. Thanks for reading...

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  4. So, I heard a commercial on the radio the other day for Shane. It was a testimonial, and I totally thought of your post when I heard it. I just had to share :)
    PS. How cool that someone from Shane stumbled on your blog? Nice.

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