A New Engagement Ring Setting is Like Interior Decorating? Yes!

A week before Christmas, I received an early present from my husband – a new setting for my engagement ring. I wanted this for such a long time but I always felt that it might be too expensive and that I should be happy with the actual ring that my husband gave me. It’s the memory thing, you know.  I wanted to preserve the beautiful memory of my engagement and my wedding day.

My husband Richard and I on our wedding day

From left to right, my daughter Jessica, me, daughter Krista, stepdaughter Megan and granddaughter, Meghan

That was a blessed time in my life and I will never forget how I felt and how I still feel.

Trying on my rings and the new setting before resizing

But the reality of my rings were…

•  My fingers had gotten fatter and I was lucky to be able to wrestle my engagement ring off my finger – not so lucky with my wedding band.  That had to be removed by my jeweler professionally. They had to resize it for me.
• I was in danger of losing my diamond because the prongs holding it were crooked. Might have been my years of troweling plaster and maybe that time when I had to run home to get something from my garage while on a job – and in closing the garage door, it slammed shut suddenly on my left hand, nearly breaking my fingers.  I was really in pain after that and I was in the middle of a large Venetian Plaster job, so I had to keep going. Thank goodness it was my left hand that got hurt…and not my right (right-handed, you know!)

And speaking of troweling, you wouldn’t believe how many times I cleaned and soaked my rings. But that stuff got trapped in some of the teeniest crevices.  So – because of daily use and the extra wear and tear that I put my rings through, they no longer looked good, at all.

How much did the new setting cost?  $805. Not too bad. And now this really clear and nearly perfect ¾ carat diamond, sits higher up with the new setting (so it looks bigger and more important than it really is) and 6 new baguette diamonds flank it on either side – plus 2 baguettes from my original ring.  The setting still resembled the original setting – but much better. My jeweler also informed us that two of the original baguettes were made of broken diamonds, which some in the industry use to repurpose their diamonds that have broken. The settings get sold as whole diamonds – but, in reality, they are not. So, when my husband bought the ring for me, he understood that the total carat count, with the baguettes, was a full carat. That was not true.

So, the reason why I bring this little story up is because I can relate it to how many people might feel about hiring an interior decorator or other design professional. Silly, you say? No, not at all. There are so many people who would like to redesign one or more of their rooms but maybe they lack the talent or energy to do it…and they think that hiring a professional would cost too much money (just like I thought about the cost of a new setting!) So – they do nothing. Even though they have outgrown the current design and it no longer suits their taste or the function of the room. Or maybe they tried to do a few things on their own – and they failed…so they stopped.

They didn’t realize that a designer would do a small project or be available on a consulting basis.

First we added crown molding and started to paint the soffits and crown

The finished project

They would love to hire a designer but feel their budgets would be too small…that designers are just too expensive. They don’t realize that a designer’s creativity could save them a lot of money. The kitchen that I helped a client revamp, took 3 days to do. We added crown molding and then faux oak grained them and the soffits to match the cabinetry – plus we added a faux inlaid marquetry design that added a little punch to the kitchen. This was a much less expensive way to update a kitchen than to gut and buy new cabinetry…and less stressful as well.

Not realizing that a designer can take the best and most beautiful things you have (your diamonds) and allow them to shine in a new setting (pun intended!), people shortchange themselves by not using the trained eye of a professional. A designer will use things that you already have, repurpose them and create a new and improved look – without busting the budget. Just like my jeweler took my small but nearly perfect diamond and made it look more important and impressive – a talented designer can do that with your room.

After, a lonely corner becomes a focal point

 Designers think about things that you overlook. Just living your life – kids, work, stress, every day chaos etc impedes your keeping your home picture perfect. Do you now have too many things in your rooms – too much furniture? (Did your room get fat…just like my fingers??) Has your furniture, pillows, wall colors dulled with age (too much plastering with your rings on??) Most times the fix is simpler than you think.

Making an entryway more grand

Helping clients make an impact in their homes

A designer can help you achieve a unique and collected over the years look. With resources not available to the general public and with specialized training, a designer can assess the real value of what you have (crushed diamonds passing as full ones), repurpose your best things in a unique way (creating a unique setting that’s you and not cookie cutter).

Before: A powder bath that my client was unhappy with

After: Since she never used the shower, we created a beautiful silk treatment to make this room more elegant

A designer can enhance the quality of your life in the space. Just like when I no longer received any joy from looking at my worn out engagement ring, the skill and knowledge a designer has can make living and entertaining in your room so much more pleasurable. In the above room, we added a beautiful teal and pearl stried wall finish and antiqued wainscoting and a silk treatment for the shower – to update and add elegance to this little powder room.

So, as I was admiring my new setting and feeling so good and proud of it, I saw that my husband was truly enjoying it also. Maybe it’s a little bit of “Happy wife, happy life,” but he feels that the ring just looks so beautiful now – in its new setting.

If you have been putting off doing something with your home, think about my little story. With the right person guiding you, your home can look and serve you better. It doesn’t cost as much as you think it does…and it’s an investment in your future happiness.

If you would like to feel happiness and joy when entering a room you no longer love – contact me.

Linking to: Between Naps on the Porch