On Saturday, March 17th I set out to march in the St. Patrick's Day Parade with my sister and my boyfriend Patrick as part of the NYC Parks Department Emerald Society. It was freezing cold and a few days after a snowstorm. I wasn't sure I wanted to march, but both my sister and boyfriend left me no choice - I was doing it. Little did I know why.

We set out down Fifth Avenue, Patrick leading the group and my sister and I all the way in the back. It was cold but everyone seemed in unusually good spirits. We waved to my mom and his father and brother and continued up towards 88th Street & Fifth Avenue. We finally stopped and all I wanted was to sit and take a break, but my sister dragged me by the hand and said that I was needed up front. I got up there and Patrick was kneeling in the center of the IBEW Pipe & Drum Corp. I immediately started to cry as he asked me to marry him. He slipped the ring on my finger and the crowds of people on Fifth Avenue began to clap and cheer.

As I looked at the ring, I was blown away by how absolutely breathtakingly beautiful it was. The detail, the color and the setting were just the most gorgeous things I had ever seen. If I was put in a room with a thousand rings, this is the exact one I would have picked out. It truly was the ring of my dreams, given to me in the most perfect place by the man of my dreams.

From that moment on I have heard nothing but how original, how beautiful, how special my ring is. I feel as though it was made to sit on my finger, which it was. No one in the world has a ring like this and it is as special to me as the man who gave it to me. When I heard about the place it was created, I was so grateful for how much time and effort must have been placed on creating this exquisite piece of jewelry. I always knew that I wanted a different sort of engagement ring, but something this spectacular was beyond my wildest dreams. I cannot express what it means to me, and now that the shock has worn off a bit I only stare at it for a few hours a day. For the first 2 weeks I did nothing but stare at it, each time discovering new and beautiful aspects I hadn¹t noticed before.

It truly is an heirloom, the most wonderful piece of jewelry I have ever owned. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making my engagement truly perfect.

Eileen Gillen
Patrick Dalton