It’s rare for me to write about me. But there are times in one’s life when the joy has no choice but to bubble out.

I’m sure I’m not the only person who got a first glimpse of the spectacular jewelry of Rahaminov Diamonds and became an immediate fan. When I first saw the fancy colored diamonds of their Kifani Collection, and in particular, one dazzling grey stone cut in the shape of a soft pear, I was hooked. Mind you, I’m a bit of a nonconformist when it comes to my jewelry choices. Give me the enchanting twinkle of drusy or the intriguing patterns of rutilated quartz and I’m happy. Moving from diamonds in traditional white and fancy colors yellow and pink into the nuances of greys and brown hues, and from standard cuts into all manner of exceptional cuts that have no names was a revelation. The choices are fresh and far more diverse and plentiful than I had imagined.

I was not always of this mind. As a young bride years ago, I wore a classic Tiffany & Co. round brilliant-cut white diamond engagement ring, and it seemed to me perfect at a time when I was newly graduated from law school and just starting my career. My fiance had given me a choice of two nearly identical rings, and that was that. It’s hard to improve on that kind of perfection.

Decades later, I think back over the blessings and tragedies that have touched my life, the way my career path has shifted and shifted again until now I am doing what I love every day. Magically, inexplicably, about two years ago, I met the love of my life.

After he proposed and sought my input on the choice of an engagement ring, I considered various choices—sweetly beautiful antique designs, intensely saturated colored stones, a white diamond solitaire in an unusual setting. My ring had to reflect the totality of my life experiences and the depth of emotions emanating from them. The unique offerings of Rahaminov Diamonds came immediately to mind.

Photo courtesy of Rahaminov Diamonds.

Ultimately, it was a black diamond that spoke to me, an oval shaped stone surrounded by rose-cut diamonds. The cut of the center stone is unique and so unusual that it has no name.

The ring reminds of the beautiful sapphire and diamond engagement ring worn originally by Princess Diana, now by Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge. And it carries another contemporary reference: When Mr. Big persuaded Carrie Bradshaw that shoes and a huge closet were not enough, and that it was time for her to wear a ring as a symbol of their marriage in Sex and the City II, he gave her a black diamond “because you are not like anyone else. “

A black diamond might not be everyone’s choice. But in the end, choosing your ring when you know what you want is very much choosing your ring when you know who you are.

Me.

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