a ring today?” I just smiled and nodded affirmingly.
Now sitting at breakfast reminiscing about our fun evening the night before at our favorite Island hot spot, Duffy’s Love Shack, the waiter took our drink order and Tiffany jokingly asked, “Is it too early for a rum punch?” to which Alyssa quickly replied, “Well, mom, it’s 5’oclock somewhere”. We were enjoying the company of a local Iguana who was running around the patio looking for food scraps and scurrying u
p the surrounding trees when Alyssa seemed overly anxious to get into town. We finished our meal, took a brief moment for a photo-op as we waited for the cab and finally got on our way.
The best place to shop in any of the Caribbean islands is either the cruise ship ports or within walking distance of the pier. This is also the best place in the world to buy jewelry because it’s tax free, duty free and since most of the shops are not big chains like we have in the states, the prices are typically 50%-65% discounted from the appraisal price. Also, my favorite part is haggling and negotiating is encouraged.
We all set out to find our T-shirts, hats and souvenirs while I was on a secret mission to find the perfect diamond for Tiffany. I had also come to St. Thomas with the intention of selling some other jewelry and Tiffany wanted to watch my Jedi like powers of persuasion which proved to be a true obstacle. While the girls were looking in the shops I perused the jewelry stores assessing interest in what I had to sell and looking for the right stone to buy.
When shopping for diamonds you need to be knowledgeable in “the 4 C’s” Carat , Color, Clarity, & Cut. Carat is the size and weight of the diamond. While size does matter, it should not be the primary concern because having a big, flawed diamond is visibly gaudy. 
The color is a range from colorless to yellow. The clearer the diamond the more it will sparkle. Clarity is the hardest determining factor to choose because this is about seeing the micro inclusions or natural cracks in the diamond which are sometimes so small they can only be seen at 10x-20x magnification. If you are really good, you can use the inclusions in your favor. If in the right place it enhances the prism affect and appears to sparkle even brighter. Cut has nothing to do with its shape but more the reflective qualities. When it’s all said and done, to buy the right diamond for an engagement ring, you want people to take notice. The diamond I chose was a 1.25C, Round Brilliant, Ideal Cut, E Color, SI1 which sparkles like nothing I’ve ever seen. It was the perfect combination of characteristics for the woman I was proposing to.
Finding the diamond took about 2 hours but trying to negotiate the sale of my jewelry and the price of Tiffany’s engagement ring proved very difficult since she was either behind me or by my side almost the entire time. I tried sending her out to look at other shops while I “do my thing” but she loves to watch and felt left out. Alyssa tried asking her to help find a restroom only to be foiled by her return a short 5 minutes later. I realized the only way to get some “alone time” with the jeweler was to push Tiffany’s buttons and cause her to walk away. I hated doing it but I figured she would forgive me in the end. About 30 minutes later the haggling was done and I purchased the ring. Now it needed to be set and cleaned which was another hour process. I found Tiffany & Alyssa, tried to apologize for my earlier actions and we went about our day shopping / “rum tasting”. I snuck away a few times to check on the progress of the ring only to draw more attention to myself from Tiffany who was noticing I was acting “odd”. Luckily she still had no idea what was really going on.
Now in possession of the ring with a box outline bulging from my shorts pocket I needed to find the perfect place and moment to “pop the question”. Alyssa could barely contain her composure because she was as excited as I was. It was getting late in the afternoon and we all decided to take a cab back to the hotel and get ready for dinner. 
On the way, I realized that there was no more beautiful place in all the Caribbean islands than our resort so Alyssa & I quickly cooked up a scheme to “look for seashells by the water” when we got back. Tiffany thought this was a lame idea and was even more astounded that I agreed with Alyssa but we went down to the beach. Tiffany, with her back to the water, took off her flip flops, and bent over to pick up a sea shell from the sand. When she turned around, now facing the setting sun over Secret Harbour Bay she found me on one knee, ring box open asking her to be my bride. Kissing and crying ensued and I was pleased that she said, “yes”.
That evening, we journeyed back to Duffy’s for hours more fun & attempting to drink one of every specialty drink on the menu. For the short cab ride back to the hotel we chose an open air safari jeep which I enjoyed hanging off the railings from while sipping the rest of my drink. When the cab came to a stop, I swear I missed a step, fell on my back still holding my drink, proudly acknowledging that nothing had spilled. We all laughed and then walked out to the beach for an evening swim in the moonlit rippling water, under the stars before heading to bed.
