Set In Stone: Mapping the Journey of Love With Diamonds

A lockdown love story
Adele D’lima and Gary Gracious
Rekindled romances have a charm of their own—the sweet nostalgia, the comfort of familiarity, and the thrill of starting afresh. For former lovers Gary Gracious and Adele D’Lima, sparks flew all over again when they reconnected during the Covid-19 pandemic. Having dated for two years till 2012, the couple continued staying friends even after they parted ways. They finally decided to give love a second chance when they turned to each other for companionship during the lockdown. The fact that they stayed only a lane away from each other, also helped.

“In these uncertain times, Gary has been my safety net. So we just trusted our instincts and went in for season two,” chuckles Adele. Their first real date after the lockdown lifted was a trip to a jewellery store. “I wanted to seal the deal with a gift that would prove that we were in it for the long haul this time. So I got her a slick pair of infinity diamond earrings that is going to be the ultimate symbol of love for all the years to come,” gushes Gary.

Friendships that last forever
Tanvi Aggarwal and Atmeek Sohni
In the era of smoke-and-mirrors internet dating, Tanvi Aggarwal and Atmeek Sohni’s love story is equal parts fortuitous and heart-warming—a tale straight out of a rom-com, where friends turn into lovers and the whole world conspires to make this magical union a reality. From waltzing into each other’s lives during a class performance to exchanging diamond rings signifying a lifetime of togetherness, they’ve come a long way in the last ten years of knowing each other.

“When Atmeek proposed to me with a dreamy three-stone diamond ring and asked me to stay his ‘best friend forever’ all I could mumble was a teary-eyed ‘YES’,” recalls Tanvi. Atmeek adds, “I always knew that the diamond engagement ring I’d get Tanvi would be as simple and elegant as her, so I chose one with three natural diamonds to symbolise our past, present and future together.”

A paw-fect match
Pooja Manek and Siby John Dominic
There are dog people, and then there are cat people. And sometimes, they fall in love. Such is the case of Pooja Manek and Siby John Dominic, a live-in couple who come from two different schools of thought but are bound by unconditional love for each other as well as their furry friends. So, when Pooja adopted a cat called Coke, Siby who is a dog-lover, wasn’t exactly ecstatic. However, in due course of time, his parental instincts took over and he found himself drawn to Coke’s charming ways. Now, he is a hands-on cat parent, a designation bestowed on him by an elated Pooja.

“Siby and Coke are now inseparable and I couldn’t be happier to see them bonding so well. So, in an attempt to thank Coke’s newly appointed co-parent, I gifted Siby a pair of diamond cufflinks,” smiles Pooja. While Siby refuses to accept that he has shifted loyalties and is a cat person now, he does believe that Coke is the best thing to happen to him after Pooja. “We’re planning on getting a little family portrait clicked of Pooja, Coke and me, standing proud wearing my new shiny cufflinks,” adds Siby.

For centuries now, a diamond solitaire has spoken the language of love. They’ve helped couples mark special moments and anoint an occasion worthy of memory, with a promise of forever. After all, love inspires you to turn hurdles into milestones and there is nothing that says “I love you” like a diamond.

To sparkling new beginnings
Binaifer Dulani and Utkarsh Ujjwal
When it comes to relationship milestones, there’s one around every corner. From the first ‘I Love You’ to the ‘First Fight’, there are several little moments that bring you closer to your favourite person. When Binaifer Dulani and Utkarsh Ujjwal started dating two years ago, the only relationship goal they had in mind was to laugh their way through the ups and downs of life together. Staying true to this promise, Utkarsh, a stand-up comedian, decided to ask Binaifer to move in with him, by casually slipping it into his performance.

“She went from being deer-in-the-headlights stunned to bursting into peals of laughter when she realised what had just happened. In true Bollywood style, I then whipped out a diamond ring and she was dumbfounded, all over again,” laughs Utkarsh. Binaifer adds, “The solitaire ring is a constant reminder that this was all not a dream and that I had my own little ‘being swept off my feet’ moment.”