The primary time I confronted the truth that I could be shifting in direction of an engagement was a yr and a half in the past, six months into my relationship with my present associate. I’ve had critical relationships up to now, however there was one thing this time round that set my spidey senses alight simply weeks into the connection—it was really easy it really made me nervous, and I used to be ready for the opposite shoe to drop. It by no means did.

I’m 33, however with dad and mom who received married of their mid-30s, so there’s by no means been any stress to get engaged. Ever the non-traditionalists, my mother and pop eloped in Italy, skipping the conference of ring swapping altogether, so rising up, there wasn’t a lot significance placed on the concept of an engagement or marriage ceremony in any respect.

All of that is to say that up till not too long ago, as buddies round me started to get engaged themselves, I by no means thought a lot about what my superb engagement ring would appear like. So right here I’m, lastly able to perform a little sparkly sampling. If Victoria Beckham has discovered 15 engagement rings she likes sufficient to personal, certainly I can discover not less than one.

Once I first proposed (ha!) to my boyfriend that I’d come and do a primary stab at ring try-ons, his response was a sigh of aid. “Oh good!” he exclaimed “You’ll be able to assist me, since I do know I’m going to be pressured about it.” I’d gauge that courting a vogue author doesn’t include too many disturbing moments, however for him, choosing a hoop for somebody who’s extraordinarily choosy—yeah, that’s going to be troublesome.

To do a full-on pre-engagement try-on, I might begin with an appointment someplace identified for traditional ring silhouettes. I selected Graff, the luxurious jewellery home whose gems have adorned the marriage fingers of royal households and Hollywood royalty alike. However, as I headed from my condominium in Brooklyn to the swanky streets of the Higher East Facet, I spotted I didn’t absolutely know simply what I used to be getting myself into. What ensued was an journey that concerned discovering Graff’s lengthy listing of frankly insane-looking well-known diamonds, making an attempt on multi-million greenback rings (maybe a bit exterior of this writer-artist couple’s finances), but additionally, to my aid, discovering extra about my very own sensibilities on the subject of rings.