A beautiful story of Mark and Curt, told by Mark.
“Stories about how two people meet and fall in love are common. Ours is no different. Not really. We were both approaching fifty when we first met. He was ready to leave a long term relationship; I had just left my long term relationship. He was in the middle of coming to terms with his mother’s recent cancer diagnosis; I had lost my mother to cancer a few months before. We both lost our dads to heart failure. From the first moment we met we already had a lot in common. It was Kismet. And yet, to our friends and family we seemed to have so much more than a few things in common. In the beginning he often told me how rare it was to find a decent, kind and warm person when trying to date at our age. I told him he was a diamond in the rough.
I purchased a Todd Reed ring for Curt the day I ran my first half marathon. I had seen the ring a week before and couldn’t stop thinking about it. We had only been dating for a few months, but I knew then that this was the person I was meant to be with. The ring was simple, unrefined, masculine, and very unique. It had two raw diamonds encased in a hatched box, almost in a way representing the two of us. I was euphoric after completing my race and took a chance on impulse to buy the ring. I didn’t know Curt’s ring size but assumed we would have it sized later, if he accepted it. I intended this to be a gift for him, in exchange for the gift he had given me… a gift of respect, trust, friendship, and the shared recognition that we had both come from unhappy places to find a new happier place together. I had the ring engraved with a single word; Kismet.
The chance was worth taking because Curt loved the ring and never takes it off. And it was a perfect fit. Over two years later we are still together, building a home, committed to a meaningful life together as a couple. On a recent trip to southern California, we spent an afternoon driving around the area. We happened across a street of shops in Venice, and while meandering through the area came across a Todd Reed studio. Kismet. We knew we had to go inside. Greeted warmly by Sarah, we took in the beautiful work of Todd Reed’s designs. We immediately knew we had to purchase a pair of bands for each other, to symbolize our commitment and love. In a very short time Sarah helped us design two classic Todd Reed bands.
Our original plan was to exchange rings at a commitment ceremony, but now that it is possible for us to legally marry we plan to move forward in a more traditional way. When we exchange vows, our custom designed Todd Reed rings will signify to us the beauty of something simple, unrefined, and unique; raw uncut stones set within the simplicity of a single band; continuous unending love, even if discovered later in life; Kismet.”
So glad we could be a part of your happiness, Mark & Curt! Wishing you both a lifetime of happiness.