She remembers them distinctly—a couple from England, on vacation in New York to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. As they browsed the store, they explained how they had put their children through school, married them off, and never really splurged on themselves. There was one decadent item they both always wanted: matching gold Rolex watches. To commemorate their anniversary, they bit the bullet and bought the watches, as giddy as a young couple picking out an engagement ring.
Jeweler Harry Mizrahi, son of owner Martin, has seen his fair share of romantic moments on the floor as well. “The best ones are the surprises,” he said.
“Some couples come in just to look, but seeing the ring sort of solidifies that they want to get married. Some guys pull out their credit card and propose right on the spot.”
One such surprise took place a few years ago on New Year’s Eve. A couple was shopping in Rockefeller Center when the boyfriend mentioned he wanted to buy his girlfriend’s daughter a piece of jewelry for Christmas. Once they were inside the shop, he swore her daughter to secrecy—they were actually at the store for an engagement ring.
After they made a selection, the daughter called her mom and said, “Come see what he bought me for Christmas!” When she finished her shopping and joined her boyfriend and daughter, she was in for a big surprise: a New Year’s Eve proposal right there in the store.
“He lured her in under false pretenses and then proposed on the spot,” Charisse described. “The daughter was crying, the mother was crying. It was a beautiful scene to witness.”
Harry Mizrahi also sees many men come in with tickets to Top of the Rock in their pockets. They pick out a ring, bring their sweethearts high above Midtown Manhattan, and pop the question. “We get to be a part of their story,” Harry says. “Our jewelry is helping them to build the foundation of a marriage.”