The ring you give to yourself

It must have been 6:30 p.m. that Friday. I was just closing up when this girl pushed open the door. Thirty-something, rumpled suit, hair a little untidy, looking like she'd been running all day. But her eyes! They sparkled like a kid's on Christmas morning.

"Good evening! You're not closing already, I hope?"

No, no, I still had a few minutes. She came in, walked around the windows at a brisk pace, then stopped dead in front of the rings.

"Here. I want a ring. For me. Right now."

Well, I admit, that intrigued me. Usually, people who arrive like that at the end of the day have forgotten a birthday. But she was all alone.

"Is this for a special occasion?" I ask.

She bursts out laughing. "Yeah! I just signed the contract of my life. Well, of my little life as a budding entrepreneur. Three months into my company, and boom! First big client in my bag!"

She was so radiant that I wanted to applaud her. You know how it is, we independent traders understand each other.

"Congratulations! What kind of business is this?"

"Digital communications consulting. Okay, it doesn't sound very sexy, but I love it. And today, I landed a job with a large SME in the region. Three-year contract!"

So we broke out the champagne. Well, sort of, but I was really happy for her.

"So you want to celebrate with a ring?"

"Exactly! Something I'll wear every day. To remind myself that I managed to convince this CEO. That I'm not just some little freelancer playing around."

I pulled out my selection of 18-karat gold rings. She tried them on one by one, very focused. One with small stones: "Too bling-bling." A chiseled one: "Too busy." A vintage one: "Too grandmotherly."

And then she comes across a simple, smooth, golden bangle. She puts it on, stretches her hand out toward the light.

"Ah! That one!"

She looks at herself in the mirror, turns her hand this way and that, smiles to herself.

"It's perfect. Classy but not flashy. Exactly what I need for my client meetings."

While I prepare the payment, she tells me about her journey. She was laid off six months ago, struggled to find a job, then the idea clicked: why not take the plunge? Her family was freaking out, her friends had doubts, but she believed in it.

"This ring is my medal. No one will congratulate me except my mother, so I congratulate myself!"

I loved her energy. As she was leaving, she said, "Next time I come by, it'll be to buy the matching earrings!"

Two months later, she did indeed return. Still with her ring on her finger, and still that same winning smile.

"So, what about these earrings?" I joke.

"Not yet! But I'm making progress. I hired an intern last week. And look at this..."

She shows me her ring. The gold has taken on the warm patina of jewelry worn daily.

"I play with it all the time during meetings. It's become my little good luck ritual."

This story reminds me of the young lawyer who bought himself a bracelet after winning his first case. Or the teacher who bought herself a pendant when she got her tenure.

People who buy themselves a piece of jewelry not because it is imposed on them (wedding, birthday), but because they want to mark an important moment for them.

We see this a lot at our place. Customers who come to celebrate their small personal victories. It's touching, these people who don't wait for us to recognize their merits. They recognize themselves.

18-karat gold is perfect for this. It lasts, it develops a nice patina, and it complements a professional life. And above all, it reminds us every day that we've been able to achieve something important.

Because let's be honest: who else is going to celebrate our small entrepreneurial victories if we don't do it ourselves?