monoceros blogsLin Kiat and I finally picked out our wedding rings yesterday afternoon. A few months ago, we'd checked out a shop in Ngee Ann City called Flower Diamond, which my friend and colleague, Karen, recommended. However, we wanted to scout around some more before making a decision. Last week, I read about a shop called Fairy's Inc at Delphi Orchard in one of the numerous wedding magazines that every bride feels compelled to - even if she really doesn't want to - purchase as her wedding day draws closer.
The article/advertisement had an ethereal image and some rather fluffy prose that included fairy dust and golden and silver thingees (if you've read my post on fantasy art, you'll be aware of my aversion to fantasy ideas and items that have moved into the kitsch zone). However, the article promised good service and going the extra step in free engraving and customizing designs. So I told Lin Kiat we were going to test the waters and see if this shop really lives up to its fantasy image.
Lin Kiat and I knew we wanted simple bands, which shouldn't be a problem for any shop; the challenge would be providing us with the engraving we want - an Elvish inscription on the inside of the rings. I had the inscription prepared earlier and always keep a print-out of it in my bag. We arrived at Fairy's Inc and after selecting a few choice rings, I whipped out my papers and asked Evelyn, one half of the duo that owns and runs the shop, if they could manage an engraving that isn't Roman or Latin, which is what I understand to be the in-thing now among wedding couples. She seemed a bit shocked when I mentioned Elvish (perhaps she thought i was referring to Elvis), but I explained a little more and she seemed to know what I was talking about after all.
Evelyn really is quite a pleasant young lady (perhaps no older than myself) and she did provide very friendly and patient service to Lin Kiat and me. She told us about the in-house or master engraver they persuaded to work for them and informed us that he would be able to accomplish the task. He would do the engraving by hand and we would just have to pay a higher fee for the complicated script. I asked her three times whether she was sure he could carve a message in Elvish, and she responded confidently all three times.
So we narrowed down our choice to a pair of white gold rings - matte and unplated (which means it has a slight yellow or champagne shade to it) - paid a deposit and left the place feeling rather pleased. Well, I was pleased, because I could cross another task off my list and because I'm going to get my very own version of The One Ring. I could begin chanting "One ring to rule them all" but then of course, Lin Kiat's got the other ring to rule me all! I suppose we'll just wind up ruling over each other.
Posted by Monoceros at April 13, 2003 4:07 PM