The Calla Lily Diamond Engagement Ring

Yes, I have a diamond engagement ring! As I mentioned in this post, I'm not the type of girl who doesn't feel engaged till she has some sparkly thing on her finger, and I was not even sure if I ever wanted going to get one. Well here's the story of the calla lily diamond engagement ring and how it's actually kind of perfect.

Jim and I had decided that we were probably not going the traditional rout of engagement rings and just planning on getting bands for the the ceremony. Even so, I still looked online to try and determine my style if we were getting one. The ones I liked were all nature inspired, with flowers or leaf designs and small understated diamonds. I showed these to Jim's mother on our Mammoth trip and she said, "You know, I think I have a ring just like that."

The calla lily ring was not originally an engagement ring and once belonged to Jim's great grandmother on his dad's side. It's over 100 years old and has a mine cut diamond set into a calla lily gold setting. It's perfect and it's very 'me'. Nontraditional, vintage, and nature-inspired are all things I love. The best part is that it's a family heirloom and that alone is so important and special. I'm overcome with gratitude and love to be given such a beautiful piece of history and of Jim's family.

We went ahead and had a matching band that fits under it perfectly. It's beautiful even on it's own. I'll share that when it gets closer to the date. (We have a date now! Our venues are booked!)

The Engagement Ring

Jim didn't have a ring when he proposed. He knows I'm picky, frugal, and eco-conscious, so he guessed I'd want to pick it out myself. I honestly didn't even notice the lack of a ring till he mentioned we should get me a placeholder ring in Gion before we went back to our hotel that night. So we shopped around the little outdoor shops till we found a place we liked. The ring we found was 500yen (roughly $5), sterling silver (we think), and slightly too big for me. I wore it proudly.

I've noticed the first thing people will ask after I tell them I'm engaged is "Let me see the ring!" So I show them and tell them the story of my engagement. The sweetness of the story always wins over the lack of a diamond, but I have always said that it's a 'placeholder' ring. The responses I've received have varied from; "You don't need a fancy ring to feel engaged." to "Let me go diamond shopping with you!"

The more I think about it the more I'm not sure if I want an expensive sparkly thing. I don't know if anything else will feel more like an engagement ring than the one I have now. I change my mind about it every day but right now I think I am content wearing my heart shaped Gion ring. We might spend some time and care picking out and designing our wedding bands and I might want a fancy ring for our anniversary. Or not. What matters to me is the love behind the ring, and that's not going anywhere. Ring or no ring.