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I did a post about this before the wedding and tried to post it, but it somehow got deleted… so here we go again…
I started early in selecting my gifts for the girls. I so wanted to go with the Elsa Peretti but it was out of the budget. Instead I went with eBay seller silver-garden:
I was all set to use this bracelet for as part of my bling ensemble…
Me posing in the BR bracelet circa 2005
But then I saw this beauty on BR on-line… yoink! Now it’s mine… and I got 30% off because it’s Friends and Family weekend! SCORE!
I should have picked up the earrings to match… oh well, maybe next time. They both add a vintage feel them, which matches my gown perfectly 
Previously in this series:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
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And now, back to The Young and Restless… This is turning into a soap opera y’all!
Sooo, after following up with my jeweler, I still didn’t have my ring! The SA I was dealing with was totally incompetent! My main problem with this ring was that it wasn’t a size 6, but oh yes, there were several other issues.
The ring was due back on May 20th and low and behold, I received a message from said incompetent SA. My question is, why is this lady leaving messages on my phone after I left specific instructions with her manager to NOT to get in contact with Nick or myself? We were to deal directly with her manager only. And what glorious news did she have for me? She stated that my ring came back and “it’s very beautiful”, but a size 5, and confirmed in her message that she “didn’t even know what the size was originally and that she would speak to David in the shop to see why there was a delay” etc, etc, etc… It was sent back immediately to be recast. At this time, e-mails are going back and forth between the manager, Nick and myself regarding this ring. June 2nd roles around and I’m looking for answers, and my answer is… wait for it… the ring came back, but it was not up to snuff and sent back for a 4th time. Hey, take your time, there’s noooo rush!
Previously in this series:
Part 1
Part 2
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As I mention previously, after I got my ring, I called to let them know that I will be returning it to be recast after my engagement party, they said “Oh that’s fine, we want to make sure you are totally satisfied with your ring, and your shopping experience at Spence”.
So after talking different lady on the phone (cause my SA wasn’t in that day), Nick and I went to the shop a week later to show in person the problems with the setting and the blatant flaw of all, the size. My SA was quick to side with me, saying “oh yes, that is way too big, that is definitely NOT a size 6″. We told her we needed the ring for the party and she said it was fine to return it after… and wished us a good time at the party.
April 19th rolls around and we drop the ring off to be recast. It was like she couldn’t get rid of us fast enough, I wanted to see the ring under the scope, but she was pushing us out the door.
Fast forward to May 7th… after leaving a message to have someone call me about the status of my ring, my SA called and left a message at work, saying she needs permission to recast the ring… isn’t that why I was waiting 2 weeks in the first place? I let that go, because she didn’t know why they didn’t follow the directions either. FINE! I then reminded her to make sure the request states I needed a size 6, as the ring I had initially was way too big.
She tells me that it doesn’t state ANYWHERE that I needed a size 6.
NAT: What are you talking about? Of course you did, Nick was there when we both mentioned it a few times.
NAT: You must have forgotten to write it down.
SA: No I didn’t
NAT: Umm, You must have because you even commented a couple of times, on the fact that it was way too big.
SA: I did not say that.
After going back and forth, and her cutting me off and being rude she sarcastically says “fine, OK, I forgot!” With that I said, let me speak to your manager!
So without making a long story longer, I was told by the manager to deal only with him personally. My ring will be ready in 2 weeks. He told me he will sit down with both Nick and I to see what else he can do make my experience at Spence a memorable one. I told him he was gone for 4 months, but I will bring another witness… my moms.
The SA offered to get a rush job on this, and I was like, oh hells no, not after the shotty job y’all did the first time (only, I was a bit more polite). The manager offer a rush job as well, but I said take your time.
Up next… the finale
Previously in this series:
Part 1
__________________________________________
I couldn’t stop thinking about the ring… and I figured that since our anniversary was fast approaching, Nick could surprise me and get the ring and propose right? Wrong. But we did take another trip out to Spence on February 24th (a couple of days after our anniversary) and met with our SA again. Nick was quick to say don’t be surprised if we just walk away from the deal. Whatever! We looked at different rocks and finally decided on one particular diamond… the clarity was perfect and it was “J” in colour. I didn’t mind so much because, who would really notice?
Nick was adamant on getting a “good price” but I kinda got the feeling that Spence was one of those places that don’t do side deals. And I was right… they were unable to do anything for us, and with that, Nick said, thanks but no deal and we left. I was disappointed and told Nick that the price of gold was going up and if we waited any longer, we could see another $150 price increase. So we went back to the counter and asked the receptionist to write up the order. With that, our SA came to finalize the deal. I would “have” my ring in 2 weeks. I made sure ask if the flaws in the the prototype would be fixed with the final product, and I was assured they would be.
