It seems that this tradition dates back to the 5th century (or possibly even further) and that a leap year is a year when the calendar has one extra day. Then, so it is said, St Patrick noticed an abundance of yearning females and decided to allow them to propose to the objects of their unrequited passion. How very kind. They only had to wait four years for this opportunity and the rest of the time presumably they were draped over furniture and just generally moping about.

Personally I don’t like this vision of a leap year and prefer to think of women taking control and getting on with the job in hand. If you want to marry then go for it and ask! Don’t hang about waiting like your wet predecessors. Another part to this custom was that if you proposed on the 29th of February and you were refused, then the man had to pay you a penalty. Doing my research the price seems to be some cloth for a skirt however…. when you think that all those years ago, most people only had one set of clothes then ‘some cloth for a skirt’ would be be worth quite a lot. Therefore translated into modern currency I would say we were looking at possibly an all expenses paid 5 star trip to the Caribbean for a fortnight or possibly a nice little runaround car? That would suffice I think to eradicate the disappointment of being refused!

If you’ve decided to take the bull by the horns and propose on ‘leap day’ you’ll be in need of an engagement ring. Men’s engagement rings have become more popular over the past few years and we’ve found that most men who chose to have an engagement ring wear it on their left hand while engaged. This is then replaced with the wedding ring and then moved to the right hand. Designer Einhorn (a pioneer of the ‘mengagement’ ring) has created a number of contemporary styles for men, ranging from the understated diamond ring to a classic plain band or a heritage inspired Thames Wood ring.

For a large number of men an engagement and or a wedding ring will be the only jewellery they ever wear. They will wear these rings every day for the rest of their lives so durability is obviously really important. We always suggest choosing a harder metal like platinum, 18 carat white gold, 18 carat rose gold or 14 carat yellow gold (which is actually harder than 18 carat yellow gold). Titanium and palladium have also become more popular options for wedding and engagement rings due to their highly durable qualities. We all know that men are rough, tough creatures with (sometimes) bad hand to eye coordination so jewellery should always be chosen accordingly!

You can view our collection of men’s engagement rings online or at our London shop and if you have a question or need a bit of guidance please don’t hesitate to contact the shop at shop@stepheneinhorn.co.uk – we’re here to help!

At MOCA, Museum of Contemporary Art aka The Geffen Contemporary, a show entitled ‘Under the Big Black Sun: California Art 1974-1981′ Untill Feb 13th exhibits work by approx 125 artists working in a wide variety of styles and mediums. Film by Bruce Conner, sculpture by John Outterbridge, Betye Saar, Tony Oursler and Bruce Nauman and paintings by Ed Ruscha, Raymond Pettibon and John Baldessari give an idea of the standard of the work. The space itself is fabulous so well worth seeing.

At LACMA, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Untill June 3rd is a fabulous show entitled ‘California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way’ which explores all aspects of California Mid-Century Modern Design including Furniture, ceramics, metalwork, fashion and textiles plus plenty more. The exhibition is excellently designed and full of great examples of the period. Whilst there it’s worth seeing the contemporary art displays including vast Jeff Koons sculptures, Warhol paintings and two sculptural installations by Chris Burden.

The J Paul Getty collection on show at the Getty Center and Getty Villa is another must see. The Center designed by Richard Meier on a 750 acre site opened in 1997 and houses work from Roman times to the present day. The outside spaces with gardens and sculpture areas with views over the city are spectacular. The Getty Villa sits on a 64-acre site overlooking the ocean in Malibu. Originally constructed in the 1950’s and renovated and extended in 1997-2006 to resemble a 1st century Roman country house it originally housed a collection of Greek and Roman antiquities which has now been enlarged to fill the newly created galleries.

Another must is a visit to The Watts Towers on East 107th Street. These structures were constructed over a period of 34 years by Simon Rodia, an Italian emigre using a structural steel rod covered in mortar and decorated with broken china and glass pieces. He bought a triangular plot of land in 1921 and proceeded to construct memories of his early years in Italy including a gazebo, three birdbaths and a ship as well as numerous towers the tallest of which stands at 99.5 ft high and was built without the use of scaffolding. There is the Watts Towers Arts Center alongside which has changing shows relating to the towers as well as a short film about their construction.

