Redneck Diamond Ring

Bubba has been shopping for a diamond ring because he is going to propose to Peggy Sue. Disappointed with the selections of rings available, he decided to hunt for his own diamond and make a very special ring for his little darling. He knew he would have to go traveling to a different state, bringing his own camping gear, rifle, hound dogs, special drinks, and everything needed to camp out in the desert for several days. He was sure he would find his sugar the very best diamond and he knew right where to look!

This instructable will show how to put a humorous twist to your proposal. It is also a great idea for those people who have everything they need, just change the story. Where Bubba traveled to find a genuine Pecos Valley diamond . . . how he made Peggy Sue's wedding ring and some of the experiences he went through to accomplish his mission "Peggy Sue's Special diamond".

Camping Supplies

Most of the supplies you will be needing are already on your redneck vehicle depending on which one of the 10 you will be driving.
You may stay at the 5 star redneck hotel: http://www.ratestogo.com/blog/ever-wondered-what-a-redneck-mansion-would-look-like/ go a camping out at the Rock House Ranch, in the pick up truck, or hunker down at the Stage Coach Inn which was built around the early 1900's.
Map
3 dogs
Double barral shootgun
Party drinks
Hunting knife
Big pockets
Cooking pot
Deck of playing cards
Favorite chair
Guitar

Information about Pecos Valley Diamonds here: http://geoinfo.nmt.edu/publications/periodicals/nmg/downloads/25/n3/nmg_v25_n3_p63.pdf

First Night Camping Out

Bubba finally arrived at the Pecos Valley area where he planned on looking for the special diamond. He decided to stay at the Stage Coach Inn. He unloaded all the things he needed to hunt game, make a fire, cook supper , take a bath and hunker down for the night.

He went hunting!
Made a cow pie fire.
Made a pot of possum stew for supper.
Ate supper.
He went looking for a yucca plant.
Made himself some special yucca soap by trimming off some yucca leaves and making a yucca scrubber.
Went swimming in the Pecos to take a bath.

Invited his desert friends over for a friendly hand of poker.
Bubba being a perfect southern gentleman offered his poker buddies a can of their favorite Budweiser beer.
They played cards into the night and were tuckered to the bone, so the last hand call was announced.
His friends left. . . . .
Bubba practiced his " Peggy Sue will you marry me line and dozed off.

First Day

Bubba hurried through breakfast and headed off to the Rock House Ranch to borrow a horse.
He picked a horse with a ? mark on his head because he wondered what Peggy's answer would be and rode off into the desert!
He road until he spotted an area that looked good to check out.
He stepped off his horse and to his amazement right before his eyes he found his first genuine
Pecos Valley diamond!
It was exciting!
He examined it closely and decided to look for more because if he lost it how could he ever replace it?
Then he spotted another one!
He continued until he found a whole bunch of Genuine Pecos Valley diamonds.
He even found a couple of heart shaped rocks to make Peggy Sue an engagement ring!
He headed back to the ranch to return the horse and arrived at the inn.
He hid a few of the diamonds in various places just in case something happened. After all you don't keep all your eggs in one basket.
Ate supper.
Went swimming!

First Night

Bubba was awful tired when he got back at the inn, so he invited his friends over for another friendly hand of poker to relax before practicing his wedding proposal.
They played into the night again.
Last hand and Bubba had a handful of hearts! He just knew it was "his sign" to go all in!
Poor Bubba . . . . 1 card in the deck that could beat him and Earl had it!
Bubba even lost one of Peggy Sue's heart rocks!
It was a good thing he saved a few diamonds in case of situations like this.
This would be his last night at the inn before heading back home, where he will clean his diamond stash and make Peggy Sue's Wedding ring.
He practiced his wedding proposal line.
It was cold so he had a 3 dog night ( that is a rednecks way of staying warm.) Sleeping with 3 dogs keeps a redneck very warm!

Supplies for Diamond Ring

Pecos Valley Diamonds
Rubber gloves
Bar keepers friend or Wood Bleach at your own risk! It is an acid!
Genuine sterling silver spoon or a stainless steel ring
Glue suitable for metal
Old pan
Scrub brush
Water
2 Pair of pliers
File
Plastic container
Plastic long handled ladle
Rubber gloves and a mask (not shown)
Pretty box for the wedding ring

Clean the Diamonds

Read the directions on the Wood bleach jar.
Clean the diamonds with a good household cleaner or dish soap and a scrub brush.
Or at your own risk use Wood bleach. Wood bleach is a very bad acid!
It helps to heat the water in a pan until it begins to boil.
Then take the pan outside and dump the hot water into a plastic container.
It is important to be in a well ventilated area.
Put on gloves and a mask for protection.
Then add Barkeepers friend or (Wood bleach).
Stir.
Let set in this solution for a couple of days In a perfectly well marked (Poison) container safe from pets and people and in a well ventilated area.
Rinse diamonds with clean water.

I broke down and washed the diamonds with Wood bleach. It helped but they still have some type of mineral deposit and a little iron left so I am not sure what to use on them. I was aiming for a more clear diamond look. After using the Bleach bath and rinsing the diamonds thoroughly I heated a pan of water and added the diamonds. I heated them on a low heat for a couple of hours. this removed more unwanted minerals you can see on the left are the cleaned diamonds and on the right are the diamonds like I found them.

Bending the Spoon

Bubba's diamond was so huge he had to make a double finger wedding band!

Cut off the large end of the spoon.

Bend into shape.
File down the sharp edge.

Glue Genuine Pecos Valley Diamond to Band

Glue the Pecos Valley Diamond to the wedding band.

Sunshiine"s Final Thoughts

Bubba proposed and the wedding is on! Peggy Sue is getting married! The wedding is February 14th 2013, 10 am at the Stage Coach Inn. Reception following at the Home Stead Ranch! Plenty of moonshine will be served! They decided to have it there for sentimental reasons! Her engagement ring was the heart shaped rock glued to the genuine sterling silver spoon.

Seriously the Pecos Valley diamond is a real diamond but not in the way you think.
It is a quartz stone. It sparkles when it is very clean. I could not get it to sparkle for the picture so I did a trick redneck style. I sprinkled sugar glitter over the diamond and it did the trick.
Now go find you one and make a genuine Pecos Valley Diamond ring!

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sunshiine