It’s a new day for the big day
Story and Photos by Graham Hadley
Photos courtesy of Griffins Jewelers
Contributed Photos
Months before the big day, couples are busy not only planning every aspect of the wedding, but they are also busy choosing their rings and setting up their bridal and wedding registries.
And, while for many soon-to-be newlyweds, the traditional route is the obvious choice, others are choosing more non-traditional options when it comes to everything from rings to what setting pieces they want to register for. And more and more, as both technology and cultural trends change, the businesses that provide those services are giving customers a much broader spectrum of choices.
The rings
For more than a century in the United States, engagement sets and wedding rings followed tried-and-true traditional styles. Usually simple gold or platinum bands for the wedding rings, a single large diamond sometimes surrounded or accented by smaller white diamonds for the engagement and guard rings were the norm.
Not so much anymore. Rings come in just about any style you can imagine, literally. Customers are no longer constrained by what they see in the store — their imagination is the limit.
“It’s very different from what it was 20 or 30 years ago,” said Michael Abernathy, a jeweler and vice president of marketing and sales for Griffins Jewelers.
“People come in and have done a lot of research on the Internet, seen rings online, Facebook, Pinterest or other sites. They might want something in a modern style, but we are seeing just as many customers looking for a vintage style, maybe art deco. We have styles from many different genres. You are not stuck with cookie-cutter designs.”
The options for rings are almost endless, and it is the men as often as it is the women who what something distinctive.
While gold or platinum are still more often than not the standard, other metals and materials are growing in popularity. You might see rings made from tungsten, palladium, cobalt or some other metal gracing the fingers of newlyweds. Some people are opting for rings that are a combination of materials.
“We have some beautiful rings that are polished wood on the inside and metal on the outside,” Abernathy said.
And it does not stop there. Rings can be made from other materials, like silicone or carbon fiber. There are even hypoallergenic rings available.
The use of those alternative materials also makes it possible to make the style of the ring very unique, from the traditional simple polished bands to rings with intricate designs. Men, in particular, are drawn to some of the darker rings with almost industrial design elements.
Abernathy said he has seen rings that have patterns similar to the tread on a motorcycle tire for biking enthusiasts.
The same is true for the stones. White diamonds are popular for the engagement rings, stones with brighter colors, sapphires for instance, are also in high demand, he said.
“Sapphire engagement rings go way back. Princess Dianna’s ring was a sapphire ring.”
All of these are designs that can be purchased off the shelf or ordered, but like Abernathy said, with ring designs, your imagination is the limit. Custom-designed rings, thanks to technology like LASER engraving and computer-aided drafting (CAD) software, the same software architects use to design buildings, are possible today.
“We have had people bring in all sorts of designs,” Abernathy said. “Often, we will sit and talk with them and sketch something out. But they will sometimes bring in their own work. We have even had a customer bring in a sketch of a ring on a napkin.”
He was quick to point out that there is more time involved in creating that perfect, unique custom design for a customer, but the end result is something that is well worth the wait.
The initial designs are modeled on a computer, then that is shown to the customer in a 3D digital format. Once the customer is satisfied with the design, the ring is modeled in wax and sent to the store for them to try on. After that, the ring is cast, stones selected and the final production is created.
Abernathy said, even though Griffins is a small-town, family business, they have access to high-quality stones at prices that are competitive, or even better, than the big chains because they are members of a group consortium, the Continental Buying Group, which gives them collective purchasing power.
“We can keep our quality up and our prices lower even though we are a small-town jeweler.”
For many couples, they have heirloom jewelry that they want to use the stones out of and incorporate them into the new designs. That is not a problem, either, he said.
Many people see these custom rings as creating a new heirloom piece for the next generation.
“Every piece has its own story. People will look down and see their ring and it brings back all the memories, the story, of how they got it,” Abernathy said. “We want to create that story.
“Our job here is to get people what they want,” and that is particularly true when it comes to wedding bands and engagement rings.
“If you have thousands of rings, and the customer wants that one special ring, you have to have that special ring for them.”
The registry
Just like the ring market, today’s bridal and wedding registries are a mixture of something old and something new.
Becky Griffin, one of the owners of Griffins Jewelers, said they still see many brides come in and request very traditional and formal items in their registry, but they are also seeing requests for more informal, everyday china. Griffins bases their registry out of their Talladega location, and can work with any couple to meet their needs.
“When a bride comes in, we work with them to get them just what they want. And often these days, they want plates and settings that are easy and convenient to care for,” Griffin said.
Neva Reardon, owner of Mum and Me in downtown Leeds, agrees.
“I would get good basic pieces that you would love and use. …Get good pieces that you can grow with and that you like — creating a foundation that you will grow with,” she said.
They said going that route often fits better with today’s busy lives that are the new normal for many couples.
Both ladies recommended that, when picking out items for your registry, don’t limit yourself or your guests who will be buying for you.
“We do both bridal and wedding registries, and the reason you do it so you can get what you want and it helps the people buying get you something you want to use and that you like,” Reardon said.
They also recommended having items across many price points, so your friends can buy you what you want, regardless of their budget.
“When someone comes in and registers, we talk to them to see what they like. Then, we set up a table that people can pick out gifts from,” Griffin said.
Griffin recommends combining easy-care place settings with more expensive serving pieces, like the traditional silver serving trays. It gives the couples the best of both worlds — table settings that are affordable and can be cleaned easily with more formal heirloom pieces. She also said considering a few holiday accent pieces to go on the table is a good idea.
Reardon, whose unique mercantile boutique specializes in specialty items from artists, both local and from across the South, also said consider registering items you would normally not be spending money on for yourself.
“If you registered here, you would be registering for things that you don’t see other places, pottery, glass, handmade objects — things that if you take care of, it becomes your vintage piece, but it is one of a kind, handmade,” she said.
“It is for the bride who wants what nobody else has. Something of the individualist, you know, that someone in America has sat at their wheel or hand built, they have made it, instead of something imported that everyone else has because it came from a production line. It gives you a home that is more uniquely yours.”
Magnolias gift shop, another business that bills its self as being ready to “help you find the perfect gift,” with locations in Pell City, Sylacauga and Chelsea, has embraced some of the new technological options out there.
Combining their website with integrated Facebook pages, they are listing some of their bridal registries online.
That and an interactive web contact form for finding that “perfect gift” makes shopping for the new couple just that much easier.
Griffin said they are working toward providing a similar service for their stores.
Regardless of whether you are looking for something that is traditional or something uniquely yours, businesses like Griffins Jewelers, Mum and Me, Magnolia’s and others in St. Clair County and across the region are ready to step up and meet your wedding needs.
