lord of the engagement ring
june 09, 2002
[steve looking at the rings like a pro]
i wished i could tell you guys that i have a gorgeous engagement ring, but i don't. i wish i could say that i had some romantic proposal but i can't. no, nothing was conventional about me and my marriage. it's sad to admit, but that's the truth. i'm one of those girls who never had a prom dress, let alone a wedding gown.
so it was especially exciting and new to be asked to go engagement ring hunting this week with my good friend E (notice how everyone is a good friend? :p) and our friend Steve. needless to say, this was confidential and Steve snuck away from work for half a day and lied to his soon to be fiancé Joyce that he was somewhere on the Westside for a meeting. so we first met up for dim sum at Empress Pavilion in Chinatown before heading over to the mind boggling jewelry mart in downtown LA.
it's literally been years since i've been to Empress Pavilion for dim sum and to really be in the heart of Chinatown. i have to say, i was shocked at all the empty storefronts and the dwindling patronage in general. i didn't realize that things have changed so much in recent years. it's easy to understand though that the newer Chinatowns (Monterey Park, San Gabriel, Rowland Heights) have all taken business away from the original LA one because they are more modern, newer, cleaner and closer.
[gotta throw in the dim sum carnage pic as proof]
[posing for the camera]
after visiting a number of unimpressive booths at the downtown jewelry mart, i think we were all about to give up when we went to one last stop that E's friend suggested to her. when we arrived at that booth, it was too busy, so Steve strolled ahead to the next booth and that's where we stayed for the next 3 hours. i think we were really happy that Steve found something he really loved to buy for Joyce. he wanted something vintage-looking yet classic. and i suppose each person has an idea in their mind of what they want to buy as an engagement ring but i guess you have to actually see it before you know that's the one you want. after a good hour plus, we narrowed it down to 2 bands, which E was kind enough to model for us for a very long hand trembling time. then came the decision of buying the diamond itself to sit on top the ring. i never knew engagement ring hunting was so mind-intensive and that there's so much to opt for.
[measuring e's hand compared to his girlfriend's. haha!]
the owner of the booth, isabel, was kind enough to let me photograph inside the shop and both E and Steve were really good sports at posing for me. you know, these photos are good wedding slide show shots and good proof for Joyce to actually see. :) i really cracked up at the photo above because Steve was holding E's hand to gauge how big Joyce's finger/hand was since he didn't have the exact ring size. to make a very long story short, he initially chose a ring (a third band) that was very modern and artistic but then changed his mind a couple days later and settled on the one that E and i thought was the nicest of the three finalists. if i were a girl :p, i'd be ecstatic to get this ring:
click here for an
up close look
their official
website and wedding
site and their
diamond guide
JB Newman Jewelry
550 S. Hill Street - Booth 19
Los Angeles, CA 90013
213.892.8989
Congratulations to both Steve and Joyce on their engagement! :)
