I peered into the glossy box trembling in Sam’s hands. Inside sat an oval-cut diamond engagement ring. Hand-engraved leaves and milgrain edges detailed the rose gold band, while a baguette and two smaller diamonds hugged both sides of the center stone.

The ring was immaculately designed, flawlessly constructed and not at all me. “How did this happen?” I thought. But I knew how this happened. I knew exactly how this strange, stunning, not-really-my-style ring ended up in the shaky hands of the man I love.

Vladimir.

Vladimir is a petite Russian jeweler with dark skin, deep-set eyes and an intimidating accent. He got his start in the jewelry industry as a teenager in the Soviet Union, selling rings he made out of walnut shells.

While working under the table — or in the closet, rather — he graduated to more sophisticated heirloom materials like silver birth spoons or gold fillings from the deceased. (In the Soviet Union it was unheard-of to put any kind of precious metal into the ground, so all valuables were left to surviving family members.)