Little King and I designed an engagement ring for my fiance that was created within my price-range and yet, more meaningful and special then any ring I could of picked from any display case. We used my future mother-in-law's diamond from a ring her father given her for her 21st birthday and a sapphire from my mother's engagement ring. Another sapphire was cut to match my mother's and all three are set in a white gold setting that I designed with the help of Little Kings' Michael and Jennifer.

As soon as I decided I wanted to propose to my girlfriend of 8 years, I did a Google search for "engagement rings." I knew Tiffany's and that's about it and the whole idea of picking one ring for this monumental occasion was frightening to say the least. I luckily found a New York Magazine feature on weddings and the best jewelry stores in New York to find engagement rings. From all the websites I checked out, they all of the rings looked the same: huge and out of my price range. I narrowed the list down to one store, Little King, because it was the only place that seemed to be the least like the others.

The first time I visited the store, Jennifer and Michael put me at ease with their kindness and interest in helping me out with this daunting task. They assured me that we could design a one of a kind ring and work within my price range. I was relieved that once my modest price range was acknowledged, they were still just as excited to help me create the ring.

I had thought of using heirloom jewels in the ring but I never thought a jeweler would actually let me do that. When Jennifer brought it up as an option I was really happy because I knew that it would make the ring so much more meaningful to my future wife. I was sent home with the assignment of getting some stones to choose from and to start designing the setting. I brought back an array of stones and I didn't have a clue which ones were even real and what I would do with them. Jennifer made that easy and after we had that settled, Michael helped refine a sketch I had made of the setting.

In only 3 weeks from the day I first visited the store to the night before I was to fly down to my family reunion where I proposed (no I didn't propose in front of everyone and yes, she said yes) I had gone from not having a clue to having a custom engagement ring that floored my fiancé and has impressed everyone who has seen it since. I am very lucky to have found Little King and I highly recommend them to anyone who wants the perfect engagement ring despite how much you are willing or able to spend because you'll be creating a completely unique piece of jewelry that you'll be proud to pass on to your grandkids.