Today, at 7:30am, I got a phone call from Niwaka. Machiko, the super sweet woman who works there, never did get the hang of calling from NY to CA later than 6-8am PST. She apologized profusely, as she always does in that so sweet way that reminds me of when I lived in Japan, and verified that our order had shipped out the morning before and would be arriving today.
Well, it arrived! And like all things in Japan, it was packaged several times - in one fedex box... within another fedex box.. and then a lot of stuffing and finally this:
top:
angled:
Mr. GB fell in love with this ring, a slight twist on top, but neither the thickness of the band, nor the width change throughout the ring. Niwaka carries a lot of organic looking rings, but this was his favorite. Particularly in the matte/brushed (if you order it, the Japanese call it "hairline") finish.
Another reason he wanted it was he felt that he should he get a diamond too. -whine whine, pout pout- He certainly didn't want one on top, some masculine thing about wanting all metal visible. Niwaka offers the option of getting a tiny 0.02 carat diamond in pink, blue, or white set either inside or outside the ring. His secret pink diamond, just for him.
Did I mention they do free engraving?
inside pink diamond + engraving:
Yes, it says BEAN POD. I am the bean. He is the pod. I'm not sure why I'm the bean, but it has been my pet name for a few different boys I dated - and they all came up with it all their own, so I must be very "beany". Perhaps I'm gassy and they thought referring to me as "bean" rather than "fart-master" was cuter. Anyway, they were so sweet when I asked them to put one word on either side of the stone and it's perfect.
About Niwaka....
I read a lot of Japanese magazines, so we had discovered Niwaka through 25ans, a bridal one that I regularly buy. They have a location in NY, but I go to Japan 3-4 times a year, so on our latest spring "gotta fit in a visit before wedding planning takes over" trip to Tokyo, we stopped by their showroom in Aoyama. They were so sweet, allowing us to try on a few rings, discuss the proper Japanese word for "matte finish", and find out the Japanese size of Mr. GB's finger. By the time we left, I had all the information I needed in order to make my order. Machiko is the woman who runs the office in NY, and she is wonderful. If you want to order - just call her in NY and she'll be more than happy to help you. You will probably be prompted to do some of the ordering via phone and some through email because her spoken English is not perfect, but she really is the greatest!
They are currently relocating, so their store is closed. You can still call and make order since the rings are handmade in Kyoto, not NY, and then sent from Japan.
Niwaka USA, Inc.
212-941-5410
ps - this is his current engagement ring, he doesn't know what he's going to do with it after we're married.. any ideas?
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