Ring Conundrum

I was recently let in on a little secret:  one of my best friend’s little brothers is about to get engaged!  He is taking his girlfriend on a cruise this month and he will be popping the question to here while on board the ship.  However, he’s having a bit of trouble deciding what to do about the ring.

The backstory:  N & D have been dating for a few years, and they’ve been very open in their discussions regarding marriage.  D is very particular about the jewelry she wears, and N wants to let her be involved in picking out the ring.  He has a very specific budget he is sticking to, so he wants to let it be her choice whether she puts more into the size of the diamond, the setting, etc.  However, he does NOT want her to know that they are getting engaged—he wants it to be a total surprise.  His current solution is to buy a cheap-o fake ring to propose to her with and then let her go ring shopping with him when they get back from the cruise.

(Note:  This is obviously not N&D.  Image from here) 

So where is this conundrum I speak of? Well, my friend K (N is her little brother) brought up this point to him:  “When I get engaged, I am going to feel so sentimental over that moment and that story…that I will feel tied to whatever ring he proposes with.  So I think you should at least consider getting her a real ring because she may love it just because of the sentimental value surrounding it.”  N realized K had a good point and became confused about what to do.  Now, he’s considering these options:

Option A:  Buy a solitaire diamond.  This way she can still pick a different setting at a later time, but gets to have the sentimental value of always wearing the diamond he picked for her.
Option B: Buy a fake ring and take her shopping later.  Obvious pro of this is that she can then choose the ring she really wants.
Option C:  Buy her a birthstone ring, which he can use to propose and then she can wear on her right hand once they return and go shopping for the “real” ring.  A big con of this?  If he buys her a nice birthstone ring, it will cut into the budget for the actual ring—remember, he’s on  a set budget and isn’t moving from there. Option D:  Pick the ring and setting all by himself, knowing that he knows her quite well and wants the opportunity to choose something beautiful for her. 

I’m inclined towards Option D, as that’s what Dr. Groomy did for me.  And he picked out a gorgeous ring that I absolutely LOVE and definitely would have chosen for myself. 

(I love it so much I used it for my blog header!  Photo by Sarah Immel Photography)

So friends, I turn to you.  How did your fiancé pick out your ring?  If you were in N’s position, what would you do?

*Note:  I received permission from said parties to share this story.  Wanna know how it ends?  Stay tuned!