Interview with Emma Shilling from Ernest Jones Putney.

Emma has worked in luxury retail for the past ten years and along with Ernest Jones she has worked for Links of London and Princess Cruises Boutiques. She holds a professional jewellers diploma (JET 1) from the The National Association of Goldsmiths and has sold jewellery all over the world. Emma also happens to be this authors’ wife for the last three years (and business accountant)….. so here we go……….

So I guess you’ve shifted a few wedding rings in your time?

You could say that Michael, now pay attention because this is serious business!

But it’s just the rings……

I’ll stop you there….. remember that the only things that you’re going to keep after you’re wedding is the rings and the photos. The rings you’re going to wear everyday hopefully for the rest of your life……. and if not you could always cash them in!

Fair enough, but the photos are still important…

Yes, yes, you’re photographer. Let’s move on.

Right-o ….. first question then….. When should couples start to look for their rings?

I would say start looking about 6 months before to at least get an idea of price and what they like. Plan to buy about 8-6 weeks before the wedding. If you want a bespoke ring then at least 3 months before the wedding. There are plenty of design days at different shops so keep an eye out of those.

Not the day before the wedding then?

Don’t get me started! Too many people do this! You wouldn’t dream of buying a dress the day before would you?

Well not me no. But dresses have to be fitted etc.

So do rings. Shops don’t always have all of the sizes in all the styles in stock. Best not to be disappointed.

What tips would you give to the ladies?

Go for the same metal as your engagement ring. Different metals often scratch each other and tarnish differently over time.

Ok, let’s talk metals. What are our choices?

Palladium – A great choice in my mind, cheaper than Platinum but it shares the properties.

Platinum – 30 times rarer than gold, doesn’t oxidise at any temperature and has great tarnish-resistance.

White Gold – Actually this is technically coloured Gold. The white is obtained by alloying gold with other elements in various proportions. Then the metal is Rhodium plated. It’s a good idea to get your white gold rings re-plated every couple of years or so.

Gold – The most malleable and ductile of all metals; a single gram can be beaten into a sheet of 1 square meter, or an ounce into 300 square feet. For rings, 18k is good for wedding rings or standard really.

What about other metals?

Silver tarnishes too quickly and Titanium looks like you have a lead pipe on your finger!

Not a fan of Titanium then?

NO! It’s cheap and looks it! I know you can pick a Titanium ring up for about £40 but you’re spending more than that on booze at your wedding for people you’ve never met!

Ok, now I know Diamonds may be more about engagement rings but let talk about them.

Says the man with six of them in his wedding ring!

You picked it out sweetheart…..

…….And it looks very masculine dear…..

Moving on…. I know it’s all about the 4 C’s right?

Quite right. Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat.

Let’s talk about that because I find it all very confusing.

Cut – All down to personal preference really. Some diamonds do have over 60 facets cut into them. This has two meanings in relation to diamonds. The first is the shape: round, oval and so on. The second relates to the specific quality of cut within the shape, and the quality and price will vary greatly based on the cut quality. If you want something more unusual go for a Marquis or Asher cut.

Colour – The scale goes from D (white) to Z+ (coloured diamonds – blue). I would go for a diamond between D and H otherwise they appear too yellow.

Clarity – This is the big one for me. The scale (at the top end) starts for FL or flawless – no imperfections. Next is VVS1 and VVS2 – very very small inclusions – Only an expert can detect flaws with a 10X microscope. Then you have VS1 – VS2 -  You can see flaws with a 10X microscope but not straight away. After that we have SI1 – SI2 -  You can see flaws with a 10X microscope. Lastley there is I1 – I3 - You can see flaws with the naked eye.  Consider avoiding these diamonds.

And finally Carat – Again this is down to personal preference. The carat is a unit of mass used for measuring gems – or rather the size. I would suggest concentrating on Colour and Clarity first and then see how big you can go!

People do like those big stones though don’t they?

You know my feelings on this dear, we worked in the States for long enough! Like I said look after the colour and clarity.

Wonderful, thank you Emma. Where can people find you to absorb even more information in person?

Ernest Jones in Putney till you make your millions dear.