Popping the question is a major decision in a person's life, but the decision that soon follows can also be one that affects the couple 'til death they do part: The engagement ring.
And while every mall has a jewellery store, the deeply personal symbolism of an engagement ring prompts some couples to take a more personalized path.
It's something Cathy Shen knows all too well.
Shen is the founder of Ma Folie, a Vancouver small business specializing in custom gemstone rings. Her journey to being a entrepreneur and the "ringmaster" of so many special moments began in 2019 when her now-husband proposed to her in Italy and presented her with a pink sapphire engagement ring.
Ring designer's own engagement ring changed the course of her professional life
"I had told him I didn't want something that everybody else had," Shen tells V.I.A. during an interview at her small but cozy downtown Vancouver office. "I wanted something to reflect my personality, so he designed a pink sapphire engagement ring."
It was love. For her fiancé, of course, but also for custom rings with special gemstones.
"I was obsessed."
Shen says the very ring on her finger found her making a beeline to Pinterest, where she spent so much "pinning all these rings."
"I was picturing what my next ring would look like," explains Shen. She remembers asking herself "I already have a ring––why am I doing this?"
After 15 years of working what Shen describes as a comfortable and enjoyable government job, her ring obsession was becoming a new kind of life's passion.
"I always knew I wanted to be a business owner and do something in the creative field," says Shen.
She quit her job and signed up for courses through the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) to learn not only how to design jewellery, but also about gemstones and how the industry works. She earned an initial diploma and is currently pursuing her gemologist degree, and she was able to get her business off the ground starting with an online space before moving into her physical studio space in September 2024.
Shen's education––though not mandatory for her line of work––helps her share knowledge with her clients, who may have questions about the diamond market or the other gemstones Ma Folie uses. Outside of coursework, bespoke gemstone jewellery design has Shen always learning, particularly from conversations with others in the industry, like the veteran local goldsmith Ma Folie works with to her suppliers.
Clients include couples preparing for engagement, parents to be, Sweet 16 birthdays and more
Customers of all kinds find themselves in Shen's studio. Sometimes couples come in together, whereas other times it's the proposing partner. Oftentimes, while a couple begins the process, at some point the ring's intended recipient will step away while their proposing partner sees things through on the design front.
Though much of Ma Folie's clientele are in the market for custom engagement rings and wedding bands, she has helped others mark special occasions like the birth of a child, sweet 16 birthdays, or graduations.
Regardless of the occasion, Ma Folie is built on the notion that the wearer will have something unique that will stand the test of time.
"The majority of people who come in don't want something that they can get somewhere else," explains Shen.
Initially, clients tend to be drawn to Ma Folie after encountering images of Shen's work online; her modern, timeless, unique and intentional designs will strike a chord and prompt prospective clients to reach out.
Once they fill out a consultation request via the Ma Folie website and share with Shen answers to questions about preferences and styles, an in person meeting is where the magic––and the eight-week or so process––really begins.
Custom ring design a collaborative process
Shen's role is akin to a collaborator in what is a very client-driven process. She describes clients sitting down and sharing Pinterest boards with multiple images but they aren't able to articulate what their style is.
"What I'm really good at is taking someone's Pinterest board, seeing 50 rings that they like, and then narrowing it down to themes," she explains. "I figure out what colour, shape, and style they like, and then we design a ring."
Though Shen isn't keen to talk about her ring work in terms of trends, given how fleeting trends can be, she does take into account shifts in popularity of certain ring styles or gem. In particular, she's seeing a lot of interest in coloured stones, like baby pink or teal sapphires, for example, or lab-grown diamonds in unique settings.
Above all, Shen wants to ensure the ring recipient feels confident that in 20 or more years by now that they can look down at their hand and still love their ring.
Meeting with her clients gives Shen the opportunity to show them multiple options and, more importantly, for them to be able to see (often on their own hands) what the final product will look like.
The small business owner says she has also been able to accommodate deeply personal touches in her rings, such as a fingerprint on the band, gemstones to represent the birth month of children or partners, or an engraved message in the client's own handwriting.
"I've even been asked to match the sapphire colour to [a customer's] partner's eyes," Shen adds.
'Everything during this process is very intentional'
Every decision made for the ring design has a reason behind it, too. "People are very thoughtful. Everything during this process is very intentional," she says.
After the proposal, Shen's Ma Folie inbox often gets excited updates from the newly-engaged clients, with photos, too. Shen says she isn't surprised, given how over the course of a few weeks, she's formed a relationship with the couple or one of the partners. And Shen doesn't mind one bit hearing the details.
"I love proposal stories. I never get sick of them. I've heard them all!" she says.
Even in Ma Folie's relatively short time as a business, Shen says she also hears back from couples who want to collaborate on another ring for a new occasion, or to have a ring resized.
Shen isn't surprised at how in-demand Ma Folie has been. She's often booked out several weeks in advance, though she understands that part of that is simply because couples can sometimes only meet on weekends or evenings.
But it's also that custom engagement rings are in high demand right now, and, as Shen says, "more and more people are wanting something unique and something that they can't find anywhere else."
Coloured gemstones, unique settings increasingly popular
Ma Folie clients tend to fall into three camps. There are who Shen dubs the "sapphire girlies," who are looking for coloured gemstones for their ring. Then there are the "fashion girlies," who want to have a unique cut or setting, or both. Lastly, there are the partners who are coming in solo to take all they know about their spouse-to-be to incorporate it into a one-of-a-kind ring design.
And that's just the thing: "No two rings are the same," explains Shen.
Ma Folie rings start at about $5,000 apiece, and Shen acknowledges that custom work does tend to mean the product will be pricier than your standard jeweller's selection.
While some sentimental folks may wish to take an existing ring to Ma Folie for updating, Shen says its too risky an undertaking for her. Her perspective, too, is that if you have your grandmother's ring, she'd rather not take that apart and give up that perfect piece of a loved one. "I would say, keep that piece and then you can have a second piece that's just yours."
Like those feelings of being a newly-engaged person wearing a ring unique to her, for Shen, Ma Folie and the work she does creating custom rings comes down to it being about something beautiful and joyful.
"I love what I do," says Shen. "It makes me happy when something that I've created resonates with someone else."
