We sat down with Catherine and Linda at our Brookfield location to answer a few popular questions we get on engagement rings. Read on or click the video to see what they had to say!

WAS YOUR DREAM JOB ALWAYS TO BECOME A JEWELER? 

Linda: For me it was.
Catherine: Not for me. Actually I wanted to be a nun!
Linda: This is true!
Catherine: And my name was Catherine Mary Theresa and as a little girl I truly wanted to be a nun. Now I’ve been married with four children and I didn’t quite make it.
Linda: They would’ve kicked her out…

WHAT ARE THE STEPS FOR FINDING THE PERFECT RING AT THE JEWELRY CENTER?

Linda: The first thing we ask almost every person that comes in the store is, ‘Have you seen anything on Pinterest? Has she taken any pictures with her phone?’
Catherine: Most girls have!
Linda: Right, and if they haven’t, we might show what we’ve made for someone else, and something very traditional so they know that this is “today” and this is what we’ve sold for many years.
Catherine: It’s quite common, isn’t it now, that the couple will come in together. So you know, gone are the days that the guy comes in and just says, ‘Give me a ring!’. Pinterest has been fantastic because even if we don’t have it, we’ll make it. Then we can budget it and gear the price towards the piece.

SO YOU CAN RECREATE A CERTAIN RING WITH JUST AN IMAGE?

Linda: Most of the time, they will say, ‘This is what she wants’, and we will have them email us an image. Then we make a CAD image of the image they sent to us so they can see what it would look like finished. Some people can’t take that image and get it, so sometimes we have to make a wax. If we have to make a wax, they come in, touch it and feel it…
Catherine: Try it on even! There’s times when they’ll walk in with their own diamond and we can create around that, too.
Linda: We can do anything!
Catherine: We’re amazing!

WHAT’S THE BEST THING ABOUT WORKING WITH EACH OTHER?

Linda: Catherine and I met many years back in an interview. Catherine interviewed me and I said to her, ‘There’s something very relaxing about you. This doesn’t seem like any interview!’. Truly, she’s very warm and genuine.
Catherine: We really operate very similarly. When the store gets crazy, crazy busy, we can just look across…
Linda: We got it! We don’t skip a beat. It’s so much fun. Plus, we both have a really great sense of humor. We make each other laugh! Catherine dances all the time!
Catherine: No! That’s this one! (pointing at Linda)
Linda: She makes me giggle.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVORITE ENGAGEMENT RING YOU HAVE HELPED DESIGN?

Catherine: Oh boy…
Linda: Oh my goodness…
Catherine: So many, right?
Linda: Honest to goodness we have made so many pieces, but I think what matters most to us is the connection you have with the guest. You find out about their family and they bring their family in to meet you.
Catherine: You know, you tend to grow and get that relationship with that individual. So whether it’s a $2,000 engagement ring or a $20,000 ring, the $2,000 one can make more of an impact on one of us.
Linda: A lot of pieces that we get the most out of are family heirloom pieces that they have to reset. They might bring in something that means the world to them. Not that long ago, an aunt gave her niece a ring that was her other aunt’s and we made a bridal [ring] out of it. They didn’t have a huge budget, but the ring is amazing. It’s truly absolutely amazing. Very beautiful and very today. This was her idea and we made it come to life!

WHAT OPTIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR SOMEONE WITH A TIGHTER BUDGET?

Catherine: Many options!
Linda: We are great at that!
Catherine: We are really good at making someone feel comfortable because they have worked hard for what they have earned. We get a good feeling of what the customer’s needs are and what they can afford. You don’t want to pull out an $8,000 diamond and scare the poor fella to death.
Linda: We cater to what you feel that they want to spend or what they they have in mind. I think that’s what makes us good at what we do. Listening is a huge part of our success.
Catherine: Obviously we talk a lot too…
Linda: …maybe more than we should…
Catherine: …but we are good listeners! You might not believe that but we are!

DO GUESTS HAVE TO SET AN APPOINTMENT?

Linda: They don’t have to set an appointment. They can just come in and we’ll jump! They can come in and say, ‘I’d like you to jump,” and we’ll say, ‘How high?”.
Catherine: We are always available. We have different days off, but one will cover the other quite nicely, don’t we?
Linda: Yep! Everyone in this store is a good teammate. We really have a good flow.
Catherine: So we do have two other members, it isn’t just the two of us! We do have our back up ladies, too, who are as equally as awesome as we are!
Linda: You’re so funny!

If you want to work with Linda or Catherine on your engagement ring purchase, stop in to our Brookfield location! You can use our custom design center to get an idea prior to coming in to the store as well! We have jewelry specialists at all three stores to help you find the ring of her dreams. Contact us if you have any questions before stopping in!