He wanted to go with turquoise because it's a favorite stone of hers. We talked a little bit about the ring design in general terms but he left the specifics up to me. I decided to make two rings in fairly different styles for him to pick from and ordered a couple of different turquoise pieces to get started. I got a couple of cabochons and also ordered a piece of Number 8 Mine turquoise from an Etsy seller.
Maybe I'm a sucker for the history behind it, but the Number 8 turquoise quickly became the front runner; it was more unique and the color was gorgeous. I stuck with the plan and made two rings but by the time they were done I knew that was "it".
He picked the right one (IMO) and proposed last weekend. She said yes and seems to like the ring (phew!). So the others I made at the same time are going to my Etsy shop as I can get the listings put together.
Congratulations, Sara and Mike!