Engagement Ring Part 3 - Florida

Turns out my dad knows a guy - well actually, a gal.  Jewelry Gal is the mother of one of Dad's former PhD students.  Jewelry Gal and her husband really like Dad and have been friends since their daughter studied in Dad's lab.  When Dad remarried, Jewelry Gal sold him his wife's engagement ring pretty much at cost and saved him about $2000.  Jewelry Gal is lovely, answers questions honestly, told me wholesale pricing on a couple stones in the range I was interested in and is willing to help me.  Because I want a nice ring without spending a small fortune, I really want to use Jewelry Gal.  I'm hoping that I can cut my ring budget by about $1000-1500 and end up with the same ring I would have had otherwise.  

Of course there is a downside.  Gal and her jewelry shop are in Florida.  I am not in Florida, I am no where near Florida and I have no opportunities to travel to Florida in the near future - crap.  This would seem like an insurmountable problem since I'm not the type of person to buy a diamond without seeing it, but my daddy has come to the rescue!  Dad and wife already have plans to travel to Florida the first week of December and already have plans to see Jewelry Gal.  The rest of this crazy (completely not romantic) scenario only works because I trust both Dad and Jewelry Gal.  Jewelry Gal is going to work with me over the next two weeks so that she understands exactly what I want and how much I have to spend and will have some stones available when she sees Dad and wife.  With me looking at digital pictures and talking to Dad over the phone we will then pick out my stone.  I then have the option of having it set by Jewelry Gal or having it Fed-Exed to me to be set here.  Completely crazy and totally not romantic!  But, I just keep thinking about all the other uses Beau and I could have for the money we save.  

I'll keep you posted on how it goes.  I'm going this weekend with the lovely Doctor Whimsy to look at cuts in local jewelry stores so I can tell Jewelry Gal exactly which cut I want.  I had pretty much decided on emerald, but Jewelry Gal suggested a rectangular radiant and the more I've looked online, the more I think this might be the right cut for me... I get the fire and sparkle of a round or princess cut, but the elongated shape that looks best on my hand.  Now I just have to go see some in person!