Ashley

We were set up by a mutual friend. He was actually the stylist that did both of our hair. So our first date was like a blind date--We went to a little Irish pub and had a few drinks and some food. After that first date, about a month went by before we saw each other again and after that, we've just been inseparable and have been together ever since. When we started talking about getting married and he asked what kind of a ring I would want, I knew right away that I had to pick it out. I'm super particular about my jewelry and knew that if I was going to wear this ring every day for forever, then it had to be something I absolutely loved.

I had an idea of what I wanted in my head and looked at pretty much every jeweler in the area without any luck finding what I was looking for. After getting kind of discouraged we finally decided that we were going to have to have the ring custom made, so we started the process with a bog name jeweler whose sales consultant seemed to have it together and understand what I had in mind. We were explained what the process would look like and I finally let myself get excited that my vision was going to come to life... except they made mistakes and let us down at every turn. From the very first step, which should have been computer images of the rings, everything was wrong. They more than doubled the amount of time they said it would take to have the pictures done and did not keep us in the loop as to what the hold up was at all. Even worse, when the pictures finally were sent they were absolutely nothing like what we had talked about and I learned that my original consultant had passed us off onto someone new after switching stores. We gave them another shot and again they took almost twice as long as promised and the pictures came back completely wrong again. At this point I think I was just mostly sad thinking that if this big store that does custom work regularly cannot get it right, I am going to have to settle for something that I don't really love.

I don't remember how exactly I came across the Fire & Brilliance website now, but I'm beyond glad that I did. I was looking through the settings and came across a design that was almost exactly what I had been envisioning for months in my head but hadn't been able to find anywhere! At the time I didn't take the time to even consider a moissanite center stone I just knew I had to have this setting. So I sent a message through the website and the very next day, Peter emailed me back answering my laundry list of questions about the setting and if it could be bought without a center stone, what adjustments I could make to the setting to make it perfect, what the process of a custom ring entails and the timeline it takes, and what the pricing would look like for such a thing. Again the very next day, Peter replied promptly and I was immediately impressed with F&B's customer service. I hadn't even bought anything yet, but this person was going out of their way to answer every last one of my never-ending questions. He was patient, never seemed annoyed or bothered that I was contacting him so much and left no doubt in my mind that this was where we were going to by the ring of my dreams.

Being so impressed with the service I was already receiving, I started to look around the rest of the site more as well. I learned all about moissanite, a stone that I had not been previously familiar with. I watched all the videos and read everyone else's stories about how much they loved it. Finally, I decided that the whole ring was going to come from F&B. In no time at all, the first renderings of the ring were emailed to us and I was able to make a slight last minute change but it was exactly what we discussed. They nailed it. What a relief this was after our last experience. Once we confirmed the pictures were perfect, we were told the ring would start being made and we were kept informed every step of the way. The timeline we were given was realistic and they did what they said they were going to do when they said they were going to do it. The shipment was sent out on time and received with no issues and the ring was absolutely more spectacular in person than it was in the pictures.

I have been beyond impressed with this company. In addition to the engagement ring and the matching wedding band, we also ended up ordering two other bands as I wanted a stacked look with them altogether. When I got them all together being as difficult as ever, I changed my mind. So I contacted Peter yet again to ask about exchanging the two other bands for one larger full eternity band. Without missing a beat, I was given the instructions to send the bands back which I did. I got an email confirming that they were received and being processed maybe just 2 days later which put my mind at ease and the new band has been shipped and should be here any day now!

Again from start to finish, I really cannot say enough about how impressed I am with Fire & Brilliance as a whole. Every single step of the way, they have exceeded my expectations. After having such a discouraging start with other companies and not being able to find what I was looking for, F&B enabled me to build the ring of my dreams and the final product is nothing short of stunning. I get compliments daily. The moissanite center stone is breathtaking and the final look altogether is exactly what I envisioned it would be. Oh and as a gift with our purchase, I received a killer pair of moissanite stud earrings that I have been loving as well! I truly will be a customer for life and am already planning what other goodies I can buy next.

Q: Can you describe what the days leading up to the proposal were like?

A: The days leading up to the proposal were great. My parents were in town visiting and staying with us so I had a pretty good idea that it was coming, since they were getting ready to leave. They live out of state so it was really special that they were here and got to be a part of it all.

Q: Lastly, we wanted to ask something of each our clients (for yourself or for both of you to answer) to be featured a question that is unique to their story.

What is/was your favorite place/destination to travel to together?

A: Our favorite place to travel is actually New Orleans, its the first place that we went on vacation to together and really where we fell in love. It's also where we've decided to get married.