San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1892-01-27
BUYING WEDDING RINGS.
Most Young People Are Very Matter of
Fact When Choosing the Band.

" "CcSuN1 EIiNSos
Most Young People Are Very Matter OF
Fact When Choosing the Band.
Just think of it! One jewelry store on
the Bowery claims to sell over 400 we'd
ding rings year. And yet we hear the
cry that ''men are not marrying" If
one out of the many stores that supply
these golden letters of matrimony can
dispose of such number within year,
what must the sales amount to when all
those that are supplied by other firms
are added?
Surely somebody's getting married.
Down on the Bowery, near Grand
street, there hangs golden hoop large
enough to marry all the brides on that
side of town. 1t is hung above jew
elry store, and can be seen as well from
the elevated road as from the sidewalk.
1t was from the window of down town
train that l first caught sight of it. A
young country looking couple that sat
near by also noticed the giantlike emblem
of wedlock, and | heard the girl whis-
per, "Oh, Willie, there's where we got
our ring" But Willie didn't look until
the car had passed the store; then he
raised his eyebrows little and said, 81
see," indifferently, and turned again to
the paper he had been perusing. The
girl bit her lips and looked down at the
gold band upon her ungloved hand.
At the next station i left the train and
visited the store where Willie had
bought the ring. One of the statesmen
said, in answer to a question, "There
isn't us much sentiment in the business
as one might suppose. BY the time the
happy couple arrive here they have got
beyond the blushing stage of heart
disease, and they buy the ring in the
most matter of fact way. Sometimes
the man and woman come together, but
usually the gentleman comes alone to
get the ring.
"Do women ever select and pay for
their own wedding rings? Not very
often, although there was lady here
last week who did so. When a couple
come in together the man picks out a
ring and asks his friend if it will do,
anu BIG lilNdl LbDsC iitS NClS les.
he pays for it, and that's all there is
about it,"
"What size of ring is usually re-
quiredg" | asked. "In this part of the
city," replied the practical salesman,
"from six and quarter to seven are the
usual sizes; but they run smaller up
town ON Broadway"
Upon the counter he then placed two
trays containing wedding rings. Some
of them appeared too large for any finger
but that of giant; yet it happens some
times that these are not large enough for
a would be purchaser. 1t is customary
among the Germans for both the man
and woman to buy ring and make a
mutual gift on the wedding day.
The price of a wedding ring on the
Bowery ranges from eight to twenty
five dollars, the average price being ten
or fifteen dollars In style, the old fash
Toned plain round circle is generally pre-
ferred, because it is as comfortable in
the dishpan as in the drawing room, and
the sentimental little wife need never
take it off for fear of its being spoiled.
When asked how long it usually took
to purchase wedding ring, the sales
man laughed and answered that in his
fourteen years experience it had never
taken a couple longer than half an hour
to select one, usually ten minutes. The
woman seems to think it's best to hurry
in the buying, or her escorts mind may
change on the subject.
"We have never" said he, chad ring
that was bought returned because the
marriage didn't come off. Sometimes a
gentleman orders ring made that is too
heavy for the slender finger that is to
wear it, and then he brings it back and
we take off some of the gold. Frequent
ly, too, people bring us old rings to be
melted and made over, but this we re-
fuse to do"
"Why?" | asked. Because we can
not promise to give them back the same
gold that they brought us, he answered.
"Of course we send the article to be
made over to the workmen, but it is
thrown into the same crucible as all the
other gold, and who knows after that
which was 'grandma's ring or the 'baby's
spoon;' not we, surely. New York Ad-
vertiser.