‘Tis the season, and no I don’t mean the Holiday season I mean the season for getting engaged. Back when I used to be a jeweller this would be the busiest time of year. From at least mid October and up until the first week or January I’d be busy working as much as 18 hour days putting diamond cut designs on bands, signets, bangles and other pieces of jewelry. I also did gold electroplating and made rubber molds so that jewelry pieces could be reproduced easily in wax form and then cast into gold by melting the was forms out of a hardened plaster of paris type of mix.

By Christmas time each year I was exhausted. I love Christmas but back in those days- having that one or two days off was nicer than the holiday itself. I swear in the few hours I slept each night during the busiest time of year I’d dream of all the designs that I’d do on wedding bands, engagement rings, and bracelets.

My husband Chris worked for another business, and well he wasn’t my husband at the time, he was still only my boyfriend. He did jewelry repair and he set stones in pieces as well. If we’d merged both of our talents into my business, plus kept my sister around with her engraving business we would have made a killing.

During that time of year Chris and I were not only working hard in our respective jewelry businesses but we also made jewelry for our friends. I don’t know how many times we’d bring home loose diamonds for our visiting friends to choose from, and then once they’d picked out what they decided was the perfect diamond for their soon to be fiance we’d make up whatever engagement ring they’d picked out. It’s a good thing that we both had good connections with diamond wholesalers because we’d often get discount prices on the diamonds our friends had picked out. Our friends always got a great price on any custom designed jewelry that we did for them. Lucky dogs!

My husband and I got engaged on New Years Eve, but we didn’t even have an engagement ring at that time. In fact I still don’t have an engagement ring. I really don’t care either. I don’t know too many people that work in the jewelry trade- I mean the people who actually make the jewelry – that really wear much jewelry. I have a fantastic collection, but I rarely wear it.

My sister is still an engraver and I know she’ll be working long hours this month. Ah, the life of a jeweller.

So when did you get engaged? And more importantly, what time of year did you start picking out your engagement rings and wedding bands? Are you one of the people that used to drive me nuts at this time of year?