The Plan.

[tablesaw]

Okay, here's the plan.

The Ring

After talking with ojouchan and going over internet jewelry sites, I have a good sense of what she wants. I also have the things she told me she wants. Basically, I'm looking for an Edwardian or Edwardian-style filigree ring with a large amethyst, not a diamond. The amethyst should be around a carat, it can be bigger, but obviously not so big that it starts to overpower her hand. She prefers marquis, princess, and pear-shaped cuts. Originally, she was asking for white gold, but her sister's white-gold ring hasn't been doing so well, so I'm looking at platinum instead. Her ring size is 7.

I'm going to be talking to a jeweler about all this soon. Here are the rings that I'm going to print out to show:

• http://www.topazery.com/antique-jewelry-item-rg1837.htm
  
• http://www.antiquejewelrymall.com/r158ps.html
  
• http://www.topazery.com/antique-jewelry-item-rg1843.htm
  
• http://www.faycullen.com/ring_settings/500/517md-hailey.html
  
• http://www.antiquereflections.com/detail.asp?id=1900
  
• http://www.antiquereflections.com/detail.asp?id=707
  
• http://www.topazery.com/antique-jewelry-item-rg1830.htm

I think the last two have the style down the best. As for price, Ojouchan expects something around $800; I expect to spend a little more.

The Where

What I know is this:

• I do not want to propose at Williams.
  
• I do not want to propose in New Jersey.
  
• I do not want to propose at graduation.
  
• I do want to propose before ojouchan moves out here.

Depending on how much you know about the calendars and atlases involved, you can see that I don't have very many opportunities. As I see it, I have three chances:

• Spring Break—March 16 to April 2. I'll be spending Spring Break with her in Elizabeth, and I can easily arrange for something to have something happen in New York, a city she loves.
  
• Presidents' Day Weekend—February 16-19. She's going to be visiting friends (many of which are conveniently on this filter) that weekend. I can coordinate an event through them.
  
• Class Trip—TBA. She's taking a class (I believe it's this one) which will involve taking trips away from Williams to see performances. Unfortunately, the specific performances apparently need to be chosen by the class, so there aren't any dates yet.

Out of these three options, here are the problems. Spring Break is the obvious choice. The extremely obvious choice. So obvious, that I'm fairly certain that Ojou is planning for me to propose to her while I'm there and will be dressing up no matter where we go knowing that one of them will feature a ring. I'm trying to manage a bit more surprise than that, so Spring Break is my last resort.

Personally, I think my best option is the class trips. Unfortunately, not knowing what they're going to be is a problem. I've e-mailed the person who I think is the teacher, but I haven't heard a response back from her, and I don't know how else to get information about when those dates are. And what's more, if there's a date in, say, April, that would be ideal, the element of surprise will still be gone. After Spring Break, Ojou will know that I've got something planned and will be able to figure out that I'm giong to propose during one of these trips. As long as Spring Break looms as the obvious choice, it'll be easy to keep her in the dark.

The last option, Presidents' Day Weekend, is soon. Real soon. Especially since I don't have a ring in my pocket right now. On the other hand, if I were to get a ring and fly out to Boston in time, I'd certainly have the element of surprise back on my side.

The Plan

I was talking with my mom about plans to go ring shopping (including getting an appointment with the jeweler my family has been using for years), and given the fact that I still have no information about the class trips, she believes that I should prepare to try to propose on Presidents' Day Weekend. We're meeting with the jeweler on Tuesday morning, and I'll be going through the LA Jewelry District afterward. Hopefully, I'll know by then whether the timeframe is possible. I'm still hoping for the class trip information to come in, because I'd be able to take some more time and prepare something in New York, but if I can't get that information fast, I'll be trying to score a JetBlue flight pretty quickly.

Ojouchan's main concern is making sure that she's suitably pretty for the proposal whenever it occurs. This means nice hair and nice clothes. I'll need to make sure this happens. Apparently, she's getting her hair done before the Boston trip (she just told me) so that makes Boston a better option. Backup plan for that is probably to give her some sort of spa day certrificate for Valentine's Day and encourage her to use it at some point.

Your Mission

Here are the things I need help with.

