An heirloom engagement ring for her

Do you know that I've been engaged for nearly 11 months now, and I still haven't shared pictures of my engagement ring with you? For shame!

I guess I did post an excited-engaged-hand pic a while back, but that doesn't really count! You couldn't see the INCREDIBLE BLING in all its glory!

Honestly, this is the most incredible piece of jewelry I've ever worn (or owned, for that matter!). I posted before about the weightiness (emotional, and physical - look at that rock!) of an expensive engagement ring. Like most girls, I was flippin thrilled to be looking forward to such a pretty piece of sentimental jewelry - I certainly would never buy something like this for myself! However, like a lot of brides, I wasn't too enamored with the idea of a diamond engagement ring. There're a million sources on the net about blood diamonds; I won't waste your time with that. I didn't even know if I'd like a diamond! I guess they're nice, but truth be told, I'd never seen one larger than my mom's (which is a 0.5 carat marquis cut).

If I could have my pick of any fancy-shmancy rock for the ring, I'd choose the one with brilliant color. I love the ocean - I love staring at sunsets and seascapes forever! I wanted to get this same kind of wistfulness when I looked at my engagement ring (too sappy for ya? don't worry, almost done with the gooey stuff! ;) ). I wanted to see the future and the endless possibilities with my husband in that rock - if, after all, I was going to have to wear that thing for the rest of my life!

I also adore filigree on jewelry - rings especially. I like to think the craftsmanship that went into making the ring makes it that much more valuable, nevermind the stickerprice.

Above all, if I could have my pick of an engagement ring, I would have loved the honor of wearing an heirloom ring. Miss Cowboy Boots is such a lucky lil' lass to sport her family heirloom! I think it's the sweetest thing in the world to wear a ring that's been passed down and loved for ages.

So that's what I told Mr. Bear Cub to look for, and boy did he choose well!

My ring wasn't passed down through his family, but it comes from an estate jeweler in California (I can give you the name if you're interested). Lucky for me, Mr. Cubbie has family friends in the estate jewelry business!

My ring is a 1.5 carat sapphire set in a platinum band with tiny diamonds accenting and filigree all the way around. Perfect! I know that this antique was loved before, but most importantly, I know that it will be loved for a long time to come.

because Mr. Rye and I both love pears so much!

I can't wait to pass my engagement ring on to my grandchild one day!

This last pic is my engagement ring nestled atop one of my DIY wedding cake trials. Lavender infused italian meringue frosting? um, YES! We'll just leave that as a spoiler for now ;)

What was the most important thing to you when it came to getting an engagement ring?