I was just reading one of the various jewellery trade newsletters I get sent, and I saw an article about men’s engagement rings. Apparently a British jewellery firm; Dower and Hall, has launched a proposal ring for women to do the asking, created in time for the leap year in 2012, and called the ‘Take the Leap’ ring. This tradition of women proposing began in 5th century Ireland when St Bridget complained to St Patrick about women having to wait for men to propose; Patrick finally set February 29th as the day for allowing women the right to propose (which couldn’t have been less generous if you think about it – choosing a day that only comes every four years!). The tradition then continued in Scotland when in 1288, Queen Margaret decreed that on February 29th women had the right to propose, and men who refused were faced with a fine (much more like it). The ‘Take the Leap’ ring is a plain, engraved band (not the one pictured above) which is then redeemable against the cost of the ring. Good idea, I wondered to myself, or marketing gimmick? Probably a bit of both. I think I quite like it.

Anyway, it reminded me of the time, many years ago, when I was working in a theatre and my boss decided she was going to propose to her boyfriend (also working in the theatre) by announcing it on the theatre tannoy. We thought this was brilliant and egged her on to do it, so she did and was met with…complete silence. As the afternoon wore on, her mood became darker and darker. I have no idea how it was resolved, or what the atmosphere was like in their house that night…but she was not engaged the next day. Even after all these years I can still remember how awful it was; how crushingly humiliating it must have been having announced it to the entire theatre effectively and have everyone know he didn’t want to do it.

Not that I want to put anyone off…

When my husband and I went to buy my engagement ring, we went to a very smart jeweller in Bath, in the UK. The kind of place where you have to ring the bell to get them to let you in. I had been saying to my husband, ‘Oh, I don’t need anything flashy, just a small symbol of our love etc, etc.’ Well, that was until they brought out the rocks and then I was thoroughly dazzled. We eventually picked one I liked and as I was looking at it, I said, ‘My only concern is that it looks like Princess Diana’s engagement ring’ – which obviously did not have happy connotations to me. The very smart, very groomed sales assistant looked at me and without missing a beat, replied, ‘Princess Diana’s was much bigger.’ At which point we probably should have left but it was a very nice ring and who knows, perhaps she was joking rather than being purely offensive…!!!

I’ve had a bit of a time of it! First of all, I woke up one morning two weeks ago with what felt like shards of glass in my throat, or perhaps a metal spike. Temperature, shivers and shakes, headache etc. After suffering for a day I caved in and went to the doctor. Not the usual person I see due to it being a Sunday and emergency and all that, this chap was the bounciest doctor in the world. After examining my throat he announced ‘You have toncillitis!!’ in the kind of tones you’d normally used for someone who’d, say, won the lottery, or aced their exams. Toncillitis? I thought; isn’t that some kind of kiddy disease? Well, perhaps, but I can’t remember feeling worse. I couldn’t read, watch television, or even sleep. My throat hurt so much it brought tears to my eyes every time I swallowed; even water was too painful. I lay propped in bed, my eyes half open, contemplating my own misery. I had antibiotics, but as I had left the surgery, the doctor had joyfully called out, ‘If it doesn’t clear up in four days, come back!  It could be glandular fever!!!’ (Mono to you chaps in the US I think).  Then added, ‘Of course, we normally see that in teenagers, and that’s not you anymore is it??!!! Sorry!!!’  Seriously, that bloke was so lucky I was feeling so mouldy.  So. Lucky.

Anyway, I am feeling better now, but the past week I have been just catching up with myself; listing and listing and listing more and more stones, so keep your eyes peeled because I’ll be blogging about those in the next couple of days…

I haven’t blogged for absolutely ages, I know.  Very bad of me.  The thing is, I’ve had so much new stock in that I’ve struggled to do much more than photograph and list for weeks!  But here we are with some of the new.  I’ve hugely expanded the variety of 4mm cabochons that I stock.  I now have citrine, amethyst, rhodolite, emerald, garnet, sky blue and swiss blue topaz, clean rainbow moonstone, hessonite garnet, peridot, tourmaline and apatite.  Look out also for milky and clean aquamarine, London blue topaz, prehnite, iolite and green amethyst, all coming in the next few days.

In her latter years,  my grandmother used to have a whiskey mac every evening before supper.  The way she mixed it, this was half a tumbler of whisky topped up with Stones Ginger wine, no ice.  Quite amazing that she managed to stagger to the table after downing that, but my mum said that it cheered her up, and that was always a good thing.  Plus she was not the kind of woman who liked to be told what to do, so if she wanted to end her day lightly sozzled, no-one was going to tell her she couldn’t.  The reason I mention this is because I have some new hessonite garnet in, and this stuff always makes me think of my gran’s whiskey macs; that deep, tawny reddish gold, with a slightly cloudy quality; the fine, swirling inclusions giving the stones a silken lustre, as if they are glowing from within.  And don’t tell me that I don’t give you odd and interesting stuff either, because I’ve got this in not just a standard cab, but a rose cut as well!

More new stock!  I have some absolutely gorgeous pale indigo rose cut tanzanite; very clean material and full of sparkle.  I know that there are some real tanzanite addicts out there, so this is a real treat!  Also new in is melanite in 4mm, 6mm and 10mm kind of rose cut.  What I mean by ‘kind of rose cut’ is that it is a cut that I see other people routinely describe as rose cut but which is a little less complex than my standard rose cuts.  My supplier calls it something like ‘upside down checker’ but I think that would create even more confusion!  It’s triangular facets, and they make a rose pattern, but just without the fancy flower that I normally have on my stones.  Also have 8mm coming in, but I still have to photograph and list that.  Finally, Swiss Blue Topaz in a 4mm rose cut, lovely and vibrant, to go with all these bright colours that are coming in this season.

Finally back in stock!  This is beautiful, intense pink rubellite, absolutely gorgeous fuschia coloured droplets.  Lovely quality as well; beautifully clear although there are a few inclusions of course, this is tourmaline after all.  I have these in a 4mm and a 5mm round, available now at http://www.joopygems.com