Further a field, a trip to Joshua Trees which is near to Palm Springs can unveil another amazing spectacle. On a 10-acre plot far off the nearest road is a collection of assemblage sculptures by Noah Purifoy. He was part of the LA art scene in the 1970’s and ‘80’s and had been one of the founders of the Watts Towers Arts Centre before moving to the desert in 1989 searching for enough space to create his environmental sculpture. He sourced all kinds of discarded materials in all sizes, which enabled him to make pieces the size of buildings if desired. The result is a fabulous landscape of over 50 sculptures.

Not too far away is another interesting experience of a somewhat different nature. The Integratron situated at Landers is worth the ‘experience’. It was built in the 1950’s by George Van Tassel who claimed that a visit of a UFO from Venus resulted in him knowing the technique for rejuvenating cell tissues. The dome was described by Tassel as a high-voltage electrostatic generator that would supply a broad range of frequencies to recharge the cell structure. Many years later and after various different owners it is now used primarily to provide Sound Baths which are sonic healing sessions using nine quartz crystal bowls played live within the highly resonant multi-wave sound chamber………..well worth the drive.

A great place to stay nearby is Hope Springs which has three mineral water pools ranging from 90-105’. There are 10 rooms/chalets situated around the pools.

The first time I stood behind the counter in Stephen Einhorn’s (my parents) London shop I was really young. There was a range of men’s jewellery back then, a few women’s jewellery pieces and some amazingly quirky household objects (Past Heroes eat your heart out). The shop was tiny – a recently converted space from the front of the workshop. I was terrified of the customers. Terrified they would ask me questions I didn’t know the answer to. I willed them not to come in until I was relieved from my sweaty-palmed vigil.

14 years later, things have changed a lot. I love our customers, there are very few questions I don’t know the answer to (geek), and I like nothing more than when they come in. I love getting a little involved in people’s lives. I’m nosy. The most personal purchases are engagement rings. Even more personal than wedding rings. Wedding rings are something solid and decided. With engagement rings there is something about a promise and a beginning which makes couples with the most pragmatic of hearts less than rational… Also, you wear this ring for the rest of your life: you want something pretty damned fabulous.

So when my boyfriend and I decided to get hitched I wanted a fabulous engagement ring, too. You’d think that after five years of living with someone, and 14 of selling rings, I’d know what I wanted. You would be so very very wrong. Oh the indecision. There are two new engagement ring designs in the shop because of me. You’re welcome! (Sorry, Dad). I would not put up with a customer like myself. There was one thing I was certain of, though, and that was that I wanted it to be as ethical as possible.

I’m really proud of the ethical jewellery policies here at Stephen Einhorn – they are my particular passion when it comes to the shop. It was really important to me that I (quite literally) put my money where my mouth was. Using our recycled and reclaimed gold  is much better than using gold that is freshly mined in uncontrolled environments, but I wanted to take it one step further which is why I chose to have my really rather fabulous ring – my bespoke Passion engagement ring to give it its fancy title – made in Fairtrade and Fairmined gold (and Canadian diamonds. But that’s another story).

Opting for a piece of jewellery made in recycled and reclaimed gold doesn’t make the world worse but choosing to have jewellery made in Fairtrade and Fairmined gold actively makes it better by supporting small-scale miners from developing countries and their local community, whilst ensuring that the miners are over 16 and that they are paid and treated properly. In the end it was fortuitous that I am so indecisive as this has only just become an option. I knew one day it would pay off. It does cost a bit more, but it’s worth every penny, and I feel happy when I look at it, not just because it’s beautiful and symbolic and all those other high falutin’ romantic ideas, (not to mention totally fricking awesome) but because it’s an expression of how me and my boyfriend want to try to live our lives together, and how we want the world to be.

And we want it to be fair.

If you’re interested in having one of Stephen Einhorn’s men’s or women’s jewellery designs made in Fairtrade and Fairmined gold or would like to commission a bespoke piece please contact us at bespoke@stepheneinhorn.co.uk.

You can shop these men’s jewellery designs online or come and see them up close and personal in our London jewellery shop (you might even get a nice cup of tea!).

We predict big things for these guys so long as Nigel leaves his Diva ways behind him…

Both of Stephen Einhorn’s men’s designer necklaces featured below can be handmade in solid sterling silver, 9 and 18 carat yellow gold.

With love Stephen Einhorn & The Team x

And finally we have a little Christmas treat from Designer Einhorn himself…