I?ve never been much of a jewelry person. Most of the pieces I own were picked up from thrift shops as I moved around the country, usually while casually shopping for other things. When it came time to tell Mr. Feather what style of engagement ring I wanted, I felt a little clueless since my taste up to that point was wholly dependent on what had just gone ?out of style? and been abandoned at a consignment shop.
Like many women my age, my first stop for inspiration was the Mecca of all things beautiful: Pinterest.

Whoa. That?s a lot of bling. // Image via Pinterest
At the beginning of my search, I had my heart set on a gemstone. Sapphires jumped out at me immediately, as did emeralds. I spent a period of time obsessing over the late Princess Diana?s engagement ring, knowing full well that any sapphire within our price range wouldn?t be quite as eye-catching.
Image via Rings with Love
I noticed that I preferred vintage gemstone designs over modern ones, so I focused in on stores that carried antique rings. You?d think there would be more of them in LA, but I found surprisingly few that appeared to have a good selection and were within a 45 minute drive.
Our first appointment was at Brilliant Earth, a store well known for ethically sourced diamonds and a big selection of vintage gemstone rings. It was my first ring shopping appointment, and I have to say, I was pumped.
Both of our consultants appeared to have been cloned from the very same jewelry consultant model: massive...