Chapter 25
Ben parked in front of the jewelry shop and went to the door. He had plenty of money saved up, so he could afford a nice ring, but he had no idea what type of ring to get for Jaz.
"G'Day. Can I help you?" said the voice coming from the intercom next to the locked shop door
"Yes. I need an engagement ring," said Ben.
The door buzzed and unlocked, allowing Ben to walk into the shop.
"Excellent. Congratulations on finding a special someone. Do you have any idea what type of ring you would like to get?" asked the jeweler.
"No. I have no idea. I just need to get something nice because I nearly proposed last night while eating dinner and she deserves a proper proposal with a proper ring. I need to do this right," said Ben.
"Okay. What kind of woman is she?"
"She's incredible. She is driven and athletic and a wonderful mother and super sexy. She is classy, kind and generous. She values family, but is still independent too. She is so accomplished, but incredibly humble. She's amazing." said Ben.
"My name is Maurice, and I'm happy to help you today. You sound like a very lucky man. How long have you been together?" he asked.
"I first met Jaz in 2008 and we dated for a while, but we were apart for a few years while she was away for training. We've been together since 2014. We have a two year old daughter." said Ben.
"Okay. So you've been together a long time. Let's start narrowing it down. Do you think she would want a diamond or some other type of stone?" asked Maurice.
"I'm going to say no diamond, it seems cliche, but I want something that's still a classic style and not too gaudy. She works with her hands and with horses all the time, so I don't want something that would easily snag or hurt a horse. I also want it to be small enough so she doesn't have to take it off," said Ben. He remembered Stevie said she had a hard time wearing her rings on her finger while doing farm work, and had worn them around her neck on a chain instead.
"Okay! Now we're getting somewhere." said Maurice with a grin.
Ben closed his eyes and pictured Jaz. He saw her shining blue eyes and her light blonde hair. Kelly had her eyes too.
"What stones are bright blue? That's what I want," said Ben.
"I reckon you're asking for a sapphire ring, mate." said Maurice.
"Okay. Let me see some of those then, please."
"No problem. We've got some lovely sapphire options right here for you to look at." offered Maurice.
"Okay, so, we have a few different shapes to the stones. Do you like pear shaped, which is sort of a teardrop shape? Or here we have a Princess cut, which is more square?"
"I don't like the tear drop shape. It's very pointy. It could get caught on the reins or even on the horse's hide while she was brushing her down. Is there anything that's more like a circle? That's less likely to get caught on things," said Ben.
"Yes. We call it a round cut. See? We're making progress here. We know you're getting a round cut sapphire ring. Good on ya, mate. Okay. The next question is: do you want a solitaire with just one stone or do you want other stones on it?" asked Maurice.
Ben thought of Jaz, but he couldn't think of Jaz without thinking of Kelly. Jaz and Kelly were his family. Our little family of three, thought Ben.
"I want three stones. All sapphires. And a platinum band." added Ben as he thought of Jaz's blond hair.
"I want stones that don't stick out too much. Is there some sort of setting that does that? I just really don't want it getting caught on anything," said Ben.
"I would suggest a basket setting. The stones sort of set into it so they are more protected and offer more of a rounded feeling. It's definitely the best option to prevent snagging," suggested Maurice.
"Okay, perfect. That's what I want. How much is that?" asked Ben.
"Slow down mate. You are skipping a very important step." warned Maurice.
"I thought I picked everything. What else do I need to do?"
"You haven't picked the stones yet. There are many sizes and qualities to choose from. First of all, do you want all three stones to be the same size or one larger one in the middle with two smaller ones on the side?"
"I don't know. Can I see what both look like?" requested Ben.
"I don't have one with three equally sized round cut sapphires here at the moment but I have this one, which is similar, but the stones are rubies. What do you think of that?" offered Maurice.
"I think I don't like three equal sized stones. Let's go with the center one being bigger." Jaz is the center of everything to me. Her stone should be bigger, he thought.
"Okay, so how big of a sapphire are you looking for? This is when you need to think about your budget." said Maurice.
"I have plenty of money. I've been saving for years. I just don't want anything too big because her hands are small and I don't want it too big and clunky on her. She needs smooth movement," said Ben.
Ben looked at the display of rings under glass. "That size," he said, pointing to one specific ring. "That looks perfect."
"Okay, a beautiful choice, but you requested a platinum band. Those sapphires are not in a basket setting and it's not platinum. We can change it for you, but it will take some time," said Maurice.
"How long? Honestly, I don't think I can wait much longer. I'm afraid I'm going to accidentally propose the next time I see her. I got as far as "Jaz, will you …" last night. I had to ask her if she would pass the salad bowl, even though it was right in front of me. I felt like a complete tosser." admitted Ben.
"If you don't mind paying a bit extra, I can rush it for you and get it done by the time we close today at 6pm. I need about four hours to do the work."
"I guess I'm spending the day in Spencer then. Let's get it done, please." said Ben.
They agreed on a price and Ben left a deposit for the ring.
"Come back a little before 6. That's when we close. I'll have it for you then. Oh, and one last question, what size ring does she wear? I'll size it properly while I'm working on it."
Ben had no idea.
"Umm. I dunno. Let me make a few calls. I'll be right back." He said to the jeweler.
"Stevie? I need help." he said into the phone once he stepped out of the jewelers.
"What's wrong? Where are you?" asked Stevie.
"I'm in Spencer."
"What are you doing all the way in Spencer?"
"I told Jaz I was going into town to buy a replacement pump for Killarney."
"We don't need any new pumps. What is going on?" questioned Stevie.
"I'm in Spencer because Gungellan doesn't have a decent jewelry shop."
"You're doing it! You're going to finally propose! About damn time!"
"I almost blew it last night. I almost asked her spontaneously while we were having dinner. I think she knew what I was going to say. I think she wanted me to, but I didn't have a ring, so I bailed at the last second. Jaz deserves a proper proposal with a proper ring," Ben admitted.
"I agree, but what do you need me for? You should pick out the ring."
"I did, and it's perfect, but I have no idea what size I'm supposed to get. I didn't know ring size was a thing." said Ben.
"Ben, you're adorable. Just go into her jewelry box and steal one of her other rings. They can just match the size," suggested Stevie.
"That's great advice except, I'm already here in Spencer and they are making the ring right now. I don't trust myself around her. I might just blurt it out. I need the ring and a plan before I see her again," said Ben.
"Wow. You've been with her for this many years, and never proposed, and now all of a sudden you can't stop yourself?" said Stevie.
"Our talk made perfect sense to me. I stuffed it up the last time. She had too much pride to accept my stupid, "you're pregnant, I have an obligation" proposal. She had to come up with a reason to say no without breaking it off completely. I've wanted to marry her for most of twelve years. I just can't wait any longer." exclaimed Ben.
"Okay, so what do you want me to do?" asked Stevie.
"Can you find out her ring size and call me back? It needs to be perfect for Jaz." requested Ben.
Stevie sighed, "You're lucky you're family and that I love you."
"Thank you Stevie!" said Ben into the phone before hanging up.