Learn More About Designer Jenny Norman

What was the first engagement ring you made?

I was waiting on the subway platform one day and I passed a guitar-playing busker who was fundraising to marry the love of his life. He had an Instagram called marryingkatie. I loved it – it was so sweet and he was playing my favorite song so I put a couple bucks in and went on my way.

I checked out the IG when I got on the subway – he had photos of them, their whole story, and his girlfriend knew nothing about it. I decided to reach out to him to help guide him towards a quality (non-boring) ring for Katie. He responded and was planning to get a conventional ring from a mall store. After talking for a while, I told him that though I was pretty new at this, I’d love to make him something really special for free, minus the cost of the materials.

We kept in touch for almost a year, planning the design, deciding on the stone, and meeting at different subway stops where he was busking to talk about the ring. At some point, I pulled the trigger, bought the diamond, and got on the subway to deliver it. It was a moment of faith – I had to meet this person in the 34^th street subway station and hope he wasn’t going to run off with my self-purchased diamond.

In the end, it all came together. He livestreamed the whole proposal and I got to watch everything. It was the most magical moment ever, I had tears streaming down my face the whole time. All my coworkers were in on it too – one of the ladies donated a diamond from a lost earring – it was such an amazing experience.