A Tale of Two Cities: Before Stephen & Beverly moved to Chicago, they had a shop in London and it was there that we first bought from them. My daughter and I were looking for a special gift for her 18th birthday. We found it at BeverleyR: a pair of Art Deco diamond earrings. Now 32, she loves them as much as ever. Last year she got engaged. She and her best friend were discussing engagement rings. If Andy ever asks you about an engagement ring, tell him I want a big, square diamond! “Said her friend” If Daniel ever asks what I'd like," she replied, "tell him I don't care what it is, as long as it comes from Stephen!" Eventually, they flew to Chicago and bought one. They invited Stephen to the wedding and in March last year, he came to London to attend it. This year they're going back to Chicago to choose an anniversary gift. That's the kind on jeweler Stephen is. That's the kind of jewelry he sells.
As a family, we've bought a number of pieces of jewelry over the years from BeverleyR, so you'll find I've written several reviews. This one concerns our first purchase: a pair of Art Deco Diamond Earrings bought for our daughter on her 18th birthday. At that time, Stephen had a shop in Grays Antique Centre, London. There are many traders there and we went looking for a watch. The last thing on either of our minds was earrings, but we couldn't find a watch we liked and started browsing some of the other stalls. We came to Stephen's. He showed us a number of items and eventually suggested earrings. We explained that neither of us liked the idea of pierced ears. He then produced a pair of clip-ons. They looked quite nice. He suggested that she try them on. Suddenly, they came to life, and so did her face. I'd never seen such an extraordinary change. I'd never before appreciated what a difference a piece of jewelry can make to a person. We brought back Mum a couple of days later to witness the symbiosis and approve the purchase. That was 14 years ago. We've never regretted a day of that decision: it brings joy to each of us each day that she wears them. Go to BeverleyR and you won't regret it either.
Things Men Have Made: The second piece of jewelry we ever bought from Stephen was a diamond and sapphire ring to mark my wife’s retirement. We had both been teachers: never had a lot of money, never will have – but I promised her that when we both retired I would buy her something of value, something that we both would treasure, something that would become a family heirloom,something to be passed on to our daughter, and then on to her daughter, down through the ages. We went to look and found the ring. It was a typical Stephen piece, lying there all innocently, biding its time. She tried it on. It fitted perfectly, but more than that, it came alive and sparkled and shone like it had never done on its tray in the cabinet. We all fell in love with it instantly. It was more than we had intended paying, significantly more, but we bought it anyway and it has turned out to be the best purchase we ever made. I cannot describe to you the joy that my wife feels when she wears it and the joy that I feel when I see it on her finger. Later, I sent Stephen a copy of this poem by DH Lawrence:
“Things men have made with wakened hands, and put soft life into are awake through years with transferred touch, and go on glowing for long years. And for this reason, some old things are lovely warm still with the life of forgotten men who made them.”
Stephen has a knack for recognising such things. Thankfully he buys them and thankfully he sells some of them to me. He might just do the same for you.