“In New York, you are always looking for a job, a boyfriend, or an apartment.”-Carrie Bradshaw
…or an engagement ring! My Mom and I flew to NYC in the first week of March to tear the city apart in search for the perfect engagement ring. Ahh I can’t even believe that I’m writing those words!! This whole thing feels so surreal, and I just feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be with Mike! Anyways, back to the story. The heavens made it nearly impossible to fly from Norfolk to NYC. We flew up to Laguardia just to turn around and come all the way back to Atlanta. The plane wasn’t cleared to land due to Winter Storm Quinn’s icy conditions. We finally made it back up to NYC 14 hours after our original arrival time. 🙂
This left us around 16 hours to see the city, Anastasia, and find my dream ring! My mom is exactly who you want on your team when you’re crunched for time like this. She kept us focused and we had a blast looking at all of the crazy, gorgeous, and sometimes extravagant diamond rings!
Our Itinerary
Wednesday, March 7
Fly in at midnight, stay at the Ameritania Hotel at Times Square
Thursday, March 8
8:00 Pick-A-Bagel
8:45 Jangmi & Kent New York
9:45 Ultimate Diamond & Ken and Dana
10:45 NYC Wholesale Diamonds & Designs by Kamni
11:45 Walk through all of the Diamond District stands (some places would not let you even try on a ring lol!)
1pm Lunch at Dig Inn or Between the Bread
2pm appointment @ Lauren B with Gabrielle
4pm Tiffany & Co.
5pm Dinner @ Souvlaki GR
7pm Anastasia
Cookie DO
Friday, March 9
Breakfast at Friedman’s
The Chelsea Market
ChaChaMatcha
Depart at 3:30, taxi $50
Places I want to eat next time:
Beauty and Essex
Sweetgreen
Cookie DO
The Ring Hunt
I had been in touch with a Lauren B diamond consultant, Gabrielle, since January. We had gone back and forth multiple times over email. She was so patient with me, even when I sent her an entire excel spreadsheet and asked her to fill it in! I was attracted to Lauren B because they specialize in the 3-row micro pave band, and they love doing custom work. I knew I wanted an oval, and I wanted something very similar to the Jean Dousset Chelsea.
Gabby was so knowledgeable about the rings and about what the jeweler could and could not do. She let me try on rings until my heart was satisfied. We even walked outside so I could see the rings in natural lighting. Gabby sent me a CAD drawing in a couple of weeks after our visit, so I could get a better idea of what the custom work would look like. I am so thankful for her and our experience at Lauren B!
The only jeweler that I didn’t have a chance to meet with was Nicole Wegman from The Ring Concierge. I sent her an email a week before our trip, and I didn’t receive a reply until I returned home. Her work is absolutely beautiful, and her passion for diamonds, especially Old Mine diamonds is extraordinary. It all works out for the best, though. I am over the moon excited about what Gabby has in store for my ring!
Thanks for reading, ya’ll! Comment below and let me know what your favorite engagement ring style is!
xx, Chelsea
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