Jack & Sîan: Four Red Envelopes And A Butter Dish in Paris

Jack & Sîan | Four Red Envelopes And A Butter Dish | Ethica Diamonds For her birthday, all Sîan asked for was a butter dish. She ended up with a proposal in Paris! This is possibly our favourite customer story! Jack and Siân had known each other for several years before they became a couple. Jack’s university friend Dom dated Siân’s sister Sarah, so their paths crossed multiple times over the space of five years, before, in a happy, romantic (alcoholic) evening at Sarah and Dom’s wedding reception, they chatted all night, and ended up kissing. This is where their story really begins. After dating for around 18 months, Jack was sure that Siân was ‘the one’, so he began researching engagement rings. A lot of his friends are either married or engaged, so it wasn’t difficult to pick up some useful information without being obvious. He managed to establish Siân’s preferred style, and researched both high street stores and online, looking at diamonds and styles, wanting the perfect ring. The other consideration was the ethics of diamond mining. The more he investigated, the less certain he became that a mined diamond would be the right choice, and the tipping point came when Siân discovered lab-grown diamonds, late last year. She was amazed to discover that such a thing was possible, and thought it sounded amazing. Jack was taking notes! With this new piece of information, Jack was paying particular attention when a friend of Siân’s sister was talking about her engagement ring, which was from Ethica Diamonds. He went onto our website, and spent a lot of time talking with Elaine about the ethics of the mined diamond industry, from the extraction of the gemstones, to the dubious practices around their pricing, and concluded that the Ethica Diamond was definitely the way he wanted to go – free from all hint of ethical or environmental damage. The choice of which ring to buy eventually came down to two – the Elia, a solitaire with subtly tapered baguette diamond shoulders, or a halo ring. He ultimately concluded that the classic, Art Deco feel of the Elia was more in keeping with Siân’s personal style, and, thankfully, she 100% agrees with that! Jack & Sîan | Four Red Envelopes And A Butter Dish | Ethica Diamonds So, with a ring burning a hole in his pocket, Jack set out to create a romantic proposal that, to be honest, sets the bar very high. Siân’s birthday is in March, and she told Jack that all she wanted was a butter dish. They didn’t have one, and she felt that it was necessary to make their kitchen complete, so that’s all she asked for. Jack had other ideas. On the morning of her birthday, Jack woke Siân at 6, (which she didn’t particularly appreciate, on her day off) presenting her with a red envelope, labelled ‘1’. This contained a poem promising an invitation for breakfast, and an adventure, suggesting she packed a bag. With coffee consumed, she began packing, discovering a red envelope labelled ‘2’ in her suitcase. Jack didn’t give any clues about what was going to take place, but suggested clothing for almost every occasion was necessary – he wanted to ensure she had the things that she would actually need, without giving away the plan, he says. A cab took them to Kings Cross St Pancras station, by which time Siân was starting to wonder whether there was a Eurostar trip in her immediate future, but still not having a clue about Jack’s master plan. She kept saying that it was all a bit much for her birthday, and that all she’d wanted was a butter dish. Anyway, appropriately supplied with snacks and Prosecco, they did indeed catch the Eurostar, where Siân received a red package containing a tourist guide to Paris, and a red email with details of their hotel reservation, in the centre of the most romantic city in the world. On arrival, Siân wanted to call her mum and tell her where they were, but Jack was afraid that Siân’s mum would accidentally spill the beans about his plans, and was listening at the bathroom door on tenterhooks, in case she let something slip. However, Siân’s mum would make an excellent spy, and kept the secret beautifully! Jack had envisaged a sunset proposal on the balcony, overlooking the Paris Opera House, but he was thwarted by the weather. Siân declined to stand on the balcony in the rain, so Jack had to prop the doors open with suitcases, to get the view he wanted. And so, dressed up for a smart dinner, he presented Siân with the fourth red envelope, which promised a present that she could use every day for the rest of her life, and a small parcel, again wrapped in red. It was a butter dish! With a little prompting, Siân eventually opened the butter dish, to find a small red ring box, from Ethica, and by the time she looked up, Jack was on one knee, proposing. Jack & Sîan | Four Red Envelopes And A Butter Dish | Ethica Diamonds Once she had finished saying ‘Oh My God’ several times, she did say ‘yes’, and the proposal weekend continued with a romantic meal and sightseeing that Jack had planned. They celebrated their second anniversary as a couple by seeing their wedding venue in person for the first time. Their wedding is planned for July next year, and they are discussing plans for wedding rings. Siân is a Nurse Practitioner, so she’s not able to wear a fancy ring while she’s working, just a plain band, but she does still have plans for more Ethica Diamonds in her future. We wish them all the very best, and many more romantic occasions to come.