• If you can recommend a good jeweler in Los Angeles, tell me.
  
• If you can get information about the class at Williams without asking Ojou, do so.
  
• If you think you can get the information out of Ojou without arousing suspicion, tell me but don't try to do it unless I say so. I just have this fear that every one of her friends that I know will suddenly be asking her about one particular class and it just might pique her curiosity.
  
• If you can recommend a setting in Boston, tell me.
  
• If you are hahathor, e-mail me.
  
• If you can recommend a setting in New York, tell me.
  
• If you are in Los Angeles, and can make plans with me for Presidents' Day Weekend that can serve as a reasonable "I'm totally not flying to Boston" cover story, let me know. (Keep in mind that if I decide not to go to Boston, I will probably want to go through with the plans.)
  
• Act normal. She does know that a bunch of her friends are on this filter. If she seems like she's looking for hints, you should suggest that I'm trying to move things quickly.

Things changed between when I wrote most of this e-mail and now, when I'm posting it, based on a conversation with Ojouchan. Presidents Day now sounds like the best time. So, I'm probably going to aim for that, jewelry willing.

Now go!

Comments

[amythyst.livejournal.com]

Can't help much, but the ring you link to in the first website - WOW. That's gorgeous and I can just see that in amethyst...yum!!

[xinamarie.livejournal.com]

XIV Karat in Beverly Hills - my husband's family has been going there for years, and we got his wedding band custom made there. If you have a picture or ideas of what you'd like, but can't find it already made, they can create it for you, and their quality is excellent.

[hahathor.livejournal.com]

In NY, I'd opt for the Cloisters, or the park outside the Cloisters. It's gorgeous & romantic and all that. In Boston, hmmm, let me ask around (people who don't know Jonaya.

I just emailed Jonaya (cc'ing you) about some plans for the weekend. You can also call me (my cell is in the email, and Cramerica has it if you don't) to talk details. I'm up for being all sneaky and surprise-y. I also have sneaky friends (most of whom you don't know) who would probably be up for helping with this.

The plan

[dedalus_1947]

This is actually mom. I agree with sooner, for the better chance at surprise! If they can't do what you want at Frank Vernon, I am sure they can steer us in the right direction.

Love

[greenapple2004.livejournal.com]

I like the first ring best, too, for what that's worth. It's got a nice balance of filigree and sparkle (minus the giant prongs on top--that part is poorly designed).

As for Boston, I'd say some place by the Charles River, because I think outdoor proposals are particularly romantic, but it's liable to be crappy and cold over President's Day, so maybe some nice cafe in Harvard Square? There's a great chocolate shop called Burdick's just outside of the Square that (in my personal opinion) would be a lovely place to propose. There's a great dessert restaurant called Finale in the area too, which might be convenient for a surprise. Friends in the know could bring her there, and you'd be ready and waiting?

Or I can recommend a billion other good restaurants, if that's your thing. Name your price range. :-)

If you're thinking something more dramatic, you can get to the top of the Prudential Center, but Boston doesn't have the elegant skyline that some other big cities do, so that might not be as spectacular as you'd like. Hmmm...this is harder than I thought.

[tahnan.livejournal.com]

What strikes me about Spring Break is that you can always pull the Surprise Quiz paradox, by telling her, "I'm going to propose to you one day this week, but you won't know which day until the day arrives."

OK, so I can't actually help--my mind's in a million places right now, and I can recommend lovely locations in Philadelphia, but.

[duchez.livejournal.com]

The last one looks a little overwhelming. I am assuming her hands aren't too much larger than mine, so I was imagining how the rings would look on my hand, and the last one was a little too heavy-looking. Perhaps it looks lighter in reality, though.

I actually thought the third one was the best of the selection. The first one was pretty, but a little too similar to other rings I've seen, while the third one looked different and classy. The second one is nice, just not as fancy looking as the third.

If you are still considering NYC location, there are the cliches - horse carriage ride around Central Park, Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center (on the ice).

Then there are cute little restaurants all over the city. Somewhere over the river or the water would be nice, but it would also be cold. Although there are a bunch of restaurants with river views - The River Club, and then Bridgewater Restaurant at South Street Seaport - come to mind.