The Ring Part 3 The Search

Knowing that Jamie and I desired to keep the cost of the symbol low, I began my search.  Actually, my best friend in the whole world, Willie, helped me begin the search.  He sent me several websites with alternative style rings.  Everything from wood to hammered silver.  I loved looking through the pages and considering the power of the symbol as well as the power of the story we could tell about the ring.  Looking for a female perspective, I turned to my sister. She suggested that I consider buying a ring that was made from Jamie’s birthstone.  Jamie’s birthstone is blue in color, and Turquoise, Blue Topaz, and Zircon are all considered December birth stones.  I began looking online at different rings that were available, and then an idea occurred to me. 

Back when I was working as a chemist at Mylan, I worked with a guy who had become a gem collector and jeweler.  His name is Doug Kolson.  Doug and I were friends back in the day, but I hadn’t talked to him in a while.  As I searched through several web pages, and considered walking into a jewelry store with hundreds of mass produced rings, I just felt like none of these would be special enough for Jamie.  I wanted something that was unique, and I thought, “Maybe Doug could help me find something.”  After all, the world of precious stones and jewelry was fairly new territory for me (the last ring I bought had a giant cherry flavored “gem” atop the plastic ring), and so help from a knowledgeable friend would be so incredible.

I called Doug, and we set up a meeting during the evening of the day when I asked Jamie’s dad’s permission for her hand in marriage.

Doug and I looked through his collection as I explained to him that I wasn’t interested in a diamond, but rather I was considering a blue topaz.  My first preference was to find a stone that came from a mine in the US, so I could insure it was “conflict free.”  After that, I wanted to buy a quality stone that had a bluish tint and that was semi-precious.  After suggesting stones from topaz,  zircon and sapphire, we landed on a search for natural blue topaz or a blue sapphire,  both of which could be found in the United States.