Yep, it happened – Mitch popped the question this summer, during one of our backpacking trips in Jasper National Park!
And as completely special and thoughtful as the proposal itself was, I’m going to save the proposal story details for another post of its own – or else this blog post will end up much too long! You guys have been asking questions about my ring, the style, and its designer, so I want to focus this specific blog post on exactly those details.
We had an incredible experience “browsing” for potential engagement ring styles with Calgary Jewellery (the only part of the process I was involved in at all!), so I’m going to pull Mitchell into this blog post to recap the experience he had ordering my custom Noam Carver engagement ring through them because he can’t stop talking about how easy and comfortable they made the whole experience for him.
Read on for the story of my beautiful engagement ring, which I just can’t stop staring at!
Disclaimer: This blog post is in partnership with Calgary Jewellery and Noam Carver. As always, all thoughts and opinions are entirely my own. I will continue to promote only products, properties, destinations, and services that I truly believe in 100%, and would wholeheartedly recommend to others.
Photography in this post by the amazing Jackie Kalch Photography ♥
Shopping for Engagement Ring Styles at Calgary Jewellery
“When you know, you know.”
As anyone who has met “their person” knows, this saying is extremely true. We’d known for a long time that we wanted to get married and that our relationship was swiftly headed in that direction.
Probably about six months before Mitch proposed, we started browsing for engagement ring styles we both loved, both online and in person. Our favorite store that we popped into was Calgary Jewellery, located on trendy 17th Avenue in Calgary, Alberta. This charming store opened in 1955 and is one of the first family-owned independent jewellery stores in Calgary, a fact that is displayed in their attention to detail and customer service.
The store itself was absolutely beautiful, with a large selection of sparkly little works of art glittering at us from all directions. Calgary Jewellery is renowned to house one of Calgary’s largest collections of designer watches, jewellery, bridal bands, and engagement rings. Their selection was incredible, and we didn’t know where to begin!
That was completely fine though, because from the moment we walked in the door, we were treated really well and guided through the entire process. Our sales associate Christina was lovely, friendly, and extremely helpful.
She started by asking us some questions about our preferred ring style (emerald cut, with a halo and dainty diamond band). I pulled up my engagement ring Pinterest board on my phone (don’t laugh – I’m a really visual person!) and this made the process extremely easy – a tip I highly recommend! She quickly found us some great options for me to try on, so we could see the styles on my hand.
Spoiler alert: Little did I know that my future engagement ring that Mitch was going to customize would be a beautiful blend of two different styles we loved by designer Noam Carver!
If you’re looking to celebrate the special moments in your life and are looking for an impressive selection, style, and service from your jewellery retailer, Calgary Jewellery is the place to go and I can’t recommend them enough.
Visit the Calgary Jewellery Website
About Canadian Designer Noam Carver
My ring is designed by Noam Carver, who is a Canadian sculptor, designer, and goldsmith. His beautiful jewellery focuses on uniting classic and contemporary motifs from around the world. Each of his pieces is meticulously hand-crafted using precious metals and rare, one-of-a-kind gemstones. Noam’s designs have won numerous awards, such as: MJSA, Canadian Jeweler, National Jeweler, National Jeweler “Best Of”, and the Centurion Designer Award.
As for his design concept, he says that “two principles guide my design process: instinct and risk. Instinct is the impetus to creation. Risk cultivates new possibilities.” This is definitely reflected in his beautiful work!
Why We Chose a Lab-Created Diamond
Even though Calgary Jewellery procures beautiful, natural, conflict-free diamonds from all over the world, I had always known I wanted a lab-created diamond for my own engagement ring, for a variety of different reason.
Reasons We Chose a Lab-Grown Diamond:
Lab-Grown Diamonds are Eco-Friendly
Because lab-created diamonds are grown in a lab, there is absolutely no harm to the environment, which isn’t always the case with mined diamonds.
Lab-Grown Diamonds are Guaranteed Conflict-Free
As lab-grown diamonds are created in a lab, there is absolutely zero room for uncertainty about any potential unethical or inhumane mining conditions, poor wages, or the use of child labor. Even though there are plenty of conflict-free natural diamond options, I personally felt best going this route.
You Recieve Such an Amazing Value with Lab-Grown Diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are much less expensive compared to natural mined diamonds. You can generally receive about 30 to 45% more diamond for the same price when you choose lab-grown, for exactly the same quality!
Lab-Grown Diamonds and Natural Diamonds Look the Same
The differences between natural and lab-grown diamonds are extremely difficult to distinguish, and even the most highly-trained gemologists can’t tell the difference with the naked eye, as both types have the same molecular structure.
However, if you’re interested in natural diamonds, Calgary Jewellery has an incredible selection of natural, conflict-free diamonds to choose from if you decide to go that route, too – or, if you want to do something less traditional, such as sapphire, ruby, morganite, moissanite, etc.
Mitch’s Experience Working with Calgary Jewellery:
MITCH — “I was so excited to customize Jenn’s ring! After months of enduring her showing me her engagement ring Pinterest board, I had a really good sense of what we both liked (haha!).
We loved the designs by Noam Carver, and Calgary Jewelry carried a wide variety of his designs.
It was such a good experience being able to mix and match features of the rings we liked at Calgary Jewellery, under Christina’s helpful guidance. I loved the thin, elegant diamond band of Jenn’s ring, which gracefully curves up into a cathedral under the setting.
I also selected the halo design with an emerald cut diamond as the center stone, and was able to choose from a variety of diamonds they had shipped to the store just for me!
I was able to examine all the potential center diamond options under the jeweller’s microscope as they walked me through the specifics of cut, clarity, and color for each option. They explained how the various shapes and cuts help the light refract within it to create the best sparkle. They were also very respectful of the budget I had set, making it feel more like a collaboration instead of a pushy sales experience.
Calgary Jewellery was very easy to deal with and flexible to schedule appointments around my busy work schedule. I couldn’t have been happier with the final result of the ring, and the only challenge I had left was trying to propose while keeping everything a surprise for Jenn!”
OUR RECOMMENDATION FOR PURCHASING AN ENGAGEMENT RING IN CALGARY, AB
We can’t recommend Calgary Jewellery enough! They have a truly beautiful selection of quality engagement rings and designers, and this family-owned company is helpful, approachable, and friendly. They make the entire experience of purchasing an engagement ring comfortable, and you can feel confident working with them on your own special purchase.
Reach out to us if you have any questions at all – we’re happy to answer them for you!
PIN FOR LATER
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