Understated Ring Bling (Engagement Ring!)

As you may have read in an earlier post, Geoff and I are engaged! It feels like it JUST happened, but it's actually been a few months already. Since we planned the engagement together, I had the opportunity to think about what kind of ring I wanted- if I even wanted one at all.  There's something off putting about people shouting "LET ME SEE YOUR RING!" the second you tell them you're engaged. I'm not with this guy for the potential jewelry-getting.

I looked into vintage rings and conflict free gems but we didn't find anything that seemed right. But in the end, I have to give props to Aran of Aide-Mémoire. When I saw her shop on Etsy, I was suddenly excited about wearing a ring. Geoff and I picked it out together; it's an ethically sourced white sapphire with a recycled gold band (and no, it's not grass fed, or free range, as my cousin asked. Ha.).  It came in a really adorable paper-based box- no plastic at all in the packaging, which is great. I absolutely love it, and I do want to show it off and tell people about it after all. We're going to order our bands from Aran as well.

It does have just a little sparkle which hasn't shown up in these photos. I like how understated and simple it is, and I'm really looking forward to adding the band.

What are your thoughts on traditional proposals and rings? I'm torn between understanding and wanting some form of the tradition, and wanting to break from it entirely. I'm glad we found an option that really works for us.