(43-53) Full day, Full heart...

Whew!  Today was a BUSY one; but a VERY good one at that.  I asked Lyndzi to run some errands with me, but she wasn't really that interested until I sweetened the deal with an offer of pumpkin loaf from Starbucks.  Lyndzi had a change of heart and shortly after we were on our way, she told me that she was glad that she decided to join me; regardless of the pumpkin loaf, and that was music to my ears.   We adjusted our To DO list slightly, and decided to take some time to enjoy each others company.

From Starbucks we went to the mall so that I could have my diamond re-set.  We dropped the ring off, and ran back home, because I had forgotten my cell.  Just as we were getting ready to go back to the mall, Kelsie started screaming from the bathroom, "ANTS!"  OY!  I HATE ants!!  AND for some reasonwe always seem to get an out break of them at a time that Luis isn't  home.  I tried spraying the ants with some Lysol - all purpose cleaner; just to try and immobilize them, and while I was trying to find their outlet, Nicky informed me that their were a ton of ants in his bathroom as well.  OH DEAR GOD!  Nicky and I both combatted the ants to the best of our ability; and then I called in the big guns!  Luis advised me that we had a really strong ant spray in our back yard and that once I'd spray it, the problem would be solved instantaneously.  Thankfully Luis was right.

Once the ant situation was under control, I went back to the mall to pick up my ring; and it was BEAUTIFUL!  Exactly what I wanted!  And so I decided to get the bonus, diamond ring sized as well.
After the mall I stopped at Trader Joe's because I was expecting company at 2.  I picked up some cheeses and grapes and headed back home.

While I was on vacation in Puerto Vallarta this past May, I happened to receive comments on my blog from 2 ladies who both lived in the Phoenix area, and had both found me through "Scrapbooking from the Inside Out."  It seemed that I had a lot in common with both ladies and so I emailed them privately to introduce myself and thank them for their comments.  Julie and I had the opportunity to get together a few months ago; and I think we clicked immediately.  Joni and I were going to be meeting for the first time today, but with all of the parallels in our lives; right down to the name of our dogs; I feel like she's an old friend; and Julie and Joni know each other, but were going to be meeting for the first time today.

It  definitely didn't seem like this was the first time that Joni and I or Julie and Joni had met.  Both ladies quickly got to work on lays out and although I felt like a fish out of water, I pulled out a photo and some paper and got to work.  The ladies were only here for 4 hours and I actually got 2 lay outs done, which (if you know me;) is monumental.
It felt really good to be creative in a means other than writing; and I think I may need to try scrapbooking again more regularly.

Once my friends left, my entire family headed back to the mall to pick up the bonus ring, and I must say that  Capri Jewelers was 2 for 2.  The ring was stunning!!
We grabbed some dinner, went to Kohl's to get Kelsie new sneakers; came back home, I finished my 2nd lay out; and HERE I AM.

Well, no one will ever be able to accuse me of wasting a minute.  My day was full and so is my heart.  I had some special time with my oldest daughter, I got my long awaited ring, I enjoyed the company of some amazing, new friends, preserved some memories, spent time with my family; and wrote.  Life is GOOD!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-52) WOOHOO!!! Part 2

I've got reason to SMILE!!
I assure you that "The Bumpy Ride" is not becoming an all gold selling, jewelry buying, blog.  BUT, it is the story of my life,( amongst other things;) and as I'm in constant pursuit of, (say it with me,) "The Greater Good," in these regards; I still have more to share.

In my blog, "Diamond Daze," I explained that Steve (at Capri Jewelers,) had offered me $100 for my old, engagement ring setting.  I thought that this was fair; but after seeing Phyllis at The Gold Guy yesterday, Luis suggested that we stop back in to see how much she could offer me for the setting.  I scoured my jewelry boxes since we were going to pay The Gold Guy a visit; and I found some broken pieces that I'd forgotten about, my college ring (which is already too small for my girls) and a silver ring, which was another one of Luis', Puerto Vallarta metal detector finds.  The silver ring was not in great shape, but it had 4 small "diamonds;" so we wanted to see if it was worth anything.

Upon walking through the door we were greeted, enthusiastically by Larry.  I asked if Phyllis was in, but she had the day off.  Larry assured us that he would take just as good care of us,as Phyllis had and asked how he could help.  I told Larry that I had sold some gold the day before.  I went on to tell him that I was in the process of getting my diamond re-set and I was curious to see how much he would buy my old setting for.  Larry asked me what I'd been offered, and I kindly said "I'd rather not say."  Larry offered us $50 and I politely declined; explaining that the jewelry store where I was buying my ring had offered me more.  We discussed the fact that Steve's offer was contingent on my purchase, and I assured him that I understood that and I though that it was fair; because after all, Capri is a business and I certainly expect them to make money on my sale. 

While we were talking, Christine came in to work.  Larry had gotten a phone call, so Christine proceeded to weigh our other gold.  When Larry got off the phone, Luis asked him about the silver, "diamond" ring and Larry confirmed that the "diamonds" were real and went on to say that he'd like to buy the ring.  Larry asked Luis how much he wanted for the ring, and I interjected.  I said "We really don't know how much the ring is worth, to be able to ask a certain price, so why don't you make us an offer?"  Larry nicely said "$250 - $300."  Luis said "I'll sell it for $300," and Larry said "OK."  When all was said and done, Christine wrote us a check for $460 and once again we were more than satisfied!!

We spoke with Larry and Christine for a while, and I told them that I had mentioned them in my "WOOHOO!!!" blog, because I was so impressed with their service and I wanted others to benefit from it as well; and they were truly grateful. 

In less than 24 hours we made $960 selling jewelry that was of no use to us; and I have to say that it feels MUCH better having the money in our wallets, than the jewelry in our boxes.  Tomorrow we will go to Capri for our appointment with Steve and my diamond will at last be back on my finger, serving as a shining example of the love and commitment that Luis and I share.  WOOHOO!!!
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING

(43-47) Diamond Daze

On February 14, 2010 I wrote "Lucky Me", and shared the details of losing the diamond from my engagement ring.  A few weeks after this occurred, Luis and I went to a couple of jewelry stores to look into re-setting my diamond or possibly purchasing a new setting and after gathering some quotes; we decided that we were going to hold off for a while.  I still have my wedding band, and truly that is the more important ring; but as time's passed, I've found that I miss my ring, more than I had anticipated.  WELL... maybe not my ring; but my diamond.  The fact that I miss seeing the brilliant stone on my finger is actually a little surprising to me; because there had been a number of times prior to the ring breaking, when I had considered selling the ring so that we could use the money for various expenses; however, when it comes right down to it, diamonds really are, (well, NOT a girl's best friend;) beautiful to behold.

When we went to Puerto Vallarta in May, I brought my ring and diamond with me, in the hopes that my sister-in-law might know a reputable jeweler who could re-set my ring.  We went to see a friend of hers, but he didn't set real diamonds and didn't feel confident in doing so; and again we decided to hold off for a while. 
So, last week I was in the mall and I noticed a jewelry repair shop.  I made a mental note of this and when Rachel and I were in the mall on Friday, we went in to see how much they would charge to re-mount my ring.  The jeweler quoted me $259 but offered me a $30 discount if I would bring it in before September 28.  I thanked him and we decided to inquire at some other stores.  We stopped in Capri Jewelers and met a stupendous, salesman named Steve.  We started by asking a question about Rachel's wedding ring and then moved on to my situation.  I explained that I wanted to know how much they would charge to re-mount my ring with my setting ($158) and also; how much it would be for me to purchase a new setting.  I informed Steve that I was ONLY interested in a plain yellow gold band; and I was pleasantly surprised that he still maintained the same level of professionalism, courtesy and care.  Steve had a simple setting that I fell in love with, ($450) and he said that he would give me $100 for my old setting; which I thought was very fair.  Understanding that I would need to speak to my husband, we agreed that I would come back the following Saturday.
When we got home, Rachel and I told Luis all about the ring and neither of us seemed to be able to get it off of our minds.  I told Luis that on Sunday I wanted to go to a few more jewelers, because even though I loved Steve's ring; I'm The Queen of COVERING ALL OF MY BASES and I wanted to make sure that the ring at Capri was definitely the one that I wanted, and that $100 was a reasonable exchange for my setting.  Fortunately Luis had a rare, Sunday off; since he had worked on Labor day, so he was going to be able to join me on my fact finding mission.

While I was in the shower last night, I was thinking about the ring; (I know, I know;) and I remembered that we had a number of gold pieces that we could sell, so that we could use the cash towards the price of it.  I had a name plate that was carved out of a chunk of gold, (SERIOUSLY;) a ring with my name on it; (what can I tell you; it WAS the 80's,) and a number of pieces of jewelry that Luis had found with his metal detector.  When I wrote "Ralph Lauren" and described several items that Luis had found; I believe that I failed to mention that Luis owns a metal detector,  and that he likes to use when we go to Puerto Vallarta and other beach destinations.   Well, a few years ago, Luis (using the metal detector,) found a couple of rings on the beach in Vallarta.  One of the rings appeared to be a vintage, engagement ring; but we had no idea if the diamond was real or not.  The ring is quite lovely and I myself would have worn it happily, except for the fact that the ring was ridiculously small.  So today I located the ring and put it with the other jewelry that I was prepared to sell. 
Off we drove in pursuit of cash for our gold; but we found that most of the stores were closed.  There was one store that was open (I won't say that name) and even though we got a quote on a ring, we could tell that the sales"lady" was not interested in assisting us because she wanted to spend her time on a bigger sale.  The "lady" quoted us $500 for a ring that she didn't even have in stock and explained that the ring was $350 and it would cost $150 to set it.  After we exited the store, I suggested that we go back to see Steve at Capri, to confirm that the $450 price included the setting and luckily Steve was in.  I introduced him to Luis and asked to see the ring again.  Luis agreed that the ring was perfect for me; simple and elegant.  Luis asked Steve if he could give us a ball park figure on how much money we might get for the gold that we had to sell.  Steve was happy to help us and so Luis went on to ask about the engagement ring that he'd found.  We showed Steve the ring and he was blown away.  He said that he thought the diamond was genuine and then he tested it for us, and concluded that it absolutely was a diamond.  Luis and I were tickled pink.  Steve offered to trade the vintage ring for the new ring and include the appraisal that I was interested in for the new ring as well.  We were flabbergasted.  We discussed the ring at great length and Steve advised us that he could size the ring to fit me, for just $45.  so we had even more to consider.  Now I have to tell you that as impressed as I was with Steve on our first visit; I was even more impressed today.  After discussing the matter at great length, we concluded (with Steve's help,) that we should hold onto the vintage ring (possibly pass it down to Nicky,) and then try to get as much money as possible for the other gold.  We agreed and tried to go to some stores to obtain a price for our collection.
The two stores that we stopped in, each offered us $280 for the gold and then one of them actually had a ring that was similar to the one at Capri.  The salesman quoted me $275 and when I informed him that Capri would give me $100 for my old setting, he got approval to do so as well.  Luis and I thought we were on a roll, because if the ring was only going to cost $175 after my old setting; and he gave us $280 for the gold, I'd get my ring and cash back; which I could use for an appraisal.  I noticed a slight difference in the two rings but I wasn't sure if it was enough of a difference to halt this transaction.  I asked Luis if we could go back to Steve one more time to see the Capri ring again, and he complied.  I apologized to Steve for returning so soon, and asked to see the ring again.  As soon as I put it on my finger, I KNEW that although  the rings appeared to be the same; there was a significant difference as I smile profusely as I look at the Capri ring on my finger, and the less expensive ring didn't emote the same reaction.  Steve attempted to call his boss to see if he could lower his price but his boss wouldn't let him as he felt confident tht he had a superior product.  Again we talked about it extensively and ultimately concluded that just because we 'd be getting the other ring for free, this WASN'T the reason to choose THAT ring.  This ring is a symbol of our love and commitment and it was originally purchased with money that I had earned from the sale of my mom's solitaire diamond and it deserved to reside in a setting worthy of its splendor; and even if that meant that we had to spend $70 and pay for the appraisal; it was the right thing to do.
Steve suggested that we try to sell our stash for more than $280 and he said that he thought we could do so at a shop that wasn't located in the mall.  Luis and I took leave of Steve and  planned to meet with him again next Saturday; so that I'd have a week to look around and raise some cash.

Whew!  I know this is quite the story; so let's head back down hill.  Luis and I  felt that today had been a  very productive one.  We were ecstatic to find out that the vintage ring was a 1/2 carat diamond of good quality and to learn that the jewelry that had been sitting in a drawer for years just gathering dust, would now be able to be used toward a ring that was going to give me great pleasure.  We were very pleased with our decision NOT to get the free ring, just because we could; as we felt that this was NOT an appropriate way to make such decisions.  So this week I have my work cut out for me, I want to go see a jeweler that Lesa G had told me about, and check the price of my gold in a few more stores. 

I am VERY HAPPY about all that transpired today.  I think it's time to change my ring and I enjoy the fact that I'd be getting back to basics with the ring that I chose.  I am gratified to have worked with Steve as his sales approach was very refreshing and I believe, fair; and I LOVE how Luis and I worked together on this endeavor.  With all of this being said; I want you to know that there is something in this for you; and that is my recommendation to work with Steve at Capri jewelers in the Arrowhead Mall.  Let me just say that if during my quest this week, I decide to do business at a shop other than Capri (and that could only occur if I found a ring that I liked more AND for less money;) I would still HIGHLY suggest that you go see Steve for all of your jewelry needs.  If you do, please tell him that you heard about him in Paige's blog;  because I did tell him that HE was blogworthy and that I was going to write about him.
Till next time...
Queen of EVERYTHING