Bowen Jewelry Company.

So I am not going to make you read this entire post just to get to the announcement. GAB Photography is now a proud partner with Bowen Jewelry Company. What does that mean? It means that with a qualifying engagement ring purchase you will receive a complimentary full length engagement or proposal session. This is an exclusive offering for Bowen Jewelry Company only. Some of you might wonder why I partnered with them? As many of you know I will never recommend, endorse or partner with a vendor I don't have a personal experience with. That means anytime I do something like that it is because I myself was a customer or I have had a front row seat seeing them in action as a vendor. That is how I chose my printing lab and that is exactly why I am partnering with Bowen.


Back in June I went to Reeds to replace Brads' wedding band. Unfortunately he had lost his so I wanted to surprise him with a new one for our anniversary. The consultant had stepped away to take a call so I was poking around admiring all the sparkles. A ring caught my eye and I couldn't help but try it on, it was my duty, and I fell in love with it instantly. It gave me all the "Princess Diana" energy. After I tried it on the consultant showed me another ring that she liked. She said it was the one she'd want if she got engaged. It was similar only in the fact that it was a natural sapphire and in a halo setting but it was a smaller center stone and an emerald cut. The consultant clearly liked it more but I did't. I said it was beautiful but made it very clear that the other one was more my style and I didn't like her recommendation for me. Honestly, I could appreciate that it was a well designed ring but really really hated it and the other ring won by a landslide. I have never been one for any sort of square cut, they are total gorgeous for others and I appreciate them but I am a round or oval kinda lady. I asked what wedding band you'd wear with it because of the type of halo setting it was, she said any band would just slide under the setting like any other halo.


When I got home I couldn't help but tell Brad about how beautiful I though this ring was. And never though about it again. But unbeknownst to me he snuck off to Reeds later that week. He wanted to surprise me with this ring because my rings didn't fit after having my youngest. My fingers just never went totally back and so I was wearing a $20 sterling silver and cubic zirconium set off Amazon at this time. He sought out the consultant who had helped me and she said she remembered exactly what ring it was, she rung him up and they sent it off to be sized. A week or two later Brad picked up the ring and came home to surprise me with it.


When he walked in the door I was shocked to see the Reed's box and excited because I knew exactly what it was. I opened the box and I was overwhelmed, there was the ring I had fallen in love it...Gotcha, I wish that was how it went. I opened the box and immediately started to flush and couldn't help but ask if this was a joke. In the Reeds box was the ring I had absolutely hated. The consultant in fact didn't remember and sold him the ring she liked verses what I liked. Brad was so embarrassed and I was floored. I couldn't believe the consultant I spent an hour talking to and getting to know didn't do the same. She had loved talking about herself so I knew this woman's life story at that point. I knew her favorite gemstone stone, Ruby, and that she loved the marvel inspired jewelry collection Reeds had rolled out because she was a huge Marvel and Disney fan. I had only tried on two rings she wrote notes under my name about it and still sold him the wrong ring. It wasn't like her choice was more expensive either, the one I liked cost more. I was so upset because I felt so unheard and unknown. Brad went back to the store and they exchanged it. Since we were moving soon they told him that he could just get it resized at the Reeds Jewelry store in Lynchburg for free. Spoiler alert, there isn't a Reeds Jewelry in Lynchburg. There is however a Reeds hardware which must have been what popped up when they googled if there was one here...


When we got to Lynchburg and realized there wasn't a Reeds here we decided to get it resized by a random shop and they did fine but we ran into an issue. You can't wear whatever wedding band you want with a "basket" or "floral" halo setting. The setting sits against your finger in a way that doesn't allow a band to sit flush against the band of the engagement ring (pictures of what I mean are shared below). After some research I realized we would have to custom made a gap or slide under band and that lead me to Bowen Jewelry Company because they offer custom rings and jewelry.


I walked into Bowen with Brad to inquire about what I needed and Jared, the gemologist/ consultant that was assisting us, said we had a third option that would allow me to pick any wedding band I liked. He told us they could do a notch in the basket of the halo that you can't see and a band would slide into and sit flush. We ended up doing that and I bought a dainty wedding band that looked like it was made to go with my ring. In conversation while we were ringing it all up it came up I was a wedding photographer and Jared asked to see my work. He then asked if I would be interested in a partnership with Bowen and I knew I absolutely was. I was so impressed with the knowledge and the craftsmanship of their team at Bowen and I would be proud to endorse their work.


Bowen is a three generation family-owned and operated business, and they have been serving Central Virginia and the Lynchburg area since 1933. That's right for nearly 90 years! Bowen Jewelry Company is a unique company in that; they manage and sell estate jewelry, custom jewelry (click the link above for more details), jewelry appraisal, repair, sizing and then traditional jewelry store offerings. Since they do everything in house they are quicker (at least in my experience) than a Zales or a Kays and the craftsmanship is unmatched. They will locate specific gems in whatever color you need and are so knowledgeable. They're located on main street in downtown Lynchburg and one of the outside windows allows passerby's to watch the jewelers work. It is such a mesmerizing thing watch and I highly recommend you go and check them out while they work sometime if you're a Lynchburg local.


I am glad Reeds royally screwed up on all fronts because it landed me at Bowen. I never would have walked in otherwise and I would have missed out. Below are pictures of my ring, how it fit before and how it looks now after the work they did. Also note the absolutely gorgeous wedding band the helped me match to my ring. Overall I so impressed with my experience and will personally be using them for all of my jewelry needs from now on.