A Brief History Of Rings
Rings. There’s a great old recording from years ago where the newsreader is reading a serious radio piece about “A Brief History Of Rings.” He gets the wrong meaning of rings in his head and is audibly in tears by the end of the recording. If I manage to get it off the minidisc as an mp3 or whatever, I’ll post it. Till then, you’ll have to make do with my post on what I’ve found out about rings…
I’ve tried a few approaches with rings and from hearing a lot of stories of a lot of proposals there, quite rightly, isn’t a formula to the proposal or the ring itself. When I proposed to Liz, I proposed with a joke ring which was massive and filled with green liquid. The whole engagement ring decision was such a massive one – it’s something she’ll wear every day of her life, it’s got to be right. Needless to say, a green ring for thirty bucks did the job, although it was never going to look so great at work.
So the second ring came about. We were driving the coast road from San Francisco back down to LA and we stopped in Santa Cruz for a break and a wander. Stumbling on a hippy-style shop, they had a few hand-made rings and, with there still being a real ring to buy, I told Liz all of these placeholders were coming out of the ring budget. In case you find yourself in my position, this tactic worked pretty well and I managed to get even cheaper. I got away with a thin, plain silver band for ten bucks.
I probably sound like a total arse at this point, but I’m really glad I didn’t pick Liz’s ring. We’ve had many conversations about rings since Santa Cruz and one thing transpired – it’s really tough to find the perfect one.
I never would have managed it on my own and, in all honesty, I probably would have had perfume department syndrome. You know when they shove so much perfume up your nose it all smells the same? I would have seen too many rings from emerald cut to princess cut and everything in between, then there would have been the choices on clarity. And colour. And grade. And then there’s the setting.
The downside of this approach was Liz didn’t find it any easier. No sooner was a decision made, a new choice entered the mix and threw everything into chaos. It took us twelve months to decide on a style of ring and eighteen months to finally choose and acquire “the ring”.
So the final ring, in case anyone is interested, is a single Asscher cut diamond. They’re not a popular cut and they’re not amazingly common as they have an understated sparkle, but they are beautiful. We went to the wonderful Lucie Campbell on New Bond Street, London, who I really can’t praise enough for all of their expertise, patience and general help. And we’ve already got the ring so I’m not saying that to get a discount, they really were great – they look and sound posh and, while we were there, someone was buying a pair of earrings and he didn’t flinch as he was told they cost 17k. I flinched and it wasn’t me buying them. Fortunately, these guys are just as lovely to people like me with a budget and we found you actually get a better level of care and craftsmanship as they source the best stone for your spec and budget. In hindsight, if I’d gone with these guys before I proposed I have no doubt I’d have made it through unstressed. So another one of Dan’s Tips: Speak to Lucie Campbell.
We still need to get wedding bands, so if you decide to go there tell them I sent you…
On the subject of wedding bands I’ve found August + Pemberton. Essentially a jolly friendly chap in Australia called Simon Grew whose work is well worth a squizz (image above is © Simon Grew and shows a couple of his Mokume Gane rings from his portfolio). This could be a world of pain, organising my wedding band with someone on the other side of the planet, but I’m tempted. I’ve also been to see a place more local to me, Harriet Kelsall. I still need to weigh up a few things before I decide what I’m doing, but will keep you posted…
A few other places which might be good for inspiration are people like Kyndrid, Kabiri and Shaun Leane – not all necessarily ideal for wedding bands but some interesting stuff and may be useful for best man gifts, usher gifts or even something for the bride before your big day.
Related Posts:
Leave your response!