ring ring - part 2

BCB was insistent, from the moment engagement was mentioned, that he would also like an engagement ring. He has, apparently, always though it a little unfair that the girl gets to show she's taken but the guy does not. But BCB is not a very blingy guy. A masculine ring with diamonds was never going to suit. I suggested two rings that sort of fit together, like Georg Jensen fusion rings. Nup, he didn't like the swirly shapes. He did know that he wanted one white gold and one yellow gold ring. Our jeweller brainstormed like a mad man - welding, clips, neoprene, rivets - all were suggested in search of a wedding ring set for a man. And then the jeweller suggested magnets. And BCB was sold. Nothing other than magnetic rings would do.

You can see the magnet in the wedder.

In the end, it took months. The jeweller had massive problems sourcing small enough magnets (despite assuring us they had done such rings before). Apparently they had some problems getting the magnets into the rings. The rings had to be chunky to accomodate the magnets. So chunky initially that they were sent back to the workshop for the ring equivalent of lipo - convex sides (so BCB's fingers weren't so spread), comfort fitting, edge softening. And we still don't know if he'll interfere with credit cards and what will happen if (when?) the magnets rust... but they sure are are beautiful.

One ring can support the other. And there's an invisible attraction between them. BCB loved the symbolism.

Our jeweller, as is obvious from the box, was Koro. We chose them because I found a few online recommendations, we wanted someone in the city so it was easy to drop by for appointments, and Linney's won't make something with a stone they haven't supplied themselves.

They were a great choice for us, albeit with a few stresses. If you want control over the whole process, if you want to see the little wax cast of your ring and all that jazz, forget it. With my ring I gave them a rough illustration of what I wanted, and we concluded some finer points would be decided once they had 'something to show me'. Then a fortnight later they rang BCB to say my ring was finished and ready. That said, it was just beautiful, with wonderful workmanship and design. They were willing to make any changes I wanted, but I didn't want or need any.

BCB's ring took months. They weren't terribly good at keeping us updated with what was happening, or exactly what his rings were going to look like. That said, they were very creative and helped him come up with a really unique idea; and they kept working on making it possible even when I strongly suspect they would have liked to have given up. They made cosmetic changes willingly; and while not dirt dirt cheap, for what they do I think their prices are extremely reasonable.

And my favourite part about the store is the sales assistants. Unlike another jeweller we went to, the sales assistants were really, really knowledgeable about jewellery design and stones. They were friendly and patient and had great communication with the workshop.