37 years of marriage have resulted in many things for Kathie and Paul including two children, one cat, two black labradors, a few cannibalistic fish, houses, cars, many battles with squirrels in the garden, and travel to places all over the world. One thing that never happened for Kathie and Paul, however, is that this long married couple never got engaged.
Before getting married, Kathie and Paul went on a trip to the Bahamas where they shopped and found Kathie's perfect sapphire engagement ring: An oval sapphire surrounded by diamonds. They wanted to sleep on the big decision and come back to pick up the ring on the way to the airport the next day. They were nervous to be in possession of the ring while enjoying their vacation. I can understand why...
After a long night at the hotel bar celebrating the selection of their engagement ring, Kathie and Paul tried to flag down a waiter for the check. And they tried again. And again. And again! After a long wait, the bill arrived and Paul charged their hours of festivities and frustration over the wait to a room. Unfortunately for the proprietor of the hotel bar, Kathie and Paul were not staying in that hotel and the room was not theirs.
From here the details of the story are blurry: Did the bartender chase them through the casino and out of the hotel? Where's the nearest exit? Why was that security guard giving them the side eye? Were they being followed by the police?!
One thing was clear: They had to flee the island and could not go back to the jewelry store the next morning to purchase the ring.
For 37 years of marriage, my mom, Kathie, has not had an engagement ring. But, as luck would have it, in February my mom assisted me in my booth at the Tucson Gem Show where she had the opportunity to peruse and purchase a loose sapphire from the absolute best sources in the business. Together, we designed her actual perfect ring.
This oval 2.42-carat Sri Lankan Sapphire is stunning. This sapphire glows from within. It has the ideal royal blue hue for a sapphire and a balanced pattern of dark and light that is seen as it is rocked. It captures and returns light beautifully and displays an endless spectrum of blues.
The warmth of the sapphire is enhanced by the 18k Yellow Gold bezel and 0.17-total carat weight of Old European Cut Diamonds on either side. Old European Cut diamonds are cut to maximize dispersion, breaking light into its spectral hues, which brings vibrant color and life to the ring.
More than being made in stunning materials, this ring is everything that is my mother. The design is understated and clean, drawing focus to the brilliant royal blue that is my mom's favorite color. The brilliant royal blue of this sapphire is reminiscent of her collection of blue glass bottles and blue and white ceramics that decorate their home and echoes the color of the ocean that is just outside its windows.
There are so many adventures and hilarious stories that define my parents 37 years of marriage. They may never have made it back to the jewelry store in the Bahamas for the sapphire engagement ring they had originally selected, but I like to think this new ring was worth the 37+ year wait.
I hope it makes my mom smile until the next time they dodge a bar bill and beyond! :-)
P.S. Over the last 37 years, my parents have learned to stop charging their drinks to strangers and they have not been chased out of any hotels/bars/casinos recently. But, perhaps that's only because things are closed due to Covid-19...
P.P.S. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!
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