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| - As a Las Vegas local, I sort of ask for it when I go to a mall like Fashion Show and expect more than a handful of help normally reserved for a non interested transient. But when it comes to shopping for wedding rings for myself and my beauty, being closer to 20 than I am 30 and looking even younger probably doesn't help, either.
At the largest mall in Las Vegas on the wonderous Las Vegas Boulevard itself, a woman with a free left ring finger will run wild, trust me. Luckily, I had planted the seeds of pickiness when presenting her with a promise ring some time back; which had a specific number of stones and how they were set. Add a dash of her own taste, and we have narrowed the field down a bit!
Nonetheless, she will only chase her championship ring with that much more fervour. This is where my older fiance quickly realized her daydreams of being younger were more than fantasy.
Our first trip to Ben Bridge gave me the all too familiar feeling of having all eyes on me. Great at all times but this one, where they all read judgemental. I felt the atmosphere and despite spotting a band I liked; gave the hand squeeze signal to my eager companion that it wasn't going to happen. I still kept the band in mind though.
Well, fast forward several miles of walking, thousands of rings, a few hundred miles over a short two week period (yes, all of which was shopping for "The One" for her; read some more of my reviews for my painstakingly romantic chronicles.) ... And we are back at Ben Bridge for one last chance for their redemption -- and my band.
This time I went in knowing that I wasn't going to waste time, and that I would simply earn the respect and service I deserved to be given freely. I walked right up to the ring I wanted and s salesperson asked me if I'd like to see it; yadda yadda, sales schpiel. I inquired about the binding alloy was in their Tungsten Carbide rings. They started going into panic mode, spouting off about them being made of drill bits and was quickly given the hook and placed in a corner behind a plant by my new and final salesman, Andrew.
I advised pure Tungsten would be highly fragile, and the alloy was to prevent shattering. I asked if it was nickel -- a trick question since nickel is a dirty word in jewelry. He said he didn't know. Good answer since most everybody else tried to say it could never be nickel and stay hypoallergenic. Despite me being frustrated at nobody knowing the products they sell, I was content enough with Andrew offering to call the manufacturer after he pulled all print material he could try referencing.
Keel in mind, its common practice for companies to use cheaper binding agents, such as cobalt -- to make TC rings. Makes for a cheaper overhead, but eventually oxidizes from the oils in your skin and discolors the ring - permanently. I wasn't splitting hairs to be a jerk.
Another salesperson tried selling me on a black TC ring; perhaps to sniper Andrew's sale. I asked if they were aware of the fact that the black tungsten carbide rings were coated black, not natural. Therefore the scratch proof wonder material was ... Under the coating. Which of course wasn't covered by warranty. They retreated back to their own corner, fed up with the spike haired wedding ring geek.
Andrew came back to assure me that though the manufacturer was closed, in his years of experience he had not come across anything I expressed concern about. While appreciated, this wasn't exactly in writing. Being that I wasn't a size 10, that made my purchase a special order. He said that should I make the special order and he found out the binder wasn't nickel, he'd refund us in good faith and gave me his card. I shook his hand and made the purchase.
What did we learn? Maybe I do a bit too much research over wedding rings; for myself and my wedded to be. Or, that I'm not willing to say my vows for eternal commitment on any doubts. I don't want to have to swim through a lot of crusty suits judging my checking account based on my hair style and youth, either. Thanks to Andrew at Ben Bridge, I was able to check off one of the big hurdles in the process.
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