Why a Haribo ring was the best engagement ring I could have been given

Yes really.  My husband got down on one knee, next to the Floozie in the Jacuzzi (Birmingham peeps will understand the reference) and proposed…with a Haribo ring.

Now, it wasn’t like he wasn’t prepared – this was our five year anniversary after all and he was planning to propose.  The reason he used a jelly sweet to put a ring on it was because he knew I’d want to pick my own ring.  As a jewellery obsessive, I definitely didn’t want to miss the chance of picking my very own diamond.  Knowing this he’d booked the day off the next day to visit Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter to buy a ring.

Now this was actually a very good thing because I’d always wanted an emerald cut diamond ring…for as long as I can remember I’d been telling people this.  However (and this is the point of my story) this was NOT my perfect ring.

The fact is, I went to the Jewellery Quarter and tried on every emerald cut ring in every shop I could find.  And all I could think was, ‘Meh’.  Now that couldn’t be right…not for one of the most special rings I’d ever own.

It wasn’t until I went into one shop when I spied a pear cut diamond out of the corner of my eye.  Something drew me to it.  As soon as I tried it on I just knew. It felt right. You see, what I hadn’t realised is that (just like wedding dresses) different rings suit different people.  I was never an emerald cut kinda girl, it turned out.  I love a bit of bling and have long spindly fingers.  The pear just suited my fingers and style better.

The thing I love about independent designers is that they can not only advise you on will suit you, but they can actually create a bespoke piece just for you.  And if you’re not sure what that is, it doesn’t matter.  They’ll work with you to find the perfect ring.  And the same goes for any piece of jewellery.

I believe a piece of jewellery should fit the wearer, just as well as the perfect pair of jeans.  And with so many different styles of jewellery out there it’s fun to find out.

Here’s a few a different options for engagement rings:

This gorgeous ruby and gold solitaire ring, with tiny diamonds will definitely help you to stand out from the crowd, and the design can be adapted to suit you by the designer – Birmingham-based Kate Smith.

You can find her website here.

Who said engagement rings have to be solitaires? This beauty by Cornwall-based designer Victoria Walker is super pretty and will perfectly suit dainty hands.

You can find the ring here.

This more traditional ring has the addition of tiny diamonds on it’s shoulders. Beautiful in its simplicity this timeless design would last a lifetime.

By Canadian-based designer Laurie Fleming, you can find her website here.

Hi, I’m Victoria

Hi I’m Victoria. Jewellery obsessive, Mum of two and pancake addict. In fact I love jewellery so much I set my own studio up to make my own and pretty much taught myself.

But on my jewellery learning journey I’ve come across so many talented designers who aren’t getting the recognition they deserve. Most designer/makers work on their own and there doesn’t seem to be anywhere that’s collating their work and telling their stories.

I felt this was such a shame for both the super talented jewellery designers and the host of jewellery obsessives (like myself) who aren’t getting to know about them.

So I’ve set up this blog to feature independent jewellery designers in the UK and to tell their stories. I’d love to know if you’re enjoying this blog, so if you know of any great designers I should feature, please drop me a line. (You can also get in touch with any top pancake recipes – you can never have too many!)