Ski Slope Proposal With Brian Gavin’s Split Shank Rope Solitaire Diamond Engagement Ring…

Demetri called in during the second week of April. He originally called in about the setting only and ultimately decided to purchase his center stone from us too. He loved our 18K White Gold Split Shank Rope Solitaire and he selected a beautiful 0.80 G VVS2 Brian Gavin Signature Hearts and Arrows diamond. We created his ring, emailed him his Glamor Shots and shipped out the ring.

Last week we discovered some pictures of Demetri and his fiancée on flickr and asked his permission to post them on our blog.

He graciously agreed and wrote back with the wonderful testimonial featured after the picture gallery below:

Hi Jamie,

My fiancee Jodi and I are both outdoor people. We love cycling, hiking, and most of all skiing. Our first year dating I told Jodi, then a non-skier, that she wouldn't be seeing much of me in the wintertime as I'd be in Lake Tahoe on the weekends. This didn't sit well with her. When a friend came out to ski Squaw Valley with me, Jodi knew she wanted to learn how to ski. I took her up for her first time that spring and she got the hang of it right away. When we went on the ski trip to Squaw, Jodi wanted to impress me to show she could hang. We had a really nice moment near the trees at Squaw in an area called Shirley Lake.

I kicked my proposal plan into high gear in early April. I spoke to her father and then set out to find the perfect ring. The proposal was meant to be a surprise so I visited local a local jeweler after work and would stay up late nights on the computer getting a diamond education. Luckily, I quickly came to Brian Gavin Diamonds and worked with you to select the ring. Jodi has very simple tastes and tends not to wear much jewelry. This made the selection process easier in some ways but left many of the details unsettled. I chose the split shank rope style ring in 18k white gold both for its aesthetic beauty and for the symbolic value. Each of the separate loops represented each of Jodi and me. The rope texture also spoke to me as an indication of life's ups and downs. With the setting chosen, I moved on to the center stone. Brian Gavin's Signature Hearts and Arrows represented the pinnacle of quality and craftsmanship. The round brilliant shape in a solitaire fit Jodi's personality perfectly.

When it came time, I knew I wanted to propose outdoors. The outdoors fit both our personalities and made for a romantic location. Jodi had been planning a ski trip to Squaw for the last weekend of the ski season. My plan was to propose at Shirley Lake, right on one of the ski runs. To make the event a bit more special for Jodi, I contact Squaw Valley though a friend to get some inside help. Squaw was awesome. Several folks there helped me get a bottle of champagne and glasses first from the mid-mountain restaurant, then to a ski patrol shack near Shirley Lake, then finally in the middle of the ski run hidden in some trees. Squaw also put me in touch with Jason Abraham, a world class action photographer based on the mountain. The night before we headed up, Squaw emailed me to let me know the champagne was chilling. I casually asked Jodi over dinner where she would like to ski the next day and she replied "Shirley Lake."

Brian Gavin Diamonds committed to shipping the custom ring to me three days before Jodi and I left to drive up to the mountains. I got the ring via FedEx Wednesday morning and was blown away. The ring was perfect. I quickly brought it to a local respected jeweler as my last bit of due diligence. When I handed the ring over the salesman set out to pick it apart. After looking at the stone and completed ring for several minutes under the microscope the clerk said simply that the stone matched the certificate and that there was not much else he could say. I knew I had a winner.

The plan was set as we drove up Friday. I was driving over a mountain pass when I asked Jodi to telephone the resort so that we could check into our room early. She had lost her phone that week so I gave her my cell and told her to dial the most recent number in the history. I heard her talking to a confused woman on the other end of the line and when Jodi hung up she said, "hmm, that wasn't Brian Gavin Diamonds, and spoken to a "distinguished lady" who I gather was Lesley. Jodi didn't hear anything because we were at elevation and her ears hadn't adjusted. The secret was safe.

We woke up Saturday morning and got ready for the big day. I stashed the ring and its large presentation box in my ski pants and we headed out on the mountain at 9 AM. The plan was set to meet Jason at Shirley Lake at 11 AM. We skied all morning and led Jodi all over the mountain stalling for time. When 11 AM rolled around I asked her if she wanted to go over to Shirley Lake and she agreed. When we got there, I lingered behind to try to make casual contact with Jason, our photographer. Jodi caught me looking around and dawdling which was unusual so she asked me what was going on and I said simply "nothing" and kept on skiing. One of the female ski patrollers saw me gawking. She was apparently in on the plan as she flashed me a huge smile and a huge thumbs up as Jodi headed down the trail. I managed to spot Jason from the ski lift. He was lurking around in the bushes at the proscribed spot. I let Jodi go down the run first and then I skied over to the spot and called out Jason's name. He came out and I asked him where the champagne was. He pointed it out and I told him the proposal would be on the next run.

On the ride up the chairlift I started to be overcome with emotion. I held Jodi and gave her a big kiss. When we got to the top of the run, I asked Jodi to follow me. We ski like that all the time. This time, though, I went extra slow to enjoy the moment. When we got to the spot, I stopped and started to take off my skis and helmet. Jodi was perplexed. "What are you doing," she asked? I got down on one knee and pulled the ring out of my pocket. Jodi realized what was going on and a huge smile came over her face. She said yes. Thanks, Demetri M