Fast forward to March 4th, Nick tells me that the ring came in and I was ecstatic. I was assuming we were going to head out to Spence after work to pick it up, not so much. Nick came in from work, washed up, sat down leisurely and ate dinner. I’m thinking “what the?” Needless to say, I was mad for the rest of the night… scrap that the rest of the week! One night I was feeling really low and I kinda took it all out on Nick. He went into to the other room and called me over cuz he wanted to show me something. I was like no way, I just wanted to be by myself. After asking a couple more times, he finally came over into my room and told me to close my eyes, and I’m thinking, I’m not in the mood for games but I obliged. He then presented me with the ring.
My mood immediately changed and was thinking who, what, where, when and how? Basically, it was all big ordeal, but he left work early the day he got the call and picked up the ring at Scarborough. I thanked him for the ring but asked him why he couldn’t do something little bit more romantic. DOH! So with that, he got down on his knee and proposed, and I said sure, why not? He later told me that wanted to slip the ring on my finger while I was napping, and had tried unsuccessfully for two weeks. So I just told him, why don’t you just propose at the Leafs game tomorrow, so ya, I let the cat outta of the bag. See, I scored wicked seats to the Leafs game (10th row, right behind the Leafs bench). He was shocked and surprised. But I didn’t tell him that we were behind the bench; I saved that surprise for the next day.
I looked closely at the right and noticed that there were a few things wrong with it. The size was too big, it felt like a size 7, there with ridges on the outside and inside of the band, the prongs were dented and not symmetrical, and the side of the band that meets up with the diamond was not flush, there was a “ledge” on both sides. I called our SA the next day, and told her that we would be in to return it after our engagement party (ya, we were in the planning stages of the party before I got the ring).
Coming up next, the controversies begin with Spence Diamonds…
“…When you go
They stay with me until the endDon’t want your money
Don’t want your key
Diamonds
Love don’t come for free…”
OK, that’s not exactly how I think about our relationship, but I always loved that tune from Herb Albert featuring Miss Jackson. I know your bobbing your head!
I consider myself a Tiffany’s girl… among other titles such as “Gapalie” from my days working at the Gap, but that’s another story. I knew what type of ring I wanted even before I met Nick, and I know what you’re thinking, that I just have marriage on the brain, but that is not so. I’ve always admitted everything Tiffany’s and even set up a little wish list of things I adore on their site. One style that I adore is the solitaire princess cut – the Lucida.
Isn’t it lover-ly? Nick and I went in for an official consult at the Bloor store. I tried on different sizes and was set on getting on .75 carat diamond. But seeing how Nick used to work at a jewellry store back in the day, he was adamant on getting a better deal. Ya ya I know, you can’t really wheel and deal at Tiffany’s, but he wasn’t willing to pay the Tiffany price… and I agree with him.
So earlier this year we took visited our nearest Spence Diamonds store. My initial reaction was shock and fright… let me elaborate. We were welcomed in the store by a greeter and then we were off to look at the rings. They were everywhere and showcased in several rows of display cases. I walked up to my first case and leaned on the glass to take a peak and was frighten to realize that the displays had no glass encased on the front… they actually displayed prototypes so you can reach in and try the rings on at you own leisure. Nick was laughing at me, but my heart was pounding a mile a minute.
We began searching up and down all of the aisle’s looking for my Lucida style setting, just then, a Sales Associate by the name of Anne-Marie came to assist us. I just came out and asked if Spence carried a style similar to Tiffany’s Lucida, and with that, Anne-Marie was off to the computer to look up some codes. Could this be it? Does she even know what I’m talking about? She immediately came back and directed us to a case right in front of us. Are you telling me we were standing right in front of my ring all this time? Hell’s ya!
She showed me the prototype, and I tried it on. I didn’t want to take it off. I joked about wanted to take it home with me and Ann-Marie mentioned that “(I) wouldn’t want that piece of tin”. True, true. She proceeded to complete a very good presentation and I sooo wanted the ring tight then and there but Nick wasn’t ready to bite. So we left.
To be continued…
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Been busy as a bee for the last couple of weeks, from waiting for my engagement ring to be fixed (2 months) to adding on a few surprises to the big day… to finalizing details of our DJ. Lots going on!
I’m happy to announce that I picked up said ring this past Monday! It looks amazing, just how it should have looked like in the first place! (NB the pic below is the old ring… Nick has the camera so I cant take new pics:( )
There is just too much to do, and not enough time to do it! I have to keep on my fitness regime cuz at this rate, Nick is gonna win our bet, which was to see who would work themselves into shape quicker… and right about now Nick has me beat. He is havin a blast in Victoria, and recently posted some updated pics on Facebook… he’s looking too damn good! He should be updating us with a blog shortly.
So other than finalizing those I last minute plans I spoke about, there is really nothing much else going on, except that we have been painting the house (upstairs only) and it’s taking longer than I thought.
Also today is Mix Master Mervin’s Birthday (I had to call him that LOL!)
Happy Birthday Mervin!
