A former JCK editorial assistant shares the story of her ring

Former JCK editorial assistant Stephanie Schaefer recently announced some happy news: She had gotten engaged! Her intended is none other than former JCK web editor Daniel Ford.  (By the way, you should check out Dan’s website, Writer’s Bone, including—to really keep it all in the family—his podcast with former JCK managing editor Richard Dalglish.)  So after all that time thinking way too much about jewelry, what’s it like to get an engagement ring of your own? Here, Stephanie shares her thoughts.

I have to say, being engaged is a pretty great feeling! I started writing about jewelry as a JCK editorial assistant when I was 22, fresh out of college, living in a fourth-floor NYC walk-up with two other girls and about as far away from a serious commitment as possible. I think I even tweeted back in 2012 something along the lines of “Those who can’t do teach, those who can’t do relationships write about other people’s engagements.” Although I can’t find that exact tweet (maybe I deleted it because I thought it was too snarky and self-deprecating), I did find a slew of flirtatious tweets exchanged when Daniel and I were “just friends,” which makes the engagement all the more special. There was always a spark, and now I have something sparkly on my ring finger (which I haven’t been able to stop staring at for the past few months!) to symbolize that love. And if, there’s anything I learned in my two years at JCK magazine (aside from the fact that marrying your former web editor means you’ll always have someone to double-check your grammar) is that love is the backbone of this industry. 

So what does my sparkly symbol of love look like, you ask? For starters, it’s rose gold. I knew that if I ever were to get engaged, I would want to wear a ring that’s a little different. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love the color pink, so the subtle blush color of my ring perfectly fits my personality. I’ve yet to meet anyone else who has a rose gold ring. However, I didn’t want to stray too far from tradition and opted for a cushion-cut diamond stone, which is surrounded by a diamond halo. The ring’s shank also has diamonds down the side, because the more diamonds, the better, right?

Daniel worked with a custom jeweler to create the ring, a process he describes as “utterly terrifying and exhilarating.” Although I had given him hints about what style I preferred, the engagement was a surprise, and I didn’t see the finished product until he got down on one knee on a February trip to London (he had fooled me into thinking that we were going to get in engaged in the summer, so I was definitely amazed when he opened the ring box in the middle of St. James Park on our winter getaway). We toasted our engagement with high tea and champagne at Kensington Palace, reflecting on how our love had grown in the past three years and reminiscing about how we were essentially the Jim and Pam of the JCK office.

Now on to wedding planning! 

— Stephanie Schaefer

(Photos courtesy of Stephanie Schaefer)

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