If sales of engagement rings are any indication, a growing number of couples hunkered down in quarantine during the coronavirus pandemic are asking themselves: why not?
In Connecticut, jewelers say theyâve seen a noticeable spike in demand for engagement rings from mid-March to July compared with previous years.
For the first two months of quarantine â if things were going well â couples browsed online. In May, as jewelry and other retail stores opened under Gov. Lamontâs Phase 1 guidelines, future brides and grooms scouted in person.
At Lux, Bond & Greenâs six retail locations in Connecticut and Massachusetts, co-owner John Green estimates his engagement ring business is up 25% from the same period last year.
âWhen we shut down in March, we got emails and an appointment requests,â John Green, co-owner of Lux, Bond & Green, said. âWe made special appointments and lots of social distancing and masks and gloves and the whole business.â
âMany couples are saying, âWho knows when weâre going to be able to get married, or maybe weâll just do a small civil service, but letâs get engaged,ââ Green said. âTheyâve talked about getting married, but in this generation, thereâs no rush. Now, itâs like, âWeâve talked about it: why donât we just do it?ââ
Photo: Getty Images