THE RING CONUNDRUM: WHEN TWO TYPE-A'S WED

By Chris Genry and Colin Griffith

Chris Genry and his husband, Colin Griffith live in Denver, Colorado.

He said: "Yes!"...

...and in less than a week, we had completely scheduled out the celebrations of our engagement and marriage… right down to the destinations, the venues, the guest lists, who would make the cake, the villa we would rent for our wedding night, and the events we would host for guests. Through the eleven months of our engagement, only small details would change from that initial plan conceived over coffee in bed one Sunday morning.

The fine detail that took quite a bit longer was the rings. He wanted metals; I wanted gems. We agreed an extended engagement period was necessary for a destination wedding, but we also wanted rings NOW. Though we wanted immediate symbols of our love and commitment for everyone to see, we did not want them to be “temporary”. The rings we would wear from the start would stay with us forever.

"We wanted rings...

NOW!!"

We visited a select few jewelers that not only showcase inventory but also offer customization. Should we design a ring in two parts, that comes together as a united whole at the wedding ceremony? Should we select two completely unique rings that can be worn together? We found numerous ways to disagree.

The fun thing was that everyone --to a man and woman-- who assisted us with this project was energized by it and added great ideas. Who knew there are yellow diamonds? I was fascinated by all the unique options for stones, and he kept reeling me back. We were shown items in catalogues, items kept in the safe, photos and sketches. This was taking a long, long, time; but it was worth the wait.

Eventually we discovered a solitary, discontinued ring in a remote jeweler case two floors above a pedestrian street. It was a solid platinum Scott Kay-designed ring, with a uniform etching resembling snakeskin. It lacked gems, but it appealed to both our designer sensibilities. And it was heavy. This is a ring that will last forever. And in this unexpected moment we quickly reached complete agreement. Unlike the hetero-conventional approach of diamond first, band second, this solid metal piece would be our engagement ring, and we would add a custom band of diamonds at the wedding. They would be white, but they would be diamonds!

Our jeweler was able to convince Scott Kay to open the mold and make another copy of the discontinued ring. We sketched out a fine, intricate platinum setting that would be completely concealed by a ring of small diamonds. And presto… he got his metal, I got my gems. True, I had to wait several months for it all to come together. But when it did, on that beautiful sunset-lit beach in Puerto Vallarta, it was magical.