I proposed to my now fiancee this past Saturday and she said yes. The engagement ring came from…read moreSchiffman's at Friendly Center.
My mom, who worked in the wholesale jewelry industry for her entire career, helped me immensely in building the ring. She handed down her engagement diamond to me and my fiancee. So, not only did the diamond come with a lot of love and meaning (it's priceless to us), it was a practical decision as well. Schiffman's supplied the new mounting and also the wedding ring.
My mom initially went to Windsor Jewelers in Winston-Salem, but ultimately chose to work with and purchase from Schiffman's. Schiffman's has been in Greensboro since 1893. They have two locations in Greensboro (downtown and Friendly Center) and a location in Winston. My mom worked with Rich Lindor to create the rings and had them shipped, overnight, to me in Georgia. You could say I was feeling somewhat anxious to receive the package the next day.
When I opened the boxes, I couldn't believe my eyes. The rings were absolutely stunning. I got nervous just looking at them. Mom did good.
My fiancee and I had gone ring shopping in Atlanta (Solomon Brothers was my pick) and my fiancee picked out a ring she liked. It was Sylvie brand, white gold I believe, with a round-cut diamond, and pave on the band optional. It was simple, timeless, and elegant. I sent pictures to my mom, the expert, and she found a design that exceeded both my and my fiancee's expectations. It looks even better than the ring my fiancee had picked out. The brand is called Precision Set and the rings look amazing.
The engagement stone is a round brilliant cut (I think round is the most popular shape these days). The ring is platinum. Platinum is more expensive than white gold. It looks like white gold, but it's more pure, durable, and low maintenance. There's a melee pave set on the shank in a three-row arrangement (three rows of pave, round and full cut, on either side of the basket) with a four-prong setting. To us, the ring is perfect in every way -- the look (especially the sparkle), the fit, everything about it. We couldn't be happier with the result. As for the wedding ring, it matches the engagement ring exactly, except the three-row pave covers the entirety of the band.
Rich called me after the rings were delivered to make sure I received the rings and everything was to my satisfaction (it was). I spoke to Rich at length about the rings and he did a great job of explaining everything and answering all the questions I had. He was professional, knowledgeable, and polite. I enjoyed talking to him. He also sent me an appraisal, prepared by Schiffman's in-house certified gemologist appraiser (American Gem Society) Edward Durbin, for insurance purposes.
Again, in the end, we couldn't be happier with the rings from Schiffman's. Thank you, Rich.
Tip: Schiffman's will clean any piece of jewelry for you, whether you purchased the piece from them or not, for free. Just bring it by the store and ask.