1991 was a significant year. Terminator 2: Judgment Day was the biggest grossing film in the cinema. Bryan Adams was breaking records with his hit single (Everything I Do) I Do It For You. It stayed at number one for a staggering 16 weeks. And the Football Association announced plans for a new “Super League” of eighteen clubs to replace the First Division. This soon turned out to be the Premier League as we know it.
"I used to think a wedding was a simple affair. Boy and girl meet, they fall in love, he buys a ring, she buys a dress, they say I do. I was wrong." – George Banks
However, for me the significance has even more meaning. It was the year that I started my apprenticeship and started my journey into the jewellery industry. Yes, 1991 marks 30 years since my journey began.
Me in 1991!
One other movie to have performed well in the box office that year, was a comedy classic starring Steve Martin, Diane Keaton, Martin Short and my teenage crush, Kimberley Williams. Don’t worry, there’s nothing cliché about the movie inspiring me, or anything like that. In fact, I probably didn’t even see the film until a few years later. But it did make me think. And after thinking I was able to draw a certain comparable.
It’s not a name I’ve considered for myself, but I guess in one way I can be considered a certain “Father of the Bride”. Hear me out. I guess over the thirty years of making engagement rings, and in a loving way I do consider each of them my babies, I could be considered as a "Father of the Bride". That could mean that I’ve potentially fathered an average of 30,000 brides! That’s a lot of weddings to pay for! But on a serious note, do we actually take the time to consider the path we’ve left behind? Thinking about it, I started learning my trade with an engagement ring manufacturer and then went on to start my own business nine years later.
With all the manufacturing and bespoke pieces I’ve made, they could conceivably total 30,000, probably more. If we are looking to draw comparisons between myself and the movie Father of the Bride, then it could be as follows. Yes, certain parts are dated, and by the same token certain portions remain timeless. I’m sure that if the film was to be remade, it would be slightly different. Although if we were going to cast Steve Martin, he would probably still look the same. The outcome of the film would be the same though.
And I also think that just like with Bryan Adams immortal song, Everything I do, I do It For, for me it’s all about the initial conversation and the first meeting. Nothing over the years has changed in that respect. Moving on to the ring itself, whether it’s the style of the ring or she shape of the diamond, this has evolved over time. Funnily enough, we always seem to come back to the traditional solitaire engagement ring. I guess in a way that’s like the bride always wearing a white dress.
My philosophy has always remained the same. Treat the client how I would like to be treated. And with that, please join me and raise a glass to another fantastic 30 years of making engagement rings better than ever!
