A Love Story

This week's EtsyBloggers Street Team Blog Carnival theme is "Diamonds and Daisies". Now, I'm not all that into daisies, but I certainly do like diamonds. What girl doesn't, right? I own a few diamonds, but, obviously, my favorite is the one that I wear on my left hand ring finger everyday. I thought I'd share with you all the story of how it got there.

Once upon a time, I was 18 years old and had just moved back to my small hometown in Kansas, after discovering that my chosen college was too far from home for comfort. My mother sent me out to find a job and suggested that I try "that jewelry store." Now, in all my teenage wisdom, I knew that there was no way that the jewelry store was hiring. Those kinds of places are never hiring. So, I traveled to a nearby town and spent the day gathering applications. Right before I was ready to go home, I decided that I better try the jewelry store, because if I didn't my mom would want to know why, and I'd never hear the end of it.

I went into the jewelry store and asked the lady if they might, perhaps, be looking for anyone to work there. Oh my goodness! They were so excited to see me! Before I knew it, I was working as a salesperson in a jewelry store.

I soon found out that the owner's wife had not hired me simply because she thought I would make a good salesperson. She had ulterior motives. Her plan was to set me up with the apprentice jeweler who was currently spending a semester studying art in Greece, but would be coming back to the States in November. Unfortunately, I was already very seriously dating someone else. In fact, we were discussing marriage.

Needless to say, I was more than a little curious about this person that someone else seemed to think would suit me. I knew he was an art student and a senior in college, and the ladies at the jewelry store all seemed to like him very much.

I finally met him around Thanksgiving. I don't remember if I was really prepared for the tall, thin guy with long dark hair that walked past me as I was standing at the gift wrapping table. I do remember thinking that he seemed kind of sexy, mysterious and a bit dangerous with his long dark coat and high cheekbones. They really thought that plain, boring, glasses-wearing me was his type?!?

So, I got engaged at Christmas time to my high school sweetheart. That tall dark stranger turned out to be a terribly nice person, and we spent hours at work talking and teasing and joking. In fact, he was the best thing about my job.

Nine months later, I was enrolled in a small local college, planning a wedding, going my merry way, when the engagement ended. Just. Like. That. And guess who was there to pick up the pieces just a few months later?

Less than a year after we started dating, Mr. Kay presented me with a beautiful half carat marquis cut diamond solitaire. He ordered a special setting and mounted the diamond himself just minutes before he proposed. In fact, I was rather miffed at him for keeping me waiting at his apartment. I didn't know what he was up to! I love the way my ring sparkles, and the pretty scrollwork setting. I love knowing that he put it all together himself, and, chances are that no on else has one just like it.