It’s a blessing and a gift to have a great love story in your life. But having two great love stories - that’s a tale for the ages! When a sweet friend of mine lost her husband of 40 years, it was certainly a sad and difficult time. But now, she has a second chance at love, and she asked me to design her first diamond engagement ring!
This touching story demonstrates that it’s never too late to fall in love. Make sure to have a box of tissues at hand, because this story will tug at your heartstrings.
A Second Chance at Love
Karen and Doug both met the first loves of their lives when they were young and had long, happy marriages. Karen was married for 40 years before she lost her husband and Doug was married for 47. Neither of them expected to get married again, but when they happened to be assigned to the same Sunday school classroom at their local church, they instantly connected.
Doug is a professor of literature and Karen was in the process of editing her book, so became her “in-house” critic. Before long, they found themselves chatting long into the evenings and realized they felt just like kids again. Within a year, they were ready to tie the knot!
Honoring the Past and Future
Although Karen insisted that she didn’t need a fancy engagement ring, Doug wanted her to have one. “You deserve all of this and more,” he told her. Still, when he went searching at typical jewelry shops for the perfect ring, he just couldn’t find what he was looking for. The couple agreed that they wanted to do something that both honored their first marriages and celebrated the next step in their lives.
That’s when Karen (always the humble one) mentioned that she had long wanted a piece of my jewelry, but had never found the right occasion. Needless to say, I got a call from Karen AND Doug the next day! I was absolutely ecstatic to work on this project and, even better, I got to design rings for both of them.
The Groom’s Ring
Doug had worn a simple gold band for his first marriage, and we decided to keep that band intact but add an additional wavy border to symbolize his new phase of life. I soldered a modified version of the Rhythm of the Sea onto the straight edge of his wedding ring, even preserving the original engraving on the inside of the ring. The final result is a sentimental but masculine tribute to a lifetime of love through all life’s rhythms, changes, and movements.
The Bride’s Ring
Throughout her long marriage, Karen had worn an elegant wedding band with five channel-set diamonds but never had a “real” engagement ring. I love designing engagement rings that push against the so-called “rules” in favor of expressing the couple’s personalities and telling their story, so this was the perfect opportunity. Rather than redesigning her wedding band, we opted to design an engagement ring that would complement it perfectly and blend both phases of her life.
The only requirements were a 1-carat center diamond, 14K yellow gold, and flowers! Karen was very inspired by the Sunbeam ring, but also loves florals, and fortunately so do I. (We’re all about nature here, after all.) I showed her my signature Petite Lavande design from the Bonjour Belle Collection, and she loved it. Now, I just had to make the most itty bitty little lavende flowers I’d ever created!
The final design featured a 1-carat center diamond in a 6-prong setting with two petite lavande flowers on either side, each with its own teeny tiny diamond in the center. So charming! One edge of the ring is straight to perfectly stack with the original wedding band and the other side features a lovely wavy edge, just like her new husband’s.
You’re Worth It!
My sweet and demure friend is always insisting that she doesn’t need all this fuss made over her. But Doug is there to remind her that she’s worth it, and I 100% agree. No matter what stage you’re at in life, you deserve to be celebrated and recognized for the beautiful soul that you are. It’s never too late to fall in love and it’s never too late to celebrate.
Let’s raise a glass to the beautiful bride and groom! Thank you for letting me be a part of your love story!
