I'll have it custom, please (Part 1)

I didn't have much of a saying in the choice of the engagement ring. I remember once talking with him about it, way before we seriously thought about getting married. At the time it was my opinion that it should be a diamond ring. Time went by and I became more open to other options, I think I would have loved a ruby or a sapphire ring. Ruby is my birthstone and I just love sapphires.
But when he went down on one knee, it was with a white gold, princess cut diamond ring and I couldn't have cared less what it was made of, I loved it for what it meant.

We decided not to exchange rings for our civil ceremony. We wanted to keep some of the meaningful moments of a wedding to share with our families on our big family wedding day. So I didn't even bother thinking about what I wanted until a few months ago.

At first I though about a simple gold band just like my parents and my grandparents had (source):

And yes I wanted yellow gold because I like the contrast between white and yellow, also to me it represents two different people uniting their lives to each other.
The simple gold band was also great for our small budget wedding. But of course I couldn't settle on it.

The more I thought about it, the less I felt satisfied with the plain band. Yes I could not find something else. Most chain jewelery only have either plain bands or diamond bands, nothing in between.
I knew I wanted gold, but I also realized that I wanted texture like a mix of brushed and shiny gold. They did not have that.
So I went and searched online.
There was one ring I kind of liked: a 14k Two tones ring, 3.5mm wide. It was a little bit over $200 and came from www.weddingbands.com Link.

But I still was not entirely satisfied. So I went around town to check out jewlers who make their own rings.
First I went to Jewels That Dance, it looked quite posh. The sales person even asked me if I was here on vacation and I was like "No, I'm local". It made me feel like it was there only for tourists and that they didn't feel like the local people could afford their work. Indeed I could not. But the attitude really threw me off. And while there were a few pretty rings, there wasn't anything I really wanted to try either.

The only other place in Asheville that I knew to make custom jewelry was Blue, in Biltmore village. Many times I came by their door but was too late to get a sneak pick of their work. Finally, one saturday while my hubby was at work, I pushed the door open.

...to